Koch Family Foundations & Entities

Background

The Koch Family has spent more than ExxonMobil in order to fund organizations and projects questioning mainstream science behind man-made climate change. Greenpeace has put that total at over $88 million to 80 groups denying climate change since 1997.¹

The Koch Family Foundations include the David H. Koch Foundation, the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, and the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation (disbanded as of 2013), and the Knowledge and Progress Fund.

Until David’s death in 2019, the Koch brothers — Charles and the David — were co-owners of Koch Industries, the largest privately-owned company in the United States. According to the Koch Family Foundations website, “Koch family foundations and philanthropy are grounded in the belief that free societies are the greatest generators of social progress, sustainable prosperity and well-being.” David Koch passed away on August 23, 2019.²

Other lesser-known Koch foundations include the Koch Cultural Trust (formerly the Kansas Cultural Trust), The Fred and Mary Koch Foundation, and the Charles Koch Institute.³

Charles Koch leads the foundation that shares his name, while Charles and his family also sat on the board of the Claude R. Lambe Foundation, which was led by Richard Fink. Charles also leads the Knowledge and Progress Fund, of which Fink is President.

DeSmog’s special 2012 report, “Fake science, fakexperts, funny finances, free of tax” (PDF), compiled by computer scientist John R. Mashey provides insight into Koch’s funding of the climate change skeptic network at the time.⁴ In addition to his own foundation, David H. Koch also served on the boards of the Cato Instute, the Reason Foundation, and the Americans for Prosperity Foundation.⁵

The Center for Media and Democracy’s SourceWatch reports how the Koch Foundations also have ties to DonorsTrust, a “donor-advised fund” which obscures the identity of individual donors.⁶ Mother Jones called DonorsTrust “the dark-money ATM of the conservative movement.” According to SourceWatch, the Koch brothers are “are key funders of the right-wing infrastructure, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the State Policy Network (SPN).”⁷

A report by the Center for Public Integrity lists a number of DonorsTrust funders that also have ties to the Koch brothers including the Knowledge and Progress Fund, one of the group’s largest known contributors, which donated nearly $9 million from 2005 to 2012. Other contributors known to have donated at least $1 million to DonorsTrust include the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, Donald & Paula Smith Family Foundation, Searle Freedom Trust, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, and the John M. Olin Foundation.⁸

Koch Family Foundation 990s

In addition to the below documents, see the GreenPeace Polluterwatch project’s archive of Koch Foundation 990 forms here.

David H. Koch Foundation (EIN 48-0926946)

The Koch Family Foundations website describes David Koch as a “passionate believer in free societies,” who had funded “research and education programs that analyze how freedom creates prosperity and advances social progress.”

990 Forms

Charles G. Koch Foundation (EIN 48-0918408)

990 Forms

Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation (EIN 48-0935563)

* The Claude R. Lambe Charitable foundation disbanded in March, 2013. See their last-filed 2013 Form 990 for details.

990 Forms

Knowledge and Progress Fund (EIN 54-1899251)

990 Forms

Charles Koch Institute (EIN 27-4967732)

The Charles Koch Institute was established in 2011 and is active in the area of professional education, research and training programs for careers in advancing economic freedom. It runs the Koch Internship Program, the Koch Associate Program, and Liberty@Work.

According to their website, “Through the Institute’s professional education, research, and training programs, we work to prepare professionals for careers that improve well-being by advancing free societies.”⁹

The Charles Koch Institute’s 2013 990 form (PDF) states that their mission is the “advancement of liberty and economic freedom by educating students in a classroom.”¹⁰

990 Forms

Koch Family Foundation, formerly Fred and Mary Koch Foundation (EIN 48-6113560)

The Koch Family Foundation, prior to its 2019 tax return operating as the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation, has supported “the arts, youth development programs and education” in Kansas.¹¹

990 Forms

Chase Koch Foundation (EIN 83-1697305)

990 Forms

CCKC4 Inc. (EIN 83-3116152)

990 Forms

Charles Koch Charitable Fund (EIN 85-4058882)

Youth Entrepreneurs (EIN 48-1187886)

Youth Entrepreneurs has been presented as “an educational program that started in 1991 in Wichita by Liz and Charles Koch with support from Georgia-Pacific,” according to Georgia-Pacific.¹²

Stance on Climate Change

As reported by Greenpeace, The Koch Family has contributed at least $88,810,770 million to fund organizations and projects questioning mainstream science behind man-made climate change since 1997.¹³

Funding

The following information is based on a combination of research by Greenpeace USA, data from the Conservative Transparency Project, and original research by DeSmog with data from 1986 to 2018. Some organizations have been excluded, however can be found in the full list in the attached spreadsheet below.¹⁴

*Note that values prior to 1998 cannot be independently verified by DeSmog, as original 990 forms are not available. 1997 and prior values are based on Conservative Transparency’s archived data. Those totals can be filtered out in the attached spreadsheet of Koch Foundation Funding by year (.xlsx) if desired.

Koch University Funding

Greenpeace has extensively documented Koch’s funding of American universities. Their most recent data totals over $100M in funding to 364 univerties and colleges. According to Greenpeace’s report titled “Koch Pollution on Campus,” there is “Evidence at schools like George Mason University, Florida State University, Clemson University and Suffolk University fits a familiar pattern: Charles Koch expects a specific return on his large investments.“¹⁵

According to SourceWatch, university faculty affiliated with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) have “consistently condemned the contracts that Charles Koch Foundation has arranged with universities receiving large grants for violating the longstanding principles of academic freedom and shared governance.”¹⁶

Politico Magazine reported on the Koch’s strategy for funding universities in a 2014 article titled “Charles Koch’s Brain”:¹⁷

“The plan he and Koch eventually set in motion involved a three-tiered model in which the production, packaging and marketing of ideas was akin to the manufacturing of Lycra (one of Koch Industries’ signature products). Their plan for bringing about a free-market epoch and the business model of Koch Industries—gathering raw materials and refining them into more valuable products consumers desire—were basically one and the same.

To facilitate the production of these raw materials, Koch pumped millions of dollars into hundreds of universities. These contributions—which totaled nearly $31 million from 2007 to 2011 alone—have gone to endow professorships, underwrite free-market economics programs and sponsor conferences for libertarian thinkers. (Koch was not a passive investor: When his foundation provided $1.5 million to hire a pair of economics professors at Florida State University, his representatives insisted on a contract with the school that gave them veto power over job candidates.)

Step two of the process, Fink once explained in Philanthropy magazine, entailed taking the intellectual output of these academic programs, ideas ‘often unintelligible to the layperson and seemingly unrelated to real-world problems,’ and refining them into a ‘useable form.’

This was the domain of the Cato Institute, Mercatus and the dozens of other free-market, antiregulatory policy shops that Charles, David and their foundations have supported. Organizations like these churned out reports, position papers and op-eds arguing for the privatization of Social Security; fingering public employee unions for causing state budget crises; attempting to debunk climate science; and making the case for slashing the welfare system and Medicaid.

The third piece of the master plan was mobilizing citizen-activists—or at least creating the illusion of a grass-roots groundswell. These activists would agitate for the same policies the academics had conceptualized and the think tanks had refined into talking points and policy prescriptions. As David Koch once explained, ‘What we needed was a sales force.’”

DeSmog reported how George Mason University and the associated George Mason University Foundation have received over $35 million from Koch Family charitable Foundations from 2005 to 2013. Notably, Koch also has personnel involved with the university including Richard Fink who serves on the board of directors of the Mercatus Center and the Institute for Humane Studies.¹⁸

The Huffington Post reported how the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University worked to find “liberty-minded” teachers willing to focus on a libertarian message while other groups funded by the Kochs, like Youth Entrepreneurs, focused on high school students with the underlying goal “to impart Koch’s radical free-market ideology to teenagers.”¹⁹ ²⁰

Koch University Funding

The following data is a combination of data archived by the Conservative Transparency project and original research by DeSmog.

VELA Education Fund (EIN 84-4185046)

“[A] project supported by the Walton Family Foundation and the Charles Koch Institute,” launched in 2020.²¹

Zero Zero One

The 2019 Charles Koch Foundation tax filing shows Zero Zero One on its list of “Schedule of Contributors” (Schedule B) form. Zero Zero One’s President Tobias L. Teal has connections to a variety of Koch-owned subsidiary groups.²²

Key People

David H. Koch Foundation

As of 2013’s form 990-PF:

David H. Koch — President/Director
Ruth E. Williams — Secretary
Heather Love — Treasurer

Charles G. Koch Foundation

As of 2013’s form 990-PF:

Charles Chase Koch — Director
Elizabeth B. Koch — Director
Charles G. Koch — Director/Chairman
Heather Love — Treasurer
Brian Menkes — Secretary
Richard H. Fink — President/Director

As of 2013’s form 990-PF, “highest paid employees” included:

Charles Ruger — PGM OFF Higher Education
Ryan Stowers — PGM Dir Higher Education
Derek Johnson — PGM OFF Higher Education
Adam Kissel — PGM OFF University Investment
Brennan Brown — PGM OFF Academic Program

Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation (Since Disbanded)

According to the Claude R. Lambe’s last filed form 990-PF (2013):

Richard H. Fink — President/Director
Logan Moore — Secretary
Heather Love — Treasurer
Charles G. Koch — Director
Elizabeth B. Koch — Director
Charles C. Koch — Director

Knowledge and Progress Fund

As of their 2013 form 990-PF:

Richard H. Fink — President/Director
Logan Moore — Secretary
Heather Love — Treasurer
Charles G. Koch — Director
Elizabeth B. Koch — Director
Charles C. Koch — Director

Charles Koch Institute

According to the Institute’s 2013 form 990-PF:

Charles G. Koch — Director
Charles Chase Koch — Director
Elizabeth B. Koch — Director
Richard Fink — Director
Brian Menkes — Secretary
Heather Love — Treasurer
Kevin Gentry — Vice President
Logan Moore — Director of Operations
Kathleen Roberts — Director – Alumni/Ext. Relations
Tonya Mullins — Director – Communications and Marketing
Leah Krohn — Instructor – MBM

DeSmog Reporting on Koch

Kyla Mandel. “Is Koch Industries Lobbying the EU Over Natural Gas?” Desmog, July 10, 2015.
Kyla Mandel. “Are the Koch Brothers Trying to Influence TTIP Negotiations?” DeSmog, July 8, 2015.
David Suzuki. “Oiling The Machinery Of Climate Change Denial And Transit Opposition,” DeSmog, April 7, 2015.
Carol Linnet. “Koch Brothers Exposed: Watch Free Documentary on the Fifth Anniversary of Citizens United,” DeSmog, January 21, 2015.
Brendan Montague. “Blundell: The Missing Link Between Oil Baron Charles Koch and British Climate Denial,” DeSmog, November 29, 2014.
Brendan Montague. “How Charles Koch Sent His Emissary to London to Launch Climate Denial,“ DeSmog, November 26, 2014.
Graham Readfearn. “Mont Pelerin Society A Window Into Ideological Heart Of Kochtopus Climate Denial,” DeSmog, January 27, 2014.
Indra Das. “Koch Brothers’ Tar Sands Waste Petcoke Piles Spread to Chicago,” DeSmog, October 24, 2013.
Victor Menotti. “Carbon Billionaire Kochs Will Profit Plenty on Keystone XL, Counters IFG,” DeSmog, October 23, 2013.
Kevin Grandia. “Study: Koch Brothers Could Make $100 Billion if Keystone XL Pipeline Approved,” DeSmog, October 20, 2013.
Steve Horn. “‘FrackNation’ Part Two: The Koch Industries Ties That Bind,“ DeSmog, June 4, 2013.
Steve Horn. “Rallies in 12 U.S. Cities Protest Koch Brothers’ Tribune Takeover Bid,” DeSmog, May 29, 2013.
Ben Jervey. “Koch Brothers, ALEC Attack Maine Renewable Energy Standards,” DeSmog, May 3, 2013.
Farron Cousins. “Kochtopus Tentacles Reaching For Media Outlets,” DeSmog, March 17, 2013.
Carol Linnet. “International Forum on Globalization: Kochtopus ‘U.S. Carbon Billionaires’ Create ‘Climate Deadlock’,” DeSmog, December 6, 2012.
Kevin Grandia. “Key Findings From the Mashey Report on Donors Trust,” DeSmog, October 25, 2012.
Connor Gibson. “Koch Brothers Produce Counterfeit Climate Report to Deceive Congress,” DeSmog, October 22, 2012. Originally posted at Greenpeace Blogs.
“The Koch Brothers Lie About Canadian Healthcare” (guest post), DeSmog, September 4, 2012. Originally published at The Real Story.
Steve Horn. “Heartland Institute: A Manifestation of the Kochtopus Empire,” DeSmog, March 1, 2012.
Jenny Uechi. “U.S. Republican Koch oil billionaires help fund the Fraser Institute. Why the Fraser Institute?“ DeSmog, April 28, 2012. Originally published at Vancouver Observer.
Farron Cousins. “The Year In Dirty Energy: The Koch Brothers,” DeSmog, December 27, 2011.
Farron Cousins. “Koch Brothers Behind Push To Dismantle EPA,” DeSmog, November 11, 2011.
Steve Horn. “The Daily Show Notes Irony of Koch-Funded Study Affirming Global Warming is Real,” DeSmog, October 27, 2011.
Brendan DeMelle. “Koch Brothers Exposed: Cancer Risk In Crossett Arkansas Blamed On Georgia Pacific,“ DeSmog, October 11, 2011.
Steve Horn. “Koch Brothers Dishonest About Keystone XL, Tar Sands Interest,” DeSmog, October 5, 2011.
Steve Horn. “Koch Brothers ‘Secret Sins’ Exposed In Bloomberg News Investigation,” DeSmog, October 4, 2011.
Ben Jervey. “Koch Brothers And ExxonMobil Join Forces To Fight RGGI With Copy-Paste State Legislation,” DeSmog, July 22, 2011.
Farron Cousins. “Koch Money Fuels AFP Misinformation Campaign On Gas Prices,” DeSmog, June 14, 2011.
Brendan DeMelle. “Koch Brothers Exposed: Brave New Films Explains How Billionaires Could Profit From Keystone XL Pipeline,” DeSmog, May 23, 2011.
Emma Pullman. “Koch Industries Coached Own Employees On How To Vote In November Election,” DeSmog, April 21, 2011.
Richard Littlemore. “Required Reading: American Progress Koch Report,” DeSmog, April 4, 2011.
Emma Pullman. “Koch Brothers Continue Their Canadian Takeover,” DeSmog, March 27, 2011.
Emma Pullman. “Koch Brothers Set Up Shop in Tar Sands Territory,” DeSmog, March 24, 2011.
Brendan DeMelle. “PolluterWatch Memo to Koch PR Team: Ever Consider Making Your Astroturf A Little Less Obvious?“ DeSmog, March 22, 2011.
TJ Scolnick. “Upton’s Upcoming Pipeline Safety Legislation Is Next Favor To Koch Brothers,” DeSmog, March 10, 2011.
Emma Pullman. “Koch Brothers Win Big If Keystone XL Pipeline Is Approved,” DeSmog, February 10, 2011.
Brendan DeMelle. “Greenpeace Airship Hovers Over Secretive Koch Summit with Message ‘Koch Brothers: Dirty Money’,” DeSmog, January 28, 2011.
Emma Pullman. “Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wife: Not Even Canadians are Safe from the Kochs Anymore,” DeSmog, January 27, 2011.
Farron Cousins. “Right Wing Billionaire Koch Brothers Summit To Be Met With Protests,” DeSmog, January 25, 2011.
Brendan DeMelle. “Koch Brothers Are Kings of Alberta Oil Sands Too,” DeSmog, November 1, 2010.
Brendan DeMelle. “Koch Industries Donates $1 Million To Prop 23 Effort To Kill California Climate Law,” DeSmog, September 3, 2010.
Brendan DeMelle. “The New Yorker Exposes Koch Industries “Kochtopus” Behind Tea Party and Climate Denial Machine,” DeSmog, August 23, 2010.

@KochFoundations on Twitter.
“Koch Family Foundation” on Facebook.

Other Resources

“Koch and George Mason University,” DeSmog.
“Profile: Koch Industries, Inc.” DeSmog.
“Koch Industries, Inc. Lobbying Activities“ DeSmog.
“Koch Industries, Inc. – Company Holdings and Investments,” DeSmog.

Resources

1
“Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine,” Greenpeace.org. Accessed March 11, 2017. Data on file at DeSmog.
2
Melanie Grayce West and John McCormick. “Billionaire David Koch, Who Used His Wealth to Reshape U.S. Politics, Dies at 79,” The Wall Street Journal, August 23, 2019. Archived August 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/j9sUH
3
“Doing Good in Many Ways,” Koch Family Foundations. Archived September 18, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/zUgFc
4
John R. Mashey. “Fake science, fakexperts, funny finances, free of tax 2” (PDF), October 23, 2012.
5
“David H. Koch Charitable Foundation and Personal Philanthropy,” Koch Family Foundations. Archived September 19, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/lKdnt
6
“Koch Family Foundations,” SourceWatch. Accessed September, 2015.
7
Andy Kroll. “Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement,” Mother Jones, February 5, 2013. Archived September 19, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/uNf46
8
Paul Abowd. “Donors use charity to push free-market policies in states,” The Centre for Public Integrity, February 14, 2013. Archived September 19, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/yH2Nr
9
“About the Institute,” Charles Koch Institute. Archived September 19, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/LXesr
10
“Charles Koch Institute,” 2013 Form 990-PF. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
11
Homepage, Fmkfoundation.org. Archived April 13, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/kBgKz
12
“Youth Entrepreneurs Continues to Grow with the Help of GP,” Georgia-Pacific, September 2019. Archived December 17, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/hr9Us
13
“Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine,” Greenpeace.org. Accessed March 11, 2017. Data on file at DeSmog.
14
“Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine,” Greenpeace.org. Accessed March 11, 2017. Data on file at DeSmog.
15
“Koch Pollution on Campus,” Greenpeace. Accessed May 19, 2017. Data on file at DeSmog.
16
“Koch Universities,” SourceWatch. Accessed September 19, 2015.
17
Daniel Schulman. “Charles Koch’s Brain,” Politico, September/October 2014. Archived September 20, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/ACq8r
18
“Koch and George Mason University,” DeSmog.
19
Christina Wilkie and Joy Resmovits. “Koch High: How The Koch Brothers Are Buying Their Way Into The Minds Of Public School Students,” Huffington Post, July 16, 2014. Archived September 20, 2015.
20
“Koch Pollution on Campus,” Greenpeace. Accessed May 19, 2017. Data on file at DeSmog.
21
(Press Release). “RELEASE: New VELA Education Fund Launches with $1M Meet the Moment Grant Program,” Vela Education Fund, August 3, 2020. Archived December 16, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/WxKif
22
“TOBIAS TEAL,” Corporationwiki. Archived December 16, 2022. Archive URL:https://archive.vn/Y5G6R

DeSmog

DeSmog