stand together trust

What stand together trust does

Stand Together Trust is a non-profit philanthropic organization founded by Charles Koch and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It operates as the central coordinating entity of the broader Stand Together community, supporting social entrepreneurs and applied research across multiple societal issue areas. The organization's work is organized into seven program areas: Public Policy, Education, Communities, Business Investment, Media, Music/Sports & Entertainment, and Philanthropy.

The Trust's core activity is deploying philanthropic capital to advance its mission across four overarching focus domains: education, communities, business, and government. It functions as a grantmaking and convening entity, channeling resources to social entrepreneurs and applied researchers operating within these issue areas. The organization maintains ongoing transparency through IRS Form 990 filings, with recent filings covering fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024.

As a non-profit, the Trust's funding model is based on charitable contributions, grants, and investment income rather than commercial sales or service fees. The organization was founded by Charles Koch, who has donated approximately $1.8 billion to nonprofit causes during his lifetime, providing the Trust with substantial backing from a single high-capacity donor. The Trust operates within a broader ecosystem of related entities under the Stand Together umbrella, allowing for coordinated but distinct programmatic efforts across each of its seven focus areas.

Name

stand together trust

Legal name

Stand Together Trust

Website

https://standtogethertrust.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Stand Together Trust is a non-profit philanthropic organization founded by Charles Koch that supports social entrepreneurs and applied research across education, communities, business, and government through seven program areas, operating from Arlington, Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Philanthropic foundation
• Social entrepreneurship
• Applied research funding
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Social impact programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Stand Together Trust is a private philanthropic foundation that provides grants, funding, and community support to social entrepreneurs and applied research projects seeking new approaches to the root causes of major social and economic problems. It backs individuals and organizations working across public policy, education, communities, business, media, entertainment, and broader philanthropy.

Product overview

Stand Together Trust is a philanthropic organization operating as a platform with multiple program areas rather than a unified product. The organization supports social entrepreneurs across society through seven distinct program areas: Philanthropy (the core funding and support function), Public Policy, Education, Communities, Business Investment, Media, and Music/Sports & Entertainment. These programs work together to support applied research that turns great ideas into practical solutions and invest in projects addressing root causes of societal problems. The organization also publishes stories and content through its online platform highlighting community partners' work in education and future of work initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Policy Program Program area that directs grants and support to social entrepreneurs and organizations working to reform public policy and address root causes of societal problems through policy approaches. For social entrepreneurs and policy-focused organizations.
• Education Program Program area that funds and supports social entrepreneurs and organizations developing new approaches to K-12, higher education, and lifelong learning challenges. For education-focused social entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations.
• Communities Program Program area that supports social entrepreneurs and community organizations working to strengthen local communities and address community-level social and economic problems. For community-based social entrepreneurs and nonprofits.
• Business Investment Program Program area that supports social entrepreneurs and business ventures pursuing new approaches to social and economic problems through market-based and business-led methods. For mission-driven entrepreneurs and businesses.
• Media Program Program area that supports social entrepreneurs and organizations working in media to communicate new ideas and shift public understanding of social and economic problems. For media-focused social entrepreneurs and nonprofit news/culture organizations.
• Music, Sports & Entertainment Program Program area that supports social entrepreneurs and organizations using music, sports, and entertainment to address social and economic problems and reach broader audiences. For mission-driven artists, athletes, and entertainment-sector organizations.
• Philanthropy Program Program area that supports and coordinates the broader Stand Together community of partners, grantees, and social entrepreneurs, connecting funders and doers working on root causes of social and economic problems. For social entrepreneurs, nonprofit partners, and aligned funders.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stand Together FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the broader Stand Together philanthropic community that helps America's boldest changemakers tackle root causes of the country's biggest problems. Shares common vision and collaborative approach to driving solutions on education, economic opportunity, health care, and other pressing issues.
• Charles Koch FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated foundation also focused on social progress and philanthropy, part of the shared Stand Together community working toward common vision.
• Americans for ProsperityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Stand Together community, focused on grassroots advocacy and policy engagement, sharing common principles of liberty and limited government.
• Stand Together FellowshipsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellowship program within the Stand Together community that develops and supports emerging social entrepreneurs and leaders.
• PopulaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink tank co-founded by Todd Rose, best-selling author featured on the Stand Together Trust website explaining the organization's vision and principles of human progress.
• PrendaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicroschool education model featured as a success story, developed by an MIT engineer to address how children learn differently, catching on as an alternative education approach.
• Per ScholasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development organization featured for its tuition-free tech training model that benefits both job-seekers and potential employers through upskilling.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: One of the world's largest private foundations running multi-issue programs across criminal justice, migration, and democratic participation — overlapping several of Stand Together Trust's policy areas at much greater scale.
• Ford Foundation: Major US private foundation with programs across inequality, education, criminal justice, and immigration — directly overlapping multiple Stand Together Trust verticals at significantly larger scale.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Major private foundation focused on education, public health, criminal justice, and economic opportunity — overlapping several of Stand Together Trust's core program areas at materially greater scale.
• Emerson Collective: Multi-issue philanthropy and impact-investing organization focused on education, immigration, and criminal justice reform — a close thematic and structural match to Stand Together Trust's program mix.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The largest private philanthropic foundation globally, with a multi-issue programmatic structure covering education, economic mobility, and community — sharing Stand Together Trust's root-cause grantmaking orientation at dramatically larger scale.
• Arnold Ventures: Large private foundation pursuing evidence-based, systemic reform across criminal justice, education, and economic mobility — sharing Stand Together Trust's emphasis on root-cause, applied-research grantmaking.
• Walton Family Foundation: Large private foundation focused on education reform, economic opportunity, and communities — closely mirroring Stand Together Trust's education and communities program verticals.

Direct peers

• Charles Koch Foundation: Founded by the same Charles Koch and operating within the Stand Together community, the Charles Koch Foundation focuses on education, criminal justice, and free expression grantmaking — the closest structural and thematic peer to Stand Together Trust.
• Americans for Prosperity Foundation: Affiliated organization within the Stand Together community conducting research, education, and grantmaking aligned with principles of liberty and limited government — a direct peer within the same founder's ecosystem.
• Stand Together Foundation: Sister 501(c)(3) within the Stand Together community also founded by Charles Koch, focused on supporting social entrepreneurs addressing root causes of social problems — the closest operational peer in structure and mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/StandTogether
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCc3LKvNXVjc2NoHHvVFitiA
• Facebookfacebook.com/JoinStandTogether
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/standtogether
• Instagraminstagram.com/standtogether

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about stand together trust