Vehbi Koç Vakfı / Vehbi Koç Foundation

What Vehbi Koç Vakfı / Vehbi Koç Foundation does

Vehbi Koç Vakfı (Vehbi Koç Foundation) is Turkey's first private charitable foundation, established in 1969 by the late Vehbi Koç, one of Turkey's most prominent industrialists. Headquartered in Kuzguncuk, Istanbul, with 51 employees, the foundation operates across three core verticals: education, culture and arts, and healthcare. It directly manages a portfolio of major institutions including Koç Schools and Koç University (education), Arter, Sabancı Museum, and ANAMED (culture), and American Hospital and Koç University Hospital (healthcare), and also distributes educational scholarships and project grants.

The foundation funds its activities through endowment, donations, and family stewardship rather than commercial sales, with no product pricing or revenue model applicable to its philanthropic mission. In 2019, marking its 50th anniversary, the foundation broadened its remit beyond institution-building with the #ÜstümüzeVazife ('Our Responsibility') campaign and a dedicated digital platform at ustumuzevazife.vkv.org.tr, designed to mobilize individual philanthropy and volunteerism across 13 cause areas including education, health, poverty relief, disability support, gender equality, science and technology, arts, sports, animal rights, refugee support, and disadvantaged groups. The platform features inspirational volunteer stories ('Değer Katan Hayatlar') and is supported by Twitter/X and YouTube channels for content distribution.

Go-to-market and technology architecture are non-commercial by design: the foundation's core 'technology' is content publishing and storytelling rather than software or AI systems, and it has no disclosed APIs, SDKs, AI/ML capabilities, or commercial products. Governance operates under the Koç family's stewardship, and the foundation's strategic positioning is anchored in legacy brand recognition, institutional scale, and convening power within Turkish civil society.

Name

Vehbi Koç Vakfı / Vehbi Koç Foundation

Legal name

Vehbi Koç Vakfı

Website

https://ustumuzevazife.vkv.org.tr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Vehbi Koç Vakfı is Turkey's first private charitable foundation, established in 1969 to support education, culture, and healthcare through managed institutions, scholarships, and grants. It operates Koç Schools, Koç University, Arter, American Hospital, and related institutions for Turkish beneficiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy and Charitable Foundation Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Charitable foundation
• Education scholarships
• Cultural philanthropy
• Healthcare philanthropy
• Volunteer engagement

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Vehbi Koç Vakfı is Turkey's first private foundation, established in 1969, that operates philanthropic programs and manages a portfolio of educational, cultural, and healthcare institutions. It provides educational scholarships to students, funds projects in education, culture, and health, and runs the "Üstümüze Vazife" (Our Duty) digital platform to promote individual volunteerism and charitable giving across Turkish society.

Product overview

Vehbi Koç Vakfı operates a unified digital platform called 'Üstümüze Vazife' (Our Responsibility), which serves as a volunteering and philanthropy initiative. The platform focuses on promoting individual social responsibility across various causes including education, culture, health, poverty relief, children and youth support, disability support, gender equality, scientific and technological development, arts and cultural heritage preservation, sports, animal rights, refugee support, and empowerment of disadvantaged groups. The platform features inspiring stories of volunteers ('Değer Katan Hayatlar' - Lives that Add Value) and provides information on how to volunteer and contribute to social causes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Üstümüze Vazife: A social responsibility campaign and philosophy encouraging individuals to take personal initiative in creating positive social change, focusing on volunteering and philanthropy across various causes including education, culture, health, environment, and support for disadvantaged groups.

Products and services

• Üstümüze Vazife Platform A digital volunteering and philanthropy platform that connects individuals with social causes including education, culture, health, environment, poverty relief, children and youth, disability support, gender equality, science and technology, arts and cultural heritage, sports, animal rights, refugee support, and disadvantaged groups. The platform showcases inspiring volunteer stories ('Değer Katan Hayatlar') and facilitates engagement in charitable activities across Turkey.
• Educational Scholarships Program Educational scholarships and financial support provided to Turkish students and young people, including through Koç Schools and Koç University, designed to expand access to quality education for underprivileged students.
• Project Grants in Education, Culture, and Health
• Managed Educational, Cultural, and Healthcare Institutions

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Sabancı Foundation (Sabancı Vakfı): Another flagship Turkish private foundation founded by the Sabancı family, operating scholarships and cultural programs. Directly comparable as a Turkish industrialist-founded philanthropic institution with a similar grantmaking and education mandate.
• Doğan Foundation: Foundation associated with the Doğan media-industrial group, funding education and culture in Turkey. Comparable as another Turkish conglomerate-affiliated philanthropic foundation with overlapping program verticals.
• Eczacıbaşı Foundation: Foundation arm of the Eczacıbaşı Group, funding education, culture, and social projects in Turkey. Comparable in mission focus, industrialist founding lineage, and Turkish geographic scope.
• Suna & İnan Kıraç Foundation: Turkish private foundation that runs the Pera Museum and cultural-research institutions, mirroring Vehbi Koç Foundation's combination of philanthropy and direct cultural-institution operation in Istanbul.
• Turkish Education Foundation (Türk Eğitim Vakfı, TEV): Major Turkish scholarship and educational grantmaking foundation. Closely comparable on the education-scholarship vertical where Vehbi Koç Foundation is most active.

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Large global private foundation with a focus on social justice, education, and culture. Comparable as a high-scale grantmaking institution though operating globally and at far greater asset scale.
• Aga Khan Foundation: International private foundation operating cultural, educational, and healthcare institutions across multiple geographies. Comparable as a foundation that directly operates schools, hospitals, and cultural venues.
• Rockefeller Foundation: Established US private foundation pursuing global health, education, and cultural initiatives. Comparable as a legacy industrialist-founded foundation with diversified grantmaking verticals.

Others

• Koç Holding: Parent industrial conglomerate of the Koç family. Comparable as the ecosystem partner whose affiliated institutions (Koç University, American Hospital) are operated by the foundation, providing funding and governance linkages.

Regional players

• Borusan Foundation: Turkish industrialist-founded foundation focused on education and culture. Comparable in mission and Turkish scope but smaller scale and narrower institutional footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vehbikocvakfi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=FP148qdQLjk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vehbi-koc-vakfi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Vehbi Koç Vakfı / Vehbi Koç Foundation