What Charles Koch Foundation does

The Charles Koch Foundation (CKF) is a private philanthropic foundation established over 50 years ago and headquartered at 1320 N. Courthouse Road, Suite 500, Arlington, Virginia. It operates as the grantmaking arm of Charles G. Koch's philanthropic network, distributing funds to social entrepreneurs and partner organizations across eight focus areas: Criminal Justice, Economic Progress, Future of Work, Foreign Policy, Free Speech & Peace, Health Care, Immigration, and Liberalism. The foundation does not sell products or services; it funds programs that advance classical liberal principles, transform post-secondary education, and develop skills-based career pathways outside four-year degree tracks.

CKF's core activity is grantmaking to a portfolio of social entrepreneurs, educational institutions (e.g., Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Institute for Humane Studies, Clemson University's Lyceum Program, West Virginia University's Center for Free Enterprise, Florida Atlantic University's Adler Fellowship, Wiley College, UNCF, HBCU speech and debate initiatives), and workforce development organizations (SkillsUSA, Education Design Lab, SkillsFWD, Goodwill of Southern Piedmont's Construction Basics Training, SkillUp Coalition, Per Scholas, mikeroweWORKS Foundation, Find Your Grind, Kansas Leadership Center, TGR Foundation). Reported program outcomes include a 91% graduation rate for Goodwill construction trainees, 90% six-month employment retention with wraparound support, average wages of $23.10, 9.2 million Learning and Employment Records issued to 192,000 learners through SkillsFWD, and 1,800 employer engagements. CKF does not develop proprietary technology products; its 'core technology' is the grantmaking and partnership platform itself, supported by content marketing (website, newsletter) and a 'Partner With Us' intake funnel.

The foundation is governed by Charles G. Koch as Chairman & CEO (also Chairman & CEO of Koch Industries) and led on a day-to-day basis by Brian Hooks (President; also Chairman & CEO of Stand Together, co-author with Koch of 'Believe in People') and Ryan Stowers (Executive Director, 15+ year foundation leader, American Enterprise Institute alumnus). Revenue is sourced from Charles Koch's broader network and Koch Industries rather than customers or earned income, and the foundation operates without an IPO, public equity, or external investors.

Name

Charles Koch Foundation

Legal name

Charles Koch Foundation

Website

https://charleskochfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Charles Koch Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that provides grants to social entrepreneurs, educational institutions, and workforce development organizations across education, criminal justice, economic progress, and classical liberal research, funded by Charles Koch and the Koch network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation / Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grants
• Education funding
• Workforce development
• Policy research grants
• Social entrepreneurship

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grantmaking: The foundation operates as a charitable grant-making organization, distributing funds to social entrepreneurs and organizations focused on education reform, workforce development, and advancing classical liberal principles. Revenue is derived from Charles Koch's broader network and Koch Industries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Charles Koch Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that provides grant funding and partnership support to social entrepreneurs, educational institutions, and workforce development organizations. Its core activity is distributing grants across eight focus areas (Criminal Justice, Economic Progress, Future of Work, Foreign Policy, Free Speech & Peace, Health Care, Immigration, and Liberalism) to advance classical liberal principles and remove barriers to human flourishing. It does not sell products or commercial services; it awards grants and forms long-term partnerships to transform institutions of lifelong learning, post-secondary education, and business.

Product overview

The Charles Koch Foundation is a philanthropy organization that provides grant funding to social entrepreneurs and partner organizations. The foundation does not offer a technology product, software platform, or commercial services. Its work focuses on funding programs across eight focus areas: Criminal Justice, Economic Progress, Future of Work, Foreign Policy, Free Speech & Peace, Health Care, Immigration, and Liberalism. The organization supports educational institutions, workforce development programs, and civic initiatives through grant agreements rather than product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UNCF/Koch Scholars Program
• Civics Academy Pilot Program
• HBCU Speech and Debate League
• Charles Koch Foundation Grantmaking

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of Goodwill Construction Basics Training program participants successfully completed the course and graduated
• +5 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

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wiley CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 October 2017CKF provided a grant to Wiley College to create a Historically Black Colleges and Universities Speech and Debate League, uniting the nation's first forensics league among HBCUs.
• UNCFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2015CKF partners with UNCF on the UNCF/Koch Scholars Program which supports students interested in innovation, entrepreneurship, or economics as they explore how these fields can contribute to well-being of individuals, communities, and society.
• SkillsUSAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF has expanded its partnership with SkillsUSA, supporting national conferences that bring together thousands of students, instructors, business partners, and administrators to celebrate accomplishments of people preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations.
• Goodwill Industries of the Southern PiedmontcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF provides support for the Construction Basics Training Program, a tuition-free 10-week program that prepares participants for construction careers with certifications including NCCER CORE Level 1 and OSHA 10.
• Burning Glass InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports the Burning Glass Institute which released reports on mid-career stall and skills-based hiring practices, including the Skillability Index that benchmarks employer practices.
• SkillUp CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF works with the SkillUp Coalition to facilitate access to skills development programs that help Americans advance and find fulfillment in careers.
• Per ScholascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports Per Scholas, which uses AI to match workers with jobs they want. Per Scholas uses AdeptID's matching engine to help review thousands of alumni resumes to find the best candidates for employer job openings.
• UnmudlminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF partners with Unmudl as part of its workforce development efforts to facilitate access to skills development programs.
• Education Design LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports Education Design Lab which is working with more than 100 community colleges across 20 states to design nearly 300 micro-pathways in industries ranging from manufacturing to behavioral healthcare.
• SkillsFWDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF partner SkillsFWD drives adoption of Learning and Employment Records (LERs) - digital credentials that let people own and share verified skills. Since launch in 2023, grantees have issued 9.2 million learning and employment records to 192,000 learners.
• Kansas Leadership CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports Kansas Leadership Center's Workforce Innovators program, a team-based training program to help leaders at mid-size companies transform their thinking about workforce development.
• TGR FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports TGR Foundation which helps students in southern California discover their passions and plan for their future through non-degree pathways.
• Institute for Humane StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF continues its long-standing support of the Institute for Humane Studies, which provides rare spaces where liberals of all stripes can unite behind principles of freedom and human flourishing.
• Mercatus Center at George Mason UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports the Mercatus Center, the premier research center advancing classical liberal ideas and cultivating talent to apply them. It supports entrepreneurial scholars who turn market-oriented thinking into practical solutions.
• Drucker InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports Drucker Institute's 'Doing the Right Things Well Podcast' featuring companies from their Top 250 Best-Managed Companies collaboration with the Wall Street Journal.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF worked with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to launch a Civics Academy pilot program that fosters civic awareness, respectful dialogue, and community engagement among employees.
• Stand TogethercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStand Together is a community of changemakers that Charles Koch founded. CKF works as part of this network to empower individuals to live lives of meaning and contribution.
• Koch IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharles Koch is chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, one of the largest privately held American companies. The foundation is closely connected to Koch Industries through Charles Koch's leadership.
• Miami University Menard Family Center for DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports the Menard Family Center for Democracy at Miami University which supports community-focused programming, engaged teaching, and research that builds capacity of students to collaborate across social divides.
• Jack Miller CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports the Jack Miller Center, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit building a movement of civic educators to reach the next generation with principles of equality, liberty, and opportunity.
• Students for LibertycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports Students for Liberty which educates, develops, and empowers the next generation of leaders of liberty by helping young people learn about principles of a free society.
• Find Your GrindcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports Find Your Grind, which helps students discover career paths aligned with their unique potential. Director of partnerships Dan Weidmann spoke at SkillsUSA National Signing Day events.
• mikeroweWORKS FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports Mike Rowe's mikeroweWORKS Foundation which reshapes the conversation about work, dignity, and opportunity in America through scholarships and campaigns highlighting skilled trade careers.
• Lyceum Program at Clemson UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports the Lyceum Program at Clemson University's Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism, which studies liberty, capitalism, the U.S. founding, and moral character to educate the next generation.
• West Virginia University Center for Free EnterprisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports WVU's Center for Free Enterprise which advances teaching, research, and outreach on the free enterprise system and how it relates to increased prosperity and quality of life.
• Florida Atlantic UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCKF supports Florida Atlantic University's Mortimer J. Adler Fellowship in Transformational Leadership, a five-day program for MBA candidates exploring moral foundations of leadership and character in decision-making.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stand Together: The Koch-affiliated community of social entrepreneurs that Charles Koch also founded; Brian Hooks serves as Chairman & CEO of Stand Together and President of CKF, and the two organizations share funding pipelines, partner networks, and strategic priorities.
• Lumina Foundation: Indianapolis-based independent foundation focused exclusively on post-secondary attainment, skills-based credentials, and workforce outcomes. Closely comparable to CKF's Future of Work and post-secondary education funding priorities, including support for community college micro-pathways.
• Strada Education Foundation: Private foundation focused on connecting education to employment through research, philanthropy, and public engagement. Directly comparable to CKF's investments in learning and employment records, employer engagement, and skills-based hiring.

Broad incumbents

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: One of the largest U.S. private foundations, making multi-billion dollar grants in education, global health, and economic mobility. Comparable to CKF as a large-scale private grantmaker with an explicit focus on education and workforce pathways, but operating at far greater scale and breadth.
• Lilly Endowment: Major Indianapolis-based private foundation with substantial historical giving to U.S. higher education and community development. Comparable to CKF as an education-focused private foundation supporting institutional capacity at colleges and universities.
• Walton Family Foundation: Large private foundation focused on K-12 education reform, economic opportunity, and conservation. Comparable to CKF as a values-driven private foundation backing education and economic mobility initiatives aligned with a specific ideological lens.
• Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. private foundations funding economic inequality reduction, civic engagement, and education. Comparable to CKF as a major private grantmaker with significant education and civic discourse programming, though broader in mission.
• John Templeton Foundation: Large private foundation funding research and intellectual life across science, humanities, and free-market ideas. Comparable to CKF as a grantmaker supporting academic research, faculty positions, and the institutions of classical liberal thought.
• Carnegie Corporation of New York: Major private foundation with a long-standing focus on education, democratic engagement, and international peace. Comparable to CKF's portfolio spanning education reform, civic discourse, and foreign policy research.
• Open Society Foundations: Large private foundation funding criminal justice reform, immigration, free expression, and economic opportunity. Highly comparable to CKF as a politically engaged grantmaker with overlapping focus areas (Criminal Justice, Immigration, Free Speech).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charles-koch-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Charles Koch Foundation