Who is Stand Together?

Stand Together is a philanthropic community. We help America’s boldest changemakers tackle the root causes of our country’s biggest problems.

Our Vision and Principles

Stand Together’s vision is for a society where every person can realize their potential and live a life of meaning. That is the North Star that guides everything we do.

Stand Together partner and New York Times bestselling author Todd Rose shows how our principles are at the heart of America’s progress.

Believe in People

Every person has a unique gift and deserves the chance to express it. We break barriers standing in their way.

Bottom-Up is Best

The best solutions often come from those closest to the problem. We empower people to lead the way forward.

Unite to Do Right

You don’t have to agree on everything to work together. We unite with anyone on areas of common ground.

Learn more about how we put these principles into practice, helping changemakers tackle the root causes of our country’s biggest problems.

A Philanthropic Community with National Scale

The Stand Together community partners with changemakers in all 50 states – from nonprofit leaders to Fortune 50 CEOs, educators, professional athletes, civil rights leaders, Grammy-winning musicians, and grassroots activists.

Colorful map of the USA showing distribution of communities, business, education, and government with associated data points indicating the number of organizations, leaders, educators, and activists

Learn more about how we help our partners transform their results, providing access to capabilities including funding, a unique network, and playbooks for applying principles that are proven to help people thrive.

Founder and Leadership

Stand Together was founded in 2003, but our story really started more than 50 years ago. It began with Charles Koch — a Forbes Top-25 philanthropist and the CEO of the largest private company in the country.

Today, Brian Hooks is the chairman and CEO of Stand Together. He is co-author with Charles of Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World and a 2021 TIME 100 Next honoree, featuring leaders shaping the future of their fields.

Watch Charles and Brian answer frequently asked questions about Stand Together’s approach to philanthropy and nonprofit leadership, funding, politics, and more.

Stand Together – A Philanthropic Community

The Stand Together community includes independent organizations that specialize in different issues and activities. These organizations partner with thousands of additional groups tackling our country’s biggest problems.

Stand Together is the backbone of our philanthropic community, offering an array of opportunities to help solve societal problems. That includes ways for business leaders and philanthropists to invest as partners in our efforts.

Are you a leader of a community-based nonprofit? Stand Together Foundation runs the Catalyst Program and offers grants and operational support to help you tackle poverty’s root causes.

Stand Together Trust provides funding and strategic capabilities to innovators, scholars, and social entrepreneurs to develop new and better ways to tackle America’s biggest problems. This includes a robust portfolio of partnerships in K-12 education, criminal justice, free speech and peace, and foreign policy, among others.

Are you a start-up founder? Stand Together Ventures Lab invests in early-stage businesses breaking barriers, from economic hurdles to criminal justice reentry to workforce development.

Stand Together Fellowships educational programs equip rising social entrepreneurs with the tools, mindsets, and professional network to accelerate their careers through a bottom-up approach to social change.

Stand Together Music unites musicians and their teams with proven changemakers to co-create solutions, starting with criminal justice, addiction recovery, education, free speech and peace, and ending the war on drugs.

Are you a professor, scholar, or innovator in higher education? The Charles Koch Foundation funds cutting-edge research and helps expand postsecondary educational options.

Are you a grassroots activist or community organizer? Americans for Prosperity provides training and support to drive lasting change on the most pressing public policy challenges.

Are you a veteran? Concerned Veterans for America helps former servicemembers make their voice heard on securing better health care, promoting a better foreign policy, and other pressing issues.

Are you an immigrant or descendant from Latin America? The LIBRE Initiative helps you promote economic opportunity, better health care, and immigration reform, among other issues.

Are you an education reformer or concerned parent? yes. every kid. supports and builds coalitions to transform K-12 education and empower all students to discover their unique potential.