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 and Julia Koch at the April 2009 dedication of the David H. Koch Theater at
Lincoln Center. Koch's $100 million gift will be used to renovate and create an
endowment for the elegant, world-renowned theater.

Projects

• Bill of Rights Institute
• Mercatus Center
• Youth Entrepreneurs Kansas
• David H. Koch Theater
• Great Plains Nature Center
• Koch Associate Program
• Gilder Lehrman Institute
• Hospital for Special Surgery

In spring 2008, David H. Koch, president of the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, pledged $100 million for the renovation of the theater that is home to the New York City Ballet and the New York City Opera. The theater has been renamed the David H. Koch Theater.

"I've been going to the New York State Theater for 40 years," he said. "I can assure you, the foundation would not make a gift of this magnitude unless I was absolutely convinced that the quality of the work was world class."

Reynold Levy, president of Lincoln Center, described the pledge as "a very important statement about the importance and the future of performing arts in this country." He added, "This gift puts the performing arts in another league of fund-raising and helps to elevate our expectations and gives us all a tremendous vote of confidence."

The first part of the renovation is already underway with a completion date of fall 2009. Budgeted for $50 million and financed through a mix of public and private sources, the results include new seats and carpets, an enlarged orchestra pit with a mechanical lift, a new stage lighting system and new audiovisual and media equipment. The remaining $50 million will go toward a second phase that could include upgrading the lobby, dressing rooms and other spaces, as well as strengthening the endowment.

One of four sons born to the founder of Koch Industries, David received two degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to which he donated $100 million for cancer research in October 2007. The previous year, his charitable donations included $20 million to the American Museum of Natural History for the David H. Koch Dinosaur Wing and $20 million to Johns Hopkins University's medical campus in Baltimore.