Who are Nancy and Rich Kinder? From net worth to big ventures — all about the couple who pledged 95% fortune to charity

Houston billionaires Nancy and Rich Kinder are in the spotlight since they announced that they are giving away most of their money to charity. The couple pledged to donate 95% of their fortune to local causes, including parks, education and arts among others

Nancy and Rich Kinder, who is the cofounder and executive Chairman of Kinder Morgan — one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America, in an interview with ABC13 Houston’s Melanie Lawson confirmed the development. The billionaire couple said that they have decided to donate almost entire of their multi-billion-dollar fortune, almost $10 billion to improve the wellbeing of the city that made them who they are.

The largest shareholder of Kinder Morgan, Rich Kinder draws a salary of $1 a year.Notably, Kinder Morgan is the largest independent terminal operator in North America.

Suggesting that one's goal should always be to leave the world “a little better” than they found it, Rich Kinder, “Whatever wealth you accumulate is really the result of a lot of other people helping you along the way.”

The Kinders in the past contributed to several welfare campaigns including Rice University, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Texas Children’s Hospital and The Giving Pledge — the campaign started by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett back in 2010.

During a ceremony for a forthcoming $18.5 million expansion of Emancipation Park in Houston’s Third Ward, the couple revealed their groundbreaking philanthropic plan.

President and CEO of the Kinder Foundation, Nancy “serves as Chairman of The Downtown Park Corp. and President of the Advisory Board of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. She also serves on the Greater Houston Partnership’s Executive Committee and as a Life Member on the board of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center,” the Kinder Foundation websites notes.

The Kinder organisation played a crucial role in developing Discovery Green, Buffalo Bayou Park, Bayou Greenways, Memorial Park Conservancy, Buffalo Bayou East and Third Ward, among others.

Nancy and Rich Kinder net worth

According to the Houston Chronicle, Nancy and Rich Kinder have an estimated net worth of $11.2 billion. Meanwhile, real-time net worth tracker maintained by Forbes magazine estimates the net worth of one of the wealthiest couples in the nation to be around $11.3 billion.

What is Kinder Foundation?

Established in 1997 by Rich and Nancy Kinder, this organisation's main priorities are to “provide major gifts to public causes with the intention of helping people realize healthy and rewarding lives,” the website states.

This foundation primarily focuses on projects and programs that enhance urban green space, education and quality of life in the Houston area and directs its funds to achieve these goals. Rich Kinder, who is the chairman of the Foundation, played an integral role in setting up the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy, Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, and Kinder Children Cancer’s Center and several other institutions directed to help the city that made them who they are.