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KDK-Harman Foundation
Breaking the cycle of poverty through education
By Kyle Webb
Janet E. Harman was looking for a
legacy to leave her children, Kevin,
David and Kelly, in a way that
involved giving back and community
service. This led Harman to found KDK-
Harman Foundation, named for her three
children, in 2004.
While Harman’s children are very
fortunate with their finances, she wants
them to focus on how to make the world a
better place—not on what they can do for
themselves, she said.
KDK-Harman Foundation focuses on
a subset of charities designed to break the
cycle of poverty through education while
promoting a culture of giving excellence.
By supporting nonprofits and school
districts in seven Central Texas counties,
the foundation aims to increase 21st century
skills and give low-income students
access to quality careers.
The foundation centers on three initiatives
to help achieve this goal: projects
that focus on Science, Technology, Engineering
and Math (STEM) and integrating
technology into teaching and learning;
improving the quality of and access
to out-of-school time programs; and
enabling and supporting systems-level
change and collaboration to support an
excellent education for all Central Texas
students.
“I just really believe that education is
the key to everything,” Harman said. “If
people can support themselves—and the
way they do that is to get education to
get a good job in a high demand field and
make a living wage—we can break that
cycle.”
For the first few years KDK-Harman
would help many education-related
projects, but in 2011 decided to refine its
grant making, KDK-Harman Executive
Director Jennifer Esterline said.
“When you are working with a $1
million grants budget a year and a $25
million endowment and are working to
break the cycle of poverty through education,
which is a huge undertaking, you
really have to think about impact and how
that money is best spent,” Esterline said.
“That is why we decided to focus on the
three [initiatives].”
While the foundation focuses on three
aspects of education to improve upon,
out-of-school activities is a top priority.
“When you think of out-of-school time,
you think of Boys and Girls clubs, you
think about basketball and snacks, safe
places—not necessarily the closing of
achievement gaps,” Esterline said. “What
we are saying is that you can do both
[entertain and educate].”
That level of commitment is what
KDK-Harman is known for, not just writing
checks, but being engaged partners,
Esterline said.
KDK is making a difference but doesn’t
have the resources to fill all of the education
gaps, Esterline said.
“We are just the incubator, the innovator
for pilot programs,” Harman said.
“We are not the answer; we are not the
solution to education.”
It is the out-of-school programs where
lower income students fall behind their
higher income counterparts, Esterline
said. After-school programs are not
discussed often when potential fixes to
education gaps are brought up, she said.
“We are not just about breaking the
cycle of poverty, but creating the cycle
of giving,” said Erica Ekwurzel, grantee
consultant for KDK-Harman.
KDK-Harman Foundation
1000 Westbank Drive,
Bldg. 3, Austin
328-9400
www.kdk-harman.org
Bee Caves rd.
MoPac
westbank dr.
360
kyle webb
Courtsey kdk-Harman
impactnews.com • August 2012 | FEATURES | 31
Janet. E Harman named KDK-Harman for her three children, Kevin, David and Kelly.
Next Generation of KDK-Harman
Kent Mayes, KDK-Harman trustee (top left) and Janet Harman, founder and president of KDK-Harman (top
right) with their children Kevin Sooch (left), David Sooch (middle left), Lauren Mayes (middle right) and
Kelly Sooch, aim to make the world a better place.
Kevin Sooch
Kevin is the eldest of Janet’s children
and has had an active role as junior
board member since 2007. Kevin
modeled best practices in philanthropy,
including reviewing grant
applications, attending site visits and
participating in board grant decision
making. Currently, Kevin is a senior
at the University of Michigan majoring
in electrical engineering.
David Sooch
In 2008, David began as a junior
board member. David also served as
a mentor for Austin youth programs
such as Breakthrough Austin and
First Tee Golf. This fall David will
enter his junior year at the University
of Michigan. His focus of study is industrial
and operations Engineering.
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Kelly Sooch
In addition to serving as a junior
board member to KDK-Harman, Kelly
has volunteered her time and talent
to several Central Texas nonprofits.
Her commitment to service transcends
Texas boundaries and has
led her to involvement in New York
as a teacher’s assistant at a Head
Start program, relentless fundraising
for charity:water, and humanitarian
work in Haiti.