The
political activities of the Koch family are the political activities of the family of
Fred C. Koch, a co-founder of
Koch Industries, an oil, gas, and chemical conglomerate which is the second largest privately held company in the United States with annual revenues of $110 billion.
Many of the activities are carried out via the
Koch Family Foundations, the most prominent of which are the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation and the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, created by two of
Fred C. Koch's sons,
Charles G. Koch and
David H. Koch. While the majority of the family's charitable donations go toward medical research and the Arts, notable political activities include Charles Koch co-founding the
Cato Institute in 1977, and David Koch being the
Libertarian Vice-Presidential candidate in 1980 and helping found the
Citizens for a Sound Economy in 1984, and its spin-off
Americans for Prosperity in 2004.
In total, the Koch brothers have given more than $196 million to dozens of free-market and advocacy organizations,
in addition to over $600 million to arts, science, and educational organizations.
Tax records indicate that in 2008 the three main Koch family foundations gave money to 34 political and policy organizations, three of which they founded, and several of which they direct.
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