“Since we began in 1991, our goal has been to build an institution that plays a special role as a trusted source of information in a health care world dominated by vested interests. That institution-building process continues today.” Drew Altman, Ph.D. President and CEO

Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and his wife Bess established the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in 1948 with the goal of meeting “the unmet health care needs of the citizenry.”  One of Henry Kaiser’s favorite sayings was “find a need and fill it,” and that’s what the Foundation has tried to do.  While the Foundation was established in 1948, it is in a sense a relatively young organization.  Under the leadership of CEO Drew Altman, Kaiser was completely remade from the ground up beginning in 1991, with the mission, expertise, programs, and operating foundation-style it’s known for today. 

With an endowment of over half a billion dollars, Kaiser has an operating budget of over $40 million per year.  The Foundation operates almost exclusively with its own resources, though we do occasionally receive funds from grant-making foundations, primarily to expand our global programs. 

The Foundation’s trustees – including former policymakers and leaders from business, academia, and the non-profit community – serve a maximum of two four-year terms.  The Foundation is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries.