The Koch family foundations are a group of charitable foundations in the United States associated with the family 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 and David Koch, two sons of Fred C. Koch who own the majority of Koch Industries, an oil, gas, paper, and chemical conglomerate which is the US's second-largest privately held company. Charles' and David's foundations have provided millions of dollars to a variety of organizations, including libertarian and conservative think tanks. Areas of funding include think tanks, political advocacy, climate change skepticism, 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.
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 focusing on "arts, environmental stewardship, human services, 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, which develops programs to
enhance the schools' history curricula; and the Bill of Rights Institute,
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 to help preserve the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, as well as the creation of the Koch Wetlands Exhibit in the Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands in Kansas.
Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation
The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation was established in 1980 by Charles Koch.
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 and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation granted Dr. 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.
In 2011, the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation granted $25,000 to the Heartland Institute, an American conservative and libertarian public policy think tank based in Chicago, a prominent supporter of global warming skeptics.
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
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 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, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the Coalition for Public Safety, the MacArthur Foundation and other left-leaning organizations to promote these reforms. Both President Barack Obama 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. As of 2014, the Charles Koch Foundation has given grants to almost 300 colleges and universities, according to their website. Brian Hooks, who formerly led the Mercatus Center, 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). In protest of the Kochs, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
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, 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.
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."
The Charles Koch Foundation is sponsoring two public lecture series at The Institute of World Politics starting in 2015. One is on American Grand Strategy, and the other on Economics and Foreign Policy.
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 established the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation.
The David H. Koch Charitable Foundation has funded cancer research and a
number of arts and science organizations, including the American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the American Museum of Natural History.
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 Natural History Museum and $20 million to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Joe Romm of ThinkProgress 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,
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 (ALEC), a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector
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 environmental 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, a conservative political 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, a non-profit, libertarian think tank.
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.
