Leakey Foundation

Who we are

The Leakey Foundation is a donor-supported nonprofit organization on a quest to answer profound questions about what it means to be human. We’re working to uncover the story of human evolution and share this knowledge with the world.

Founded around a kitchen table in 1968 by a small grassroots group of organizers, The Leakey Foundation has grown to become the leading nonprofit funder of human origins research.

Our mission

The mission of The Leakey Foundation is to increase scientific research, education, and public knowledge of human origins, evolution, behavior, and survival.

What we do

We’re a donor-supported nonprofit, committed to funding research and advancing public understanding of human origins. Our unique approach combines science and education to explore our shared past, understand our present, and inspire a better future. We invest in a global community of the best and brightest students and researchers, empowering them to ask new questions, explore new sites, develop new methods, and make groundbreaking new discoveries.

We believe that scientific work is not complete unless it is shared, so we work to share the human story through free and accessible educational programs.