Koch Family Foundations
Encyclopedia
Koch Family Foundations is the informal name for a group of charities in the United States of America associated with the family
of Fred C. Koch
. The most prominent of these are the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation and the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, created by two of Fred C. Koch's sons, who own the majority of Koch Industries
, an oil, gas, and chemical conglomerate, which is the U.S.A.'s second largest privately held company with annual revenues of $110 billion.
In total, the Koch brothers have given more than $196 million to dozens of organizations, much of it to conservative causes and institutions, such as the Tea Party. Tax records indicate that in 2008 the three main Koch family foundations gave money to thirty-four political and policy organizations, three of which they founded, and several of which they direct.
established the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, and in 1981 he inherited control of the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation when he was left in charge of Claude Lambe's estate. David H. Koch
established the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation.
or conservative think tanks, such as Americans for Prosperity Foundation, the Cato Institute
, the Mercatus Center
, the Institute for Humane Studies
, Citizens for a Sound Economy
, the Institute for Justice
, the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution
, the Institute for Energy Research
, the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment
, Heritage Foundation
, the Manhattan Institute
, the George C. Marshall Institute
, the Reason Foundation
and the American Enterprise Institute
. The foundation also funds study groups called Koch Scholars who gather and read "an assortment of select books, movies, and podcasts surrounding the principles of a free society." Colleges where such groups exist include the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business
at Utah State University
and the University of Alaska Fairbanks
.
, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, and the American Museum of Natural History
.
, a member of the boards of directors and President of the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation and the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation. He is also on the board of the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation.
Koch family
The Koch family of industrialists and businessmen is most notable for their control of Koch Industries, the second largest privately owned company in the United States. The family business was started by Fred C. Koch, who developed a new cracking method for the refinement of heavy oil into...
of Fred C. Koch
Fred C. Koch
Fred Chase Koch was an American chemical engineer and entrepreneur who founded the oil refinery firm that later became Koch Industries, the second-largest privately-held company in the United States....
. The most prominent of these are the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation and the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, created by two of Fred C. Koch's sons, who own the majority of Koch Industries
Koch Industries
Koch Industries, Inc. , is an American private energy conglomerate based in Wichita, Kansas, with subsidiaries involved in manufacturing, trading and investments. Koch also owns Invista, Georgia-Pacific, Flint Hills Resources, Koch Pipeline, Koch Fertilizer, Koch Minerals and Matador Cattle Company...
, an oil, gas, and chemical conglomerate, which is the U.S.A.'s second largest privately held company with annual revenues of $110 billion.
In total, the Koch brothers have given more than $196 million to dozens of organizations, much of it to conservative causes and institutions, such as the Tea Party. Tax records indicate that in 2008 the three main Koch family foundations gave money to thirty-four political and policy organizations, three of which they founded, and several of which they direct.
Background
The Koch Family Foundations began in 1953 with the establishment of the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation. In 1980 Charles G. KochCharles G. Koch
Charles de Ganahl Koch is co-owner, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries Inc., the second-largest privately held company by revenue in the United States according to a 2010 Forbes survey...
established the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, and in 1981 he inherited control of the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation when he was left in charge of Claude Lambe's estate. David H. Koch
David H. Koch
David Hamilton Koch is an American businessman, philanthropist, political activist, and chemical engineer. He is a co-owner and an executive vice president of Koch Industries, a conglomerate that is the second-largest privately held company in the U.S...
established the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation.
Think Tanks
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". Charles' and David's foundations have together provided millions of dollars to a variety of organizations, usually libertarianLibertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
or conservative think tanks, such as Americans for Prosperity Foundation, the Cato Institute
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
, the Mercatus Center
Mercatus Center
The Mercatus Center at George Mason University in the United States is a non-profit market-oriented research, education, and outreach think tank affiliated with the Koch family. It works with policy experts, lobbyists, and government officials to connect academic learning and real-world practice...
, the Institute for Humane Studies
Institute for Humane Studies
The Institute for Humane Studies is a classical liberal non-profit organization whose stated mission is “to support the achievement of a freer society by discovering and facilitating the development of talented students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty and in...
, Citizens for a Sound Economy
Citizens for a Sound Economy
Citizens for a Sound Economy was a conservative political group operating in the United States, whose self-described mission was "to fight for less government, lower taxes, and less regulation." In 2004, Citizens for a Sound Economy split into two new organizations, with Citizens for a Sound...
, the Institute for Justice
Institute for Justice
The Institute for Justice is a 501 non-profit libertarian public interest law firm in the United States. Its mission is to provide pro bono legal advice and representation, litigating strategically to pursue its goal of a rule of law under which individuals can control their destinies as free and...
, the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution
Alexis de Tocqueville Institution
The Alexis de Tocqueville Institution is a Washington, D.C.–based conservative think tank that produced reports and policy research....
, the Institute for Energy Research
Institute for Energy Research
The Institute for Energy Research , is a Houston, Texas-based company that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets....
, the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment
Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment
The Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment , based in Bozeman, Montana, is a think-tank that promotes free-market environmentalism. FREE emphasizes reliance on market mechanisms and private property rights, rather than on environmental regulation, for protection of the environment...
, Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
, the Manhattan Institute
Manhattan Institute
The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research is a conservative, market-oriented think tank established in New York City in 1978 by Antony Fisher and William J...
, the George C. Marshall Institute
George C. Marshall Institute
The George C. Marshall Institute is a politically conservative think tank established in 1984 in Washington, D.C. with a focus on scientific issues and public policy. In the 1980s, the Institute was engaged primarily in lobbying in support of the Strategic Defense Initiative...
, the Reason Foundation
Reason Foundation
The Reason Foundation is an American nonprofit think tank founded in 1978 that also publishes Reason magazine. Based in Los Angeles, Reason is self-described as nonpartisan and publishes a statement of values that can best be described as libertarian...
and the American Enterprise Institute
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...
. The foundation also funds study groups called Koch Scholars who gather and read "an assortment of select books, movies, and podcasts surrounding the principles of a free society." Colleges where such groups exist include the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business
Jon M. Huntsman School of Business
The Jon M. Huntsman School of Business is located at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. The Huntsman School is the oldest continuously operating business college in the Western United States and one of the oldest in the nation.-History:...
at Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
and the University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
.
Cancer Research, Arts, and Science
The David H. Koch Foundation has funded cancer research and a number of arts and science organizations, including the American Ballet Theater, New York City BalletNew York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, and the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
.
Foundations
- Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation (1953)
- Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation (1980)
- David H. Koch Foundation
- Koch Cultural Trust (founded 1986 as Kansas Cultural Trust, renamed in 2008)
- Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation
See also
Richard H. FinkRichard H. Fink
Richard H. Fink is an American businessman and academic. He is an executive vice president of Koch Industries, the second largest privately held company in the U.S.-Education and academic career:...
, a member of the boards of directors and President of the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation and the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation. He is also on the board of the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation.
External links
- Koch Family Foundations official site
- Koch Industries
- Media Transparency entry on the Koch Family Foundations
- "Ari & I; White House Press Briefing with Ari Fleischer related by Russell MokhiberRussell MokhiberRussell Mokhiber is the editor of Corporate Crime Reporter, a legal newsweekly based in Washington, D.C. and founder of Single Payer Action.He is the author of Corporate Crime and Violence: Big Business Power and the Abuse of the Public Trust....
regarding relationship between the Presidency of George W. Bush and Koch Industries, May 3, 2001. - "Koch Industries, Market Process Analysis, and the Science of Liberty"