Houston billionaires Nancy and Rich Kinder will donate 95% of their $11 billion fortune to local charities
Houston billionaires Nancy and Rich Kinder have pledged to donate 95% of their fortune—nearly $10 billion, to charitable causes across their home city. The couple, long-time residents of Houston, announced the decision during a ceremony for the forthcoming $18.5 million expansion of Emancipation Park in the city’s Third Ward. Their contribution aims to improve the wellbeing of Houston’s communities through investments in parks, education, and the arts.
Rich Kinder, cofounder and Executive Chairman of Kinder Morgan—one of North America’s largest energy infrastructure firms—told ABC13 Houston’s Melanie Lawson that their motivation lies in giving back to the city that shaped them. “Whatever wealth you accumulate is really the result of a lot of other people helping you along the way,” he said, adding that one’s goal should be to leave the world “a little better” than they found it.
Kinder Foundation
According to the Houston Chronicle, the couple’s combined net worth stands at around $11.2 billion, while Forbes places it at approximately $11.3 billion. Their giving will continue through the Kinder Foundation, established in 1997 to provide major gifts to public causes that help people lead healthy and rewarding lives.
The foundation focuses primarily on enhancing urban green spaces, improving education, and raising quality of life across Houston. Under Rich Kinder’s leadership, it has supported the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Texas Children’s Hospital, Rice University, and initiatives such as the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy. The Kinders are also signatories of The Giving Pledge, founded by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett in 2010.
Through their sustained philanthropy, Nancy and Rich Kinder reaffirm their lifelong bond with Houston, directing their vast resources to the community that helped them thrive.
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