Founders’ Projects

The Kennebunkport Climate Initiative (KCI) is a nonpartisan organization that elevates youth voices in support of climate action. Focusing on students in middle school, high school, and college, KCI works to educate, empower, and activate young Americans to pursue local, tangible solutions to the global challenge of climate change. The goal of KCI is to engage 10 million young people by 2025 in efforts that will encourage decisionmakers to embrace a wide array of climate solutions.

The Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (Stanford HAI) advances artificial intelligence (AI) research, education, policy, and practice. Recognizing the profound impact that AI will have on every industry and every society, Stanford HAI aims to prepare future leaders to learn, build, invent, and scale AI-related initiatives with purpose and through a human-centered approach. Bob and Dottie King committed $50 million to Stanford University to create this new institute.

Friends of the Children pairs vulnerable children with a salaried, professional mentor for their entire childhood, from kindergarten through graduation. Research shows that the most important factor for building resiliency in highly at-risk children is a long-term, consistent relationship with a caring adult. Bob and Dottie King first supported Friends of the Children through their earlier philanthropic endeavor, the Thrive Foundation for Youth. This foundation invested in research and programs to help disadvantaged youths living in the United States to reach their full potential.

The Willis L. Jones Leadership Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison supports students who collaborate in efforts to transform their communities on campus and beyond. The center is named after Dottie King’s father, Willis L. Jones, a beloved Madison-area high school coach whose career spanned more than thirty-five years. Jones taught thousands of young people how to set goals, work together, accept defeat, and celebrate victories.

The Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison conducts rigorous scientific research to develop new insights and tools that will improve the well-being of people of all backgrounds and ages. Founded by neuroscientist Dr. Richard J. Davidson, the center has produced groundbreaking research on the physical effects of emotion, stress, and meditation on the human brain. Bob and Dottie King have supported the center with gifts totaling $10 million.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center aims to improve the human condition through plant science. Scientists at the center breed crops that benefit poor families around the world. By introducing new seed varieties that are nutritious, drought-resistant, or pest-resistant, the center is making major contributions to the global fight against food insecurity and hunger.

Village Enterprise equips people living in extreme poverty in rural Africa to start sustainable businesses and savings groups. In its flagship effort, the organization operates a one-year, cost-effective graduation program that gives very poor families a significant income boost that persists even after the program ends.

The Positive Coaching Alliance creates a positive, character-building youth sports environment that helps participants to become better athletes and better people. To ensure that young people benefit fully from sports, the organization provides research-based programming to improve the youth experience, to help coaches understand their role as life mentors, and to create an engaging, fun culture around sports participation.

Coaching Corps recruits, trains, and supports volunteer coaches who use sports to teach kids in low-income communities valuable life lessons and to inspire them to reach their full potential. The organization’s model integrates sports with youth development tactics to create a positive, inclusive, and safe environment that enhances engagement, physical activity, skillbuilding, and characterbuilding.

Eastside College Preparatory School, located in East Palo Alto, California, provides rigorous academic instruction and extensive support to students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in higher education. Eastside students are often the first in their families to attend college, and to date 100% of its graduates have been accepted to four-year colleges and universities. For many years, Bob and Dottie King have supported two Eastside students per year.

Ashesi University is a private university in Ghana that aims to educate ethical, entrepreneurial leaders and to cultivate the critical thinking skills, the concern for others, and the courage that it will take to achieve a transformative impact throughout Africa. Gifts from Bob and Dottie King supported the construction of the university’s engineering building and equipment for its engineering lab.

Bridge International Academies delivers primary education to underserved communities across Africa and Asia. Using standardized, scripted lesson plans designed by experts, Bridge ensures that all of its teachers in a given country deliver the same lesson every day. This model allows Bridge to compare the efficiency of teachers across different schools, and it provides immediate feedback that informs rapid changes in curriculum.

The African Leadership University (ALU) aspires to create a cadre of African leaders and entrepreneurs who are trained to solve African problems. ALU uses a personalized, student-driven, project-based, and mission-oriented approach to create agile, lifelong learners who can adapt to a changing world.

The Dorothy J. and Robert E. King International Experience Fund is an endowment at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB). The fund supports programs and initiatives that enable MBA students at GSB to engage with various challenges and opportunities that affect non-U.S. countries. The range of activities sponsored by the fund includes study trips, exchange programs, internships, and other experiential learning efforts that will enhance M.B.A. students’ education.