The Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy is jointly operated by faculty from the Political Science and History Departments, in cooperation with other scholars across campus, and dedicated to excellence in research, teaching, and community engagement on the subjects of American political thought, history, and institutions, with a particular emphasis on the ideas and events of the American Founding and their continued global impact and relevance today. It was created in 2015 by a generous gift from the Kinder Foundation, a family philanthropic foundation started by Rich and Nancy Kinder of Houston, Texas.