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® program
at his high school. After a few years in corporate America, he started his own business,
Accell Mobile, with two high school friends.
Foundations & Philanthropy
The Charles Koch Institute is producing a series of videos that explain why economic
freedom
is essential for the well-being of society and how excessive government
spending and
regulations are eroding economic freedom in the United States.
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 about 60,000 employees and a presence in nearly 60 countries.
Advancing Social Progress
and Well-Being
Through the Charles Koch Foundation, Charles Koch has worked to fulfill his second passion – to understand how free societies advance social progress and well-being. Mr. Koch has nearly 50 years of investment in ideas, think tanks and academic research that seeks to understand the nature of human freedom and how that freedom leads to prosperity.
For his efforts, Mr. Koch was honored with the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership in October 2011. The award honors living philanthropists who have exhibited leadership through charitable giving and recognizes the power of philanthropy to promote positive change. Mr. Koch’s acceptance speech focused on economic freedom and the application of Market-Based Management® to philanthropy. In conjunction with the award, Mr. Koch was profiled in Philanthropy magazine.
Supporting Research, Education and Entrepreneurship
The Charles Koch Foundation provides grants to nearly 230 colleges and universities across the U.S. for research and education programs.
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 have also supported nonprofit organizations such as Youth Entrepreneurs 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 started several professional education programs that are now administered by the Charles Koch Institute. Focused on students and rising professionals, the highly selective Koch Internship Program, the Koch Associate Program, and Liberty@Work™ connect people who are passionate about economic freedom with jobs and internships. Find out more about these opportunities here.
For more information about the Charles Koch Foundation, visit www.charleskochfoundation.org.
