Learning From Our Past, Inspiring Future Generations

Griffin Catalyst is proud to partner with the nonprofit American History Unbound. The collaboration will present dramatic multimedia storytelling about World War I and World War II to audiences in New York and Miami, and nationwide through a documentary being filmed for broadcast on public television later this year, to coincide with Veterans Day. The unique combination of narration and imagery from renowned historian John Monsky, accompanied by music from Broadway stars and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, brings to life in new ways two of the most pivotal events in the 20th century.
American History Unbound's performance of "The Eyes of the World" at Boston's Symphony Hall.

The partnership with American History Unbound represents Griffin Catalyst Founder Ken Griffin’s latest support of bold initiatives promoting freedom and democracy through inspirational and educational programming. “The bravery and sacrifice of American service men and women during the World Wars reflect a heroic commitment to our nation’s values,” Ken said. “I’m proud to support the stories of American History Unbound so that current and future generations can appreciate the sacrifices made to protect the freedoms we enjoy today.”

The two performances brought to stage are “The Great War & The Great Gatsby” and “The Eyes of the World: From D-Day to VE Day.” The first show, focusing on America’s involvement in World War I, will unfold at New York’s iconic Carnegie Hall. The second show, chronicling the pivotal final year of World War II, will be staged at the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center in Miami Beach.

During the weeks of rehearsal prior to the performances, American History Unbound founder John Monsky offered a behind-the-scenes preview of the key artifacts and stories inspiring his work.

A Soldier's Story

American History Unbound: A Soldier's Story (5:00)

The Battle of Hurtgen Forest

American History Unbound: The Battle of Hurtgen Forest (5:00)

When "The Great Gatsby" Went to War

American History Unbound: When "The Great Gatsby" Went to War (5:00)

Flags For Those Who Served

American History Unbound: Flags For Those Who Served (5:00)

The Historic XXV Corps

American History Unbound: The Historic XXV Corps (1:30)

To the Moon and Back

American History Unbound: To the Moon and Back (2:00)

Photographer Robert Capa on D-Day

American History Unbound: Photographer Robert Capa on D-Day (3:00)

In Brief

May 23, 2024
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Griffin Catalyst has made the largest gift in the history of the Navy SEAL Foundation, to provide critical education, health care, and financial support to members of one of the U.S. military’s most elite special operations forces and their families.
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The Lincoln Memorial has long been one of America’s most visited monuments and the scene of some of the defining moments of the last century. In time for the 250th anniversary of the country, a new expansion project will transform a massive, long-hidden space beneath the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall into an immersive museum, exhibition, and theater space, encouraging visitors to explore the story of one of America’s greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, and to learn about the nation’s progress toward becoming a more perfect union.
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The health of one of America’s greatest and best-known watersheds, the Florida Everglades, has been under increasing threat in recent years from agricultural needs and the development demands of the fast-growing population of South Florida. Griffin Catalyst’s support for The Everglades Foundation—a three-decade-old nonprofit organization that helps to protect and restore the immense but fragile ecosystem—is allowing the group to expand its scientific team and resources in order to provide data-driven policy recommendations to the state and federal agencies that are leading the Everglades’ multiyear, multibillion-dollar restoration effort.
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A three-year gift to the University of Chicago’s Education Lab has brought an innovative, high-dosage, math tutoring initiative to middle schools in Miami-Dade County in an effort to support and accelerate student learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial results from the program, which started in spring 2024, are promising, suggesting that this approach can help tackle learning loss and enable students to catch up to grade level.
June 17, 2025
How did the end of the Age of Dinosaurs in Africa impact world history? That’s what researchers aim to uncover during a five-year project of excavation and analysis in the Northern Cape region of South Africa. Their study will explore fossil ecosystems and the biodiversity of sub-Saharan Africa during the Late Cretaceous Period to dramatically expand scientists’ currently limited understanding of this important epoch.
October 28, 2024
Griffin Catalyst provided a seed gift of $2.5 million to accelerate the efforts of Feng Zhang, a faculty member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, to develop “programmable therapeutics,” an approach that holds promise for revolutionizing medicine by reprogramming cells to cure a wide range of human diseases.
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Since 2023, Griffin Catalyst has announced transformative gifts to three major health care institutions in Miami. Taken together, the support—totaling $125 million—represents an investment in the future of medical care and research in South Florida.
May 31, 2024
Launched in 2023, the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority leverages the power of competition and innovation to support start-ups, scale solutions to local problems, and improve lives.