The Koch family foundations are a group of

charitable foundation A foundation (also a charitable foundation) is a category of nonprofit organization or charitable trust that typically provides funding and support for other charitable organizations through grants, but may also engage directly in charitable act ...

s in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

associated with the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of Fred C. Koch. The most prominent of these are the Charles Koch Foundation and the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, created by

Charles Koch Charles de Ganahl Koch ( ; born November 1, 1935) is an American billionaire businessman. As of November 2022, he was ranked as the 13th richest person in the world on ''Bloomberg Billionaires Index'', with an estimated net worth of $66 billio ...

and

David Koch David Hamilton Koch ( ; May 3, 1940 – August 23, 2019) was an American businessman, political activist, philanthropist, and chemical engineer. In 1970, he joined the family business: Koch Industries, the second largest privately held c ...

, two sons of Fred C. Koch who own the majority of

Koch Industries Koch Industries, Inc. ( ) is an American privately held multinational conglomerate corporation based in Wichita, Kansas and is the second-largest privately held company in the United States, after Cargill. Its subsidiaries are involved in the ...

, an oil, gas, paper, and chemical conglomerate which is the US's second-largest privately held company.Covert Operations: The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama.
Mayer, Jane, ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', Aug 30, 2010. Charles' and David's foundations have provided millions of dollars to a variety of organizations, including libertarian and

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

think tanks. Areas of funding include

think tanks A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental org ...

, political advocacy, climate change denial, higher education scholarships, cancer research, arts, and science. In May 2019, the Kochs announced a major restructuring of their philanthropic efforts. Going forward, the Koch network will operate under the umbrella of Stand Together, a nonprofit focused on supporting community groups. The stated priorities of the restructured Koch network include efforts aimed at increasing employment, addressing poverty and addiction, ensuring excellent education, building a stronger economy, and bridging divides and building respect.

Foundations

Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation

The Koch family foundations began in 1953 with the establishment of the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation. The Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation was established to support non-profits in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

focusing on "arts, environmental stewardship,

human services Human services is an interdisciplinary field of study with the objective of meeting human needs through an applied knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall qua ...

, enablement of at-risk youth, and education" through the funding of diversity programs at Kansas State University; the program Youth Entrepreneurs, a high-school level entrepreneurial and business program; the

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History was founded in New York City by businessmen-philanthropists Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman in 1994 to promote the study and interest in American history. The Institute serves teachers, studen ...

, which develops programs to enhance the schools' history curricula; and the

Bill of Rights Institute Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

, an organization that holds seminars and workshops for teachers and administrators to provide "educational resources on America's Founding documents and principles" to enhance the learning experience for students. The foundation's environmental aid includes support for science education, and donations to organizations such as

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Nat ...

to help preserve the

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in the Flint Hills region of Kansas, north of Strong City. The preserve protects a nationally significant example of the once vast tallgrass prairie ecosystem. ...

, as well as the creation of the Koch Wetlands Exhibit in the

Cheyenne Bottoms Cheyenne Bottoms is a wetland in the central Great Plains of North America. Occupying approximately in central Kansas, it is the largest wetland in the interior United States. The Bottoms is a critical stopping point on the Central Flyway for m ...

wetlands in Kansas.

Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation

The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation was established in 1980 by

. The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation was established with the stated purpose of advancing social progress and well-being through the development, application and dissemination of "the Science of Liberty". The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation funded college study groups called Koch Scholars who gather and read "an assortment of select books, movies, and podcasts surrounding the principles of a free society." Such groups exist at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah ...

and the

University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for c ...

. The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation granted Willie Soon, a researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics who says that most global warming is driven by the sun, at least $230,000 over 14 years, according to documents obtained by Greenpeace under the US

Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...

. In 2011, the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation granted $25,000 to the

Heartland Institute The Heartland Institute is an American conservative and libertarian public policy think tank known for its rejection of both the scientific consensus on climate change and the negative health impacts of smoking. Founded in 1984, it worked wit ...

, an American conservative and libertarian public policy

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

based in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, a prominent supporter of global warming deniers.Gillis, Justin & Kaufman, Lesli
Leak Offers Glimpse of Campaign Against Climate Science
retrieved from NYTimes.com, Feb 16, 2012. Also published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', p. A23 with the title: "In Documents, a Plan to Discredit Climate Teaching". In 2011, the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation split into the Charles Koch Institute and the Charles Koch Foundation.

Charles Koch Institute

The

Charles Koch Institute The Charles Koch Institute is a libertarian-oriented public policy research, programming, grant-making, and fellowship-funding organization based in Virginia. Named after Charles Koch, its founder and primary financier, it pursues conservative ...

was established in 2011, and is active in the area of professional education, research and training programs for careers in advancing economic freedom. It runs the Koch Internship Program, the Koch Associate Program, and Liberty@Work. The Charles Koch Institute has advocated bipartisan criminal justice reforms. Among the planned reforms are reducing recidivism rates, lower barriers into the workforce for the rehabilitated, and eliminate the systemic overcriminalization and overincarceration of persons from generally low-income minority communities. The reforms would also put an end to

asset forfeiture Asset forfeiture or asset seizure is a form of confiscation of assets by the authorities. In the United States, it is a type of criminal-justice financial obligation. It typically applies to the alleged proceeds or instruments of crime. This ap ...

by law enforcement, which deprives the incarcerated of, very often, the majority of their private property. The institute, steered by the Koch family, has worked closely with the Obama administration, the ACLU, the

Center for American Progress The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy research and advocacy organization which presents a liberal viewpoint on economic and social issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The president and chief executive offic ...

Families Against Mandatory Minimums Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) is an American nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1991 to challenge mandatory sentencing laws and advocate for criminal justice reform. FAMM promotes sentencing policies that give judges the d ...

, the Coalition for Public Safety, the

MacArthur Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 50 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.0 billion and p ...

and other left-leaning organizations to promote these reforms. Both President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

and Anthony Van Jones have applauded the commitment to progress over party.

Charles Koch Foundation

The Charles Koch Foundation was established in 2011, and is focused on grants and supporting higher education programs that analyze how free societies advance the well-being of mankind. It supports the Koch Institute's programs. , the Charles Koch Foundation has given grants to almost 300 colleges and universities, according to their website.

Brian Hooks Brian Hooks (born July 27, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, producer and director. He is best known for his roles as protagonist Rob Douglas in the screwball comedy '' 3 Strikes'', and Nick Delaney on the UPN television sitcom '' Eve''. ...

, who formerly led the

Mercatus Center The Mercatus Center is an American libertarian, free-market-oriented non-profit think tank. Located at George Mason University and directed by the American economist Tyler Cowen, the Mercatus Center works with policy experts, lobbyists, and gov ...

, has served as the foundation's president since 2014. In 2014, Koch Industries Inc. and the Charles Koch Foundation granted $25 million to the

United Negro College Fund UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, also known as the United Fund, is an American philanthropic organization that funds scholarships for black students and general scholarship funds for 37 private historically black colleges and universities ...

(UNCF). In protest of the Kochs, the

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is the largest trade union of public employees in the United States. It represents 1.3 million public sector employees and retirees, including health care workers, correcti ...

, a major labor union, ended its annual $50,000–$60,000 support for the UNCF, saying that the UNCF's involvement with the Charles Koch Foundation was 'a betrayal of everything the UNCF stands for' because, they said, the Koch brothers were 'the single most prominent funders of efforts to prevent African-Americans from voting'. A student campaign, spearheaded by Greenpeace, Forecast the Facts, and the

American Federation of Teachers The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second largest teacher's labor union in America (the largest being the National Education Association). The union was founded in Chicago. John Dewey and Margaret Haley were founders. About 60 per ...

, called UnKochMyCampus claimed the Charles Koch Foundation at Florida State University stipulated final approval of hiring economics professors in return for their donation. Kimberley A Strassel criticized UnKochMyCampus in her March 27, 2015 Potomac Watch column of ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''. Strassel wrote that the campaigns' website directs student activists to a list of universities Koch foundations have donated to and provides instructions for how to "expose and undermine" any college thought that works against "progressive values." Between 2011 and 2018, the foundation gave $300,000 to the online magazine '' Spiked'', which has written articles against those in opposition to Koch brothers' interests.

David H. Koch Charitable Foundation

David H. Koch David Hamilton Koch ( ; May 3, 1940 – August 23, 2019) was an American businessman, political activist, philanthropist, and chemical engineer. In 1970, he joined the family business: Koch Industries, the second largest privately held c ...

established the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, which, according to its website, "has given nearly $200 million to support diverse causes nationwide including science and medical research, education, the arts, and more". The foundation has funded cancer research and a number of arts and science organizations, including the American Ballet Theatre,

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, and the American Museum of Natural History. In 2015, an open letter to museums from 36 members of the scientific community demanded that the Smithsonian and other museums cut any ties with the Kochs, because of worries that they would remove information on climate change. The Smithsonian countered by stating both exhibits in question did examine in great detail the impacts of climate change. The Koch Foundation responded they "have pledged or contributed more than $1.2 billion dollars to educational institutions and cultural institutions, cancer research, medical centers, and to assist public policy organizations." David Koch donated $35 million in 2012 to the Smithsonian's

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...

and $20 million to the American Museum of Natural History in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Joe Romm of

ThinkProgress ''ThinkProgress'' was an American progressive news website that was active from 2005 to 2019. It was a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP Action), a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Found ...

stated "David Koch did not personally intervene to affect the exhibit". David Koch was a member of the board of trustees of the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington. The David H. Koch Charitable Foundation is a significant funder of

Americans for Prosperity Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States funded by Charles Koch and formerly his brother David. As the Koch brothers' primary political advocacy group, it is one ...

, a libertarian/conservative political advocacy group. David H. Koch chaired the board of directors of the associated AFP Foundation.

Koch Cultural Trust

The Koch Cultural Trust was founded 1986 as the Kansas Cultural Trust and renamed in 2008 as the Koch Cultural Trust closed January 2013 and filed termination with the IRS February 2014.

Frederick R. Koch foundations

Another of Fred Koch's sons, Frederick R. Koch, is associated with the Frederick R. Koch Foundation and the Sutton Place Foundation, which are involved in supporting art and other cultural activities.

Other beneficiaries

American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)

Between 2005 and 2011, the

American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share model legislation for distribution among state governments in the United State ...

(ALEC), a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

state legislators and

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The ...

representatives that drafts and shares model state-level legislation for distribution among state governments in the United States, was granted $348,858 from the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, according to Greenpeace, a

non-governmental A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

organization.

Citizens for a Sound Economy

Between 1986 and 1990, the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, and the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, granted a combined $4.8 million to the

Citizens for a Sound Economy Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) (1984–2004) was a conservative political group operating in the United States. It was established in 1984 by Charles and David Koch of Koch Industries. Ron Paul was appointed as the first chairman of the ...

, a conservative

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

group.

Competitive Enterprise Institute

The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, and David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, were among the funders of the

Competitive Enterprise Institute The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is a non-profit libertarian think tank founded by the political writer Fred L. Smith Jr. on March 9, 1984, in Washington, D.C., to advance principles of limited government, free enterprise, and individ ...

, a non-profit, libertarian

Americans for Prosperity Foundation

David H. Koch Charitable Foundation granted $1 million in 2008 and the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation granted $67,556 in 2009 to the Americans for Prosperity Foundation.

References

External links

Koch Family Foundations
''Official Site''
Koch Industries
* Archive of federal disclosures at th
Nonprofit Explorer
published by

ProPublica ProPublica (), legally Pro Publica, Inc., is a nonprofit organization based in New York City. In 2010, it became the first online news source to win a Pulitzer Prize, for a piece written by one of its journalists''The Guardian'', April 13, 2010P ...

: *
Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation
*
Charles Koch Institute
*
Charles Koch Foundation
*
David H. Koch Charitable Foundation
*
Koch Cultural Trust
{{Koch family Political and economic research foundations in the United States Family Foundations, Koch Conservative organizations in the United States Libertarianism in the United States Charities based in Kansas Koch network Climate change denial