SOURCE OF WEALTH: Koch Industries, Koch Disruptive Technologies
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, TBD
OVERVIEW: Chase Koch, along with his ex-wife, Annie Breitenbach, funds a private school located on the Wichita State University campus. They also established the Chase and Annie Koch Foundation, although it is unclear what will happen to the foundation following their divorce. Koch’s vision for philanthropy slants libertarian, often supporting goals that facilitate conservative policies. It remains to be seen how his philanthropy will evolve.
BACKGROUND: Born in 1977, Chase Koch is the son of billionaire Charles Koch. Chase Koch took his first summer job at Koch Industries when he was a teenager, working at a cattle feed yard. After graduating from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in business, he rejoined the family business. More recently, Koch launched Koch Disruptive Technologies, a corporate venture firm in Wichita, Kansas.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Koch and former Koch network fundraiser Zach Lahn opened Wonder, a private school located on the Wichita State University campus serving preschool and elementary school students. The Kochs also support Youth Entrepreneurs of Kansas, whose stated goal is to provide entrepreneurship education to students in middle and high school, inspiring “students to overcome barriers and seize opportunities for the betterment of themselves and others.” The nonprofit was formed by Koch’s parents.
OTHER: Koch serves on the board of his father’s Charles Koch Foundation, which was established in 1980 to “support the study of free societies… and hope to promote a better understanding of the link between free societies and prosperity.” The foundation mainly supports research at institutions of higher education in the areas of criminal justice reform, toleration and free speech, foreign policy, economic freedom, technology and innovation, and K-12 education.
Chase Koch is also involved with the “Stand Together” donor network to support various organizations and public policy initiatives, and bring new technologies into privately held Koch Industries. One such organization, Urban Specialists, in Dallas, aims to “work to change the cultural environment of communities in order to stop senseless violence.”
LOOKING FORWARD: Koch, only in his early 40s, will likely assume an even more significant role in the family business in the coming years. But while his involvement with the Charles Koch Foundation might also provide insight into future grantmaking interests, according to some reports, Chase Koch is a more moderate figure than his dad or late uncle David. His interest in criminal and social justice, for instance, should be watched going forward. The future of the Chase and Annie Koch foundation is unclear following the couple’s divorce.
CONTACT:
The Chase and Annie Koch Foundation does not provide a clear avenue for getting in touch with the couple, but below is an address:
Chase and Annie Koch Foundation
4111 E 37th St N
Wichita, KS 67220
