KDK-Harman Foundation

In 2011, the Foundation made a decision to refine its grantmaking focus to re-imagine how, when and where young people learn. The KDK-Harman Foundation believes that we must dramatically rethink the whole day for students so that learning experiences are seamless and unrestricted by walls, clocks, or calendars. KDK-Harman Foundation’s vision for learning builds on a foundation of core academics by leveraging community resources to incorporate strategies such as hands-on learning, working in teams, and problem-solving. Before, after-school and summer programs are a few of the places in and out of the classrooms that are already using these learning approaches to engage students and increase their chances for success. As such, we have identified the growing importance and role of:

• Projects that focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and integrating technology into teaching and learning;
• Improving the quality of and access to out-of-school time programs;
• Enabling and supporting systems-level change and collaboration to support an excellent education for all Central Texas students.

A strategic opportunity for KDK-Harman to engage more intensely in STEM activities, and that integrates with the aforementioned recommended initiatives of technology and extended learning time, the Foundation seeks to target innovative and effective teaching and learning in STEM, and its evaluation, for educating low-income students as well as preparing providers (i.e. teachers, schools, and nonprofit organizations) on the successful and sustainable implementation of these programs.

We seek established, "best-in-class" programs that can demonstrate measurable outcomes. We define best-in-class as those organizations that possess outstanding leadership; the planning, budgeting, and operating procedures generate confidence in the organization’s capabilities; the project outcomes are well-designed, specific, and reasonable; and the programs have the ability to be replicated and/or brought to scale

For grantmaking purposes, the KDK-Harman Foundation is exclusively interested in contributing to the communities of Central Texas, defined as Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Caldwell, Burnet, and Llano counties. We welcome you to explore the areas within this section of the website to learn more about the Foundation’s grantmaking.