The son of Vietnamese immigrants, Tien Huynh came to the United States when he was two
months old. "Growing up, I was more inspired by entrepreneurs than athletes and action
figures," Huynh said. In 1999, he graduated from the Youth Entrepreneurs Kansas program
at his high school. After a few years in corporate America, he started his own business,
Accell Mobile, with two high school friends. Read more of Tien's story.
Foundations & Philanthropy
After joining his father’s company in 1961, Charles Koch developed two great passions. One was to help build a successful company. The other was to understand the principles that lead to prosperity and social progress.
As chairman and CEO, Charles Koch has guided Koch Industries, Inc. to become one of the largest private companies in the world. Today, Koch Industries has revenues of approximately $100 billion and about 70,000 employees in nearly 60 countries.
Advancing Social Progress
and Well-Being
Through the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, Charles Koch has worked to fulfill his second passion – to understand how free societies advance social progress and well-being.
The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation provides grants for the support of research and education programs at 100 colleges and universities throughout
the U.S. that analyze the impact of free societies, and in particular how they advance the well-being of mankind. Some of the universities receiving foundation support include Utah State, Florida State, Kansas State University, University of Arizona, Montana State and Brown University.
The foundation also helps fund the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University. Founded in 1961 by Dr. F.A. “Baldy” Harper, a former economics professor at Cornell University, IHS assists undergraduate and graduate students worldwide who have an interest in individual liberty by offering scholarships, seminars and career assistance. IHS also administers the Koch Summer Fellows program, an intensive 10-week summer program that offers experiences for interns at think tanks and non-profit organizations.
Grants also support nonprofit organizations such as Youth Entrepreneurs Kansas and the Bill of Rights Institute which educates young people about the words and ideas of America’s founders and our Founding documents.
In addition to direct grantmaking, the foundation is also interested in building capacity and capabilities of partner organizations. This is accomplished through a variety of means, including the highly selective Koch Internship Program and Koch Associate Program for college students and graduates who are promising leaders and entrepreneurs. Learn more about the Koch Associate Program here.
For more information, visit www.cgkfoundation.org.
