Houston billionaires Nancy and Rich Kinder have planned to give away 95% of their fortune, which is more than $10 billion, to charities, they told ABC13’s Melanie Lawson. The couple pledged to donate their massive multi-billion-dollar wealth, with an emphasis on city parks, the arts, education and other local causes.
Rich and Nancy Kinder net worth: Houston billionaire couple will donate 95% of their wealth to charities(Kinder Foundation/Facebook)
The news comes shortly after the Kinder Foundation announced an $18.5 million expansion project for Emancipation Park in the heart of Third Ward.
“Well, I think we’d all like to leave the world a little better place than we found it,” Rich said. “And we just felt early on that the right thing to do was to try to give most or all of that away. So that’s what we plan to do during our lifetime and after our death.”
What is Nancy and Rich Kinder’s net worth?
The Kinders, one of the wealthiest couples in the nation, have a net worth of $11.3 billion, according to the real-time net worth tracker maintained by Forbes magazine.
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Rich helped build oil and gas pipeline giant Kinder Morgan. However, he stepped down as CEO more than a decade ago for what he said was a bigger cause. The couple were one of the first to sign The Giving Pledge, established by billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
The Kinders said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle that they have supported Emancipation Park since 2012. They sponsored several Jazzy Sundays concerts that attracted thousands of people.
“We and a couple of other foundations contributed to make it successful, because it’s really the heart of Third Ward and so important historically to the whole city,” Rich said. “It needs to be enhanced and preserved for generations to come.”
“The first thing city budgets do is run out of money for parks and urban green space, and that’s why we have concentrated on it,” he added.
Nancy said in a previous interview with ABC13 that some of the projects they have backed will impact Houston for generations to come. “I want our grandchildren to be proud of us – and I think they are – and I want them to know that’s what we expect of them when they grow up,” she said.
According to the Kinder Foundation’s website, “Rich and Nancy Kinder established the Kinder Foundation in 1997 to provide major gifts to public causes with the intention of helping people realize healthy and rewarding lives. Since then, the Foundation has focused its grants on projects and programs that enhance urban green space, education and quality of life in the Houston area. As of December 31, 2024, the Kinder Foundation has distributed more than $621.4 million of the over $850 million in grants committed.”