80%
of our annual budget goes to
Science and Education
» learn more

The Leakey Foundation is pleased to announce we were given an 80% Efficiency Rating during our most recent audit.

This means the 80% of our annual budget is granted to scientists and used for our educational programs.

In the American Institute of Philanthropy’s view, 60% or greater is reasonable for most charities and the most highly efficient charities are able to spend 75% or more on programs.

From the AIP website: "AIP is a nationally prominent charity watchdog service whose purpose is to help donors make informed giving decisions."

We spend the remaining percentage on fundraising efforts and general administration.*

* AIP has not officially rated The Leakey Foundation.

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About Us

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

Louis S. B. Leakey at Olduvai Gorge, inspecting fossils.

Louis Leakey at Olduvai Gorge, inspecting fossils.

Our Heritage

Dr. Louis S. B. Leakey was one of the 20th century’s great anthropologists and promoters of science education and public outreach. It was during Dr. Leakey’s travels to the United States in the 1960′s, to lecture and raise money for his research, that he met a group of enthusiastic individuals who were intellectually curious about human evolution and our earliest ancestors and fascinated with his work. Inspired by Dr. Leakey’s interpretations of human evolution, a collective was formed to promote a multidisciplinary approach to explore human origins research. In 1968, several individuals founded The Leakey Foundation to support Louis and Mary Leakey’s fieldwork as well as encouraged the funding of young scientists and their groundbreaking research.

Leakey Foundation Co-Founder, Joan Travis, with the Leakey Angel's: Galdikas, Goodall and Fossey.

Leakey Foundation Co-Founder Joan Travis, with the Leakey's Angel's: Galdikas, Goodall and Fossey.

Within its first decade of existence, The Leakey Foundation provided grants to many of the seminal studies that inform our understanding of human prehistory, such as the field research and discoveries of Louis, Mary, and Richard Leakey; Don Johanson; Jane Goodall; Dian Fossey; and Birute Galdikas. Today, The Leakey Foundation continues to support the significant studies of researchers like: Zeresenay Alemseged; Jill Pruetz; Dan Lieberman; Frederick Grine; Sileshi Semaw; David Lordkipanidze; and many more.

Don Johanson and Richard Leakey

Don Johanson and Richard Leakey.

David Lordkipanidze, at Dmanisi in Georgia.

David Lordkipanidze, at Dmanisi in Georgia.

Commitment to Scientific Inquiry

In keeping with Louis Leakey’s philosophy, The Leakey Foundation promotes a multidisciplinary approach to exploring human origins. The Foundation awards more than $600,000 annually in field and laboratory grants for vital new research and long-term projects exploring human evolution. The Foundation is the only U.S. funding organization wholly committed to human origins research. Leakey Grantees study many facets of our early ancestors through a variety of scientific disciplines: paleoanthropology, primatology, geology, genetics and morphology.

Special encouragement is given to early career scientists asking new questions and offering innovative ways to answer questions about human evolution. Like venture capitalists, The Leakey Foundation understands that the greatest rewards come from taking the greatest risks.

Dan Lieberman in the lab.

Nathaniel Dominy and a Hadza hunter.

Sabrina Krief observing wild chimpanzees.

(left) Dan Lieberman in the lab. (center) Nate Dominy and a Hadza hunter. (right) Sabrina Krief observing wild chimpanzees.

Investing in the Future

Louis Leakey understood the importance of higher education, as demonstrated by his insistence that his protégé Jane Goodall, go to school and receive a Doctorate degree. The Foundation is proud to provide grants to young scientists to complete their dissertation research. In addition, the Baldwin Fellowship allows young scientists, from developing countries, to pursue higher degrees or specialized training. Since its inception in 1977, the Baldwin Fellowship program, has enabled more than 150 African scientists to complete their graduate work and pursue careers in human origins research.

Baldwin Fellow Sileshi Semaw, in the field.

Jacinta Beehner observing geladas in Ethiopia.

(left) Baldwin Fellow Sileshi Semaw, in the field. (right) Jacinta Beehner observing geladas in Ethiopia.

Public Programs and Membership

The study of human evolution is itself an “evolving” endeavor. The Foundation recognize that science is stimulated and advanced by education and public outreach. Opportunities for the public to learn firsthand about scientific advances are available through public lectures, workshops, and symposia. The Leakey Learning Expeditions bring field scientists into high school classrooms to discuss careers in science and to encourage scientific curiosity. The relaunched Foundation website and publication of the newsletter, AnthroQuest, provide information on the latest fieldwork by Leakey Grantees, as well as in-depth articles by members of the scientific community.