What is Stand Together? - About Us

About Us

What is Stand Together?

Stand Together is a philanthropic community tackling the root causes of America’s biggest problems. We were 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.

Our founder, a Forbes Top-25 philanthropist, built the country’s largest private company by empowering people from the bottom up.

Charles built his business from the bottom up. A student of history and the philosophy of science, he saw that a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach stifles people from innovating and holds back progress. He chose a better way: Empowering employees to work together to solve the problems closest to them. The combination of their individual actions created one of the greatest success stories in American history.

Stand Together is built on the same principle. We can achieve more together than we ever could on our own.

Stand Together is built on the same principle. We partner with people from all walks of life, building on each other’s experience and expertise to tackle America’s toughest problems. Instead of looking for one big solution, we empower a wide diversity of people to find the right-sized solutions.

FAQ: Our founder and CEO answer the questions you may have about our work and vision.

Together, we’re showing a better way on the issues that matter most — from unleashing economic opportunity to transforming education to reimagining health care to bridging partisan divides, and many more. Led by CEO Brian Hooks, one of TIME magazine’s TIME 100 Next Emerging Leaders, Stand Together partners with a diverse group of changemakers, leaders, and their organizations:

700

Business leaders and philanthropists

275+

Community-based organizations

1,000

Professors and scholars at 300+ universities

10K

Educators, from K-12 to the skilled trades

2M

Grassroots activists in all 50 states

We partner with independent organizations that specialize in different types of partnerships, issues, and institutions.

Here’s a short list of just some of the partners we support.

Find the one you’re looking for:

Are you a business leader or philanthropist? Stand Together is the backbone of our philanthropic community, offering a wide array of opportunities to invest in solving societal problems.

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

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.

We partner with and seek to empower social entrepreneurs who share our vision of a society based on equal rights, mutual benefit, openness, and self-actualization.

Our educational programs equip rising social entrepreneurs with the tools, mindsets, and community they need to accelerate their careers and develop bottom-up solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.

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, a project of Americans for Prosperity, can help you make your 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, a project of Americans for Prosperity, can help you promote economic opportunity, better health care, and immigration reform, among other issues.

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

Are you a K-12 educator? Empowered helps you develop curricula and classrooms that enable your students to discover their gifts and best path in life.