Henry Kravis

Apart from dealing in corporate mergers and takeovers, private equity mogul Henry Kravis, co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, also takes time to do his share of social responsibility. Most of his charitable endeavors are focused on education, medical and health services, and social and community development.

Henry Kravis provides the funds of the Henry Kravis Leadership Institute, an organization that sponsors the programs and training for future leaders of Claremont McKenna College, Kravis’s alma mater. Kravis also donated large amount of money for the construction of several facilities in the following academic institutions:

• Eaglebrook School
• Deerfield Academy
• The Loomis Chaffee School

Henry Kravis established the Henry Kravis Prize for Leadership, which recognizes innovation and leadership in nonprofits. Claremont McKenna College awards this prize every year. Past recipients have included Pratham, Dr. Sakena Yacoobi of the Afghan Institute of Learning, and Forum For African Women Educationalists (FAWE). The winner of the Henry Kravis Prize receives $250,000 for the nonprofit organization’s operations.

His other educational pursuits also include the Henry Kravis Internships for Teachers of Color. Last April, he awarded $250,000 to the Forum for African Women Educationalists. The Kenya-based organization strives to promote education to African girls and women located in 33 different countries in Africa.

In the field of medicine, Henry Kravis has contributed significant amounts to the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, where he sits as a member of the board. In 1988, Henry Kravis gave $10 million to the hospital for the creation of a women’s and children’s center meant to provide social, psychological and medical services. Years later, he donated $15 million to the same medical institution for the benefit of Mt. Sinai’s cardiovascular center.

Henry Kravis also has his attention on New York’s poor. With the New York City Investment Fund, a non-profitable organization he founded and comprised of various executives from different industries, Henry Kravis strives to create employment and business opportunities for members of New York’s African-American communities.

Henry Kravis’ wife Marie Josee Kravis is also involved in charitable pursuits. On May 2008, Mr. and Mrs. Kravis participated in a fundraiser that raked in $56 million for the benefit of the Robin Hood Foundation, an organization where Marie Kravis is a board member. Henry Kravis and Marie Kravis were recently featured in a New York Times article highlighting the future of philanthropy.

Henry and Marie Josee Kravis are both patrons of the arts. Henry currently sits as board member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York City Ballet, while his wife is the museum’s president.