In the beginning, the institution was funded by money provided by Hoover and by Stanford University, and collected all kinds of historical materials related to the Great War. Hoover also called on interested persons to collect related data and send it on to the center.
一開始，胡佛研究所就利用胡佛的贈款和史大提供的經費，收集許多有關大戰的各種史料；胡佛也號召有心人士收集相關資料送至此地收藏。