What Kaiser Family Foundation does

KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), founded in 1948 and reestablished in its modern form in 1990 by Dr. Drew Altman, is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity headquartered in Menlo Park. It operates as an independent, nonpartisan information organization focused on U.S. health policy, with a secondary focus on the U.S. role in global health policy. KFF serves three primary audiences — federal and state policymakers, media organizations, and the general public — by providing rigorous, evidence-based analysis of healthcare programs and proposals including the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance markets.

KFF's product portfolio spans three integrated operating lines: (1) policy research reports and analysis across roughly 19 topical areas; (2) original public opinion and survey research including the KFF Health Tracking Poll, the 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey (covering approximately 154 million people with employer-sponsored insurance), the KFF Women's Health Survey, and the 50-state Medicaid Budget Survey; and (3) KFF Health News, the nation's largest health policy newsroom, launched in 2009 as a core operating program. Underlying these are interactive tools including the Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator, State Health Facts database (800+ health indicators), the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, multiple Medicaid waiver/work-requirement trackers, and dashboards on health information and trust. The technology stack is primarily off-the-shelf — WordPress-based kff.org, third-party analytics (Google Analytics), embedded visualizations (Datawrapper, Tableau, Esri), marketing automation (HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp), and event tools (Zoom, Eventbrite) — with no proprietary AI/ML pipeline or developer API documented.

The business model is nonprofit: all content is provided free to the public, with operations funded through grants, donations (processed via Stripe), and sponsored research partnerships. There is no commercial pricing model, no public ownership, and no parent company. KFF is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe. The organization has 51-100 employees and operates conference centers for in-person events. Dr. Drew Altman announced his retirement effective December 31, 2026, with Larry Levitt (current EVP for Health Policy) and Dr. Mollyann Brodie (current EVP/COO, recent AAPOR distinguished achievement awardee) assuming CEO and President roles respectively in January 2027, indicating a planned internal succession.

Name

Kaiser Family Foundation

Legal name

Kaiser Family Foundation

Website

https://kff.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces independent, nonpartisan health policy research, polling, and journalism to inform federal and state policymakers, media, and the general public on U.S. healthcare issues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Menlo Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

KFF is a nonpartisan information organization that produces health policy research, original public opinion and survey research, and in-depth health journalism (via KFF Health News). It publishes interactive tools such as the Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator, the State Health Facts database, and policy trackers on Medicaid, the ACA, and global health. All content is made freely available to policymakers, media, and the public, supported by grants, donations, and sponsored research.

Product overview

KFF is a health policy research organization offering a portfolio of information products including policy research, public opinion polling, and health journalism. The core offerings include the KFF Health News national newsroom, Policy Research reports, Public Opinion and Survey Research (including the KFF Health Tracking Poll), and the Business of Health podcast. KFF provides interactive tools including the Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator, State Health Facts database (800+ health indicators), and multiple policy trackers (Medicaid waivers, work requirements, global health). Its major annual surveys include the Employer Health Benefits Survey and Medicaid Budget Survey. The organization publishes Quick Insights (timely analysis), The Monitor (health misinformation tracking), and maintains dashboards on health information trust. The portfolio is delivered through kff.org, KFF Health News, email communications, events, and third-party platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KFF Health News: National newsroom producing in-depth journalism about health issues, one of KFF's core operating programs
• Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker
• The Monitor
• The Business of Health Podcast

Products and services

• KFF Health News A national newsroom producing in-depth journalism about health issues and health policy developments for media and the public.
• KFF Policy Research Facts and analysis on a wide range of health policy issues and public programs including Medicare, Medicaid, the ACA, women's health, racial equity, and global health.
• KFF Public Opinion and Survey Research
• Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator
• Employer Health Benefits Survey
• 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey
• State Health Facts
• KFF Health Tracking Poll
• The Business of Health Podcast
• Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

Quantifiable outcome

• KFF's COVID Vaccine Monitor became a vital resource used around the country during the pandemic
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KaiserFamFound
• Facebookfacebook.com/KaiserFamilyFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/21066
• Instagraminstagram.com/kff_org

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments5 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kaiser Family Foundation