The mission of The Leakey Foundation is to increase scientific knowledge, education, and public understanding of human origins, evolution, behavior, and survival. We fund scientific research that explores the many facets of human origins, and through innovative educational programs, we share this information with the public.
The Leakey Foundation funds research into human origins and evolution exclusively. Our two granting programs are The Leakey Foundation Research Grants and the Franklin Mosher Baldwin Fellowships. To read more about these granting programs, please click here.
Leakey Foundation classroom visits are held in conjunction with our Annual Speaker Series on Human Origins. This series is currently held in San Francisco, New York City, and Houston. If you are in one of these areas and would like more information on Leakey Foundation classroom visits, please contact Arielle Johnson at arielle@leakeyfoundation.org or visit the classroom visits page on our website.
You may make a one-time or recurring donation by clicking here. To learn more about becoming a fellow and gaining an exclusive access to the exciting world of science and discovery, click here.
You can find a library of videos of past lectures by clicking here.
Our logo is based on an illustration called “March of Progress” by Rudolph Zallinger. It was commissioned by anthropologist F. Clark Howell for his classic 1965 Time-Life book Early Man. The illustration was never intended to portray a linear progression of evolution from ape to man. In fact, F. Clark Howell said of the drawing in a 2006 interview with I.D. Magazine, “The artist didn’t intend to reduce the evolution of man to a linear sequence, but it was read that way by viewers. The graphic overwhelmed the text. It was so powerful and emotional.”