History of Urantia Foundation
Urantia Foundation was established in 1950 to be the custodian of the inviolate text of The Urantia Book and to ensure that the book’s teachings are spread, with the help of readers and fraternal organizations, to all people. Its ultimate mission is to increase and enhance the comfort, happiness, and well being of man, as an individual and as a member of society, through the fostering of a religion, a philosophy, and a cosmology which is in line with man’s current intellectual and cultural development.
Urantia Foundation is a non-profit, educational foundation that operates under a Declaration of Trust. It has been printing the book in English since 1955, and in recent years has been translating the book into many other languages of the world.
The home of Urantia Foundation, 533 Diversey Parkway, Chicago, Illinois, was built in 1905. Prior to publication of The Urantia Book, the building was used for regular meetings of early readers of the transcripts. The entire estate was bequeathed to the Urantia Foundation in 1969. Today it consists of offices, a basement for storage and shipping operations, a ‘Forum room’ for meetings and study groups, and two residential apartments.
Urantia Foundation Offices
Headquarters – United States
URANTIA Foundation
533 Diversey Parkway, Chicago, IL 60614, USA
Phone: +1-773-525-3319 / Fax: +1-773-525-7739
Contact the Head Office
Finnish Office
URANTIA Foundation / Urantia-säätiö / Urantia-stiftelsen
Sivurinne 1 A, 01800 KLAUKKALA, Finland
Phone: +358 9 879 4351 • Fax: +358 9 879 7467
Email the Office in Finland| Finnish Office Website
Urantia Foundation Outreach Programs
Translations: Urantia Foundation is committed to producing high quality translations of The Urantia Book that faithfully represent the English text in all major languages. Thanks to the many dedicated, multilingual readers working with the Foundation, the Book has been translated into many of the world’s languages and is distributed in countries where those languages are spoken. Many other translations are in various stages of production. For more information on translations in progress and to find out how you can help, see the Foundation’s contributions page. Click here!
Worldwide Distribution and International Development: To develop awareness in the book trade and general public, Urantia Foundation displays the book at major book trade shows worldwide. As more translations are produced, and as the book is read in other countries, the demand for the services from Urantia Foundation increase. As a result Urantia Foundation maintains international offices to help in their own and adjacent countries.
Gift Program: So that no one is denied an opportunity to have access to The Urantia Book, Urantia Foundation has a gift program that donates books to libraries around the world and to people without means. For more information, feel free to email Urantia Foundation.
A Library Placement Form in .pdf format is available for downloading from the Urantia Foundation’s website: LibraryPlacement.pdf
Copyright and Trademarks: Urantia Foundation is charged in its Declaration of Trust to preserve the text of The Urantia Book inviolate. Urantia Foundation holds a copyright in many editions and translations of the book. In addition, the Foundation holds as trademarks the words ‘Urantia’ and ‘Urantian’ and the Concentric-Circles Symbol in numerous countries around the world.
Copyright &Trademark Policies
On April 6, 2000 the Trustees of Urantia Foundation published a set of revised copyright and trademark policies covering all copyrighted editions of The Urantia Book, as well as Urantia Foundation’s registered trademarks.
In January 2006 international copyright protection under the Bern Convention of the 1955 (original English) text of The Urantia Book expired. Copyright protection of the various translations of the original English text made under Urantia Foundation’s auspices did not expire.
Recognizing the import of the January 1, 2006 date, the Trustees of Urantia Foundation have caused the 1955 copyright notice to be removed from the English text of The Urantia Book on Urantia Foundation’s website, and will not include the 1955 copyright notice in future editions of the original English text of the book. Other copyright notices remain will in place.
The policies pertaining to copyrights published April 6, 2000 have been withdrawn pending review by the Board of Trustees. The policy pertaining to trademarks has not been withdrawn.
For more information please contact Urantia Foundation directly at 1-773-525-3319.
Challenges for the Future
The Urantia Book tells us: “The religious challenge of this age is to those farseeing and forward-looking men and women of spiritual insight who will dare to construct a new and appealing philosophy of living out of the enlarged and exquisitely integrated modern concepts of cosmic truth, universe beauty, and divine goodness.” [p.43.3]
The teachings contained in The Urantia Book, when embraced in the hearts and minds of mankind, have the power to bring to reality the supernal message from the Master: “Peace on earth and good will among men.”
Delivering this revelation to souls in need of its spiritual message, without invasive promotion, churchification, or evangelization is the challenge that faces us. Plans are underway to increase the number of language translations to sixty by the year 2030 and to provide worldwide distribution channels. By then approximately eighty-four percent of the people on the planet will be able to read The Urantia Book in their native tongue.
To succeed in this ambitious program, Urantia Foundation needs the support and help of people like you. If you would like to participate in the work of spreading the teachings of The Urantia Book to all the peoples of the world, or if you would simply like additional information, please let us know.
Click here to email Urantia Foundation.