Rice University in Houston has announced a $50 million grant from the Kinder Foundation in support of staff and program expansion at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and to catalyze inclusive prosperity across the region.

Directed to the institute’s endowment, the funding will ensure a stable corpus for the institute, established in 2010 by Giving Pledgers Nancy and Richard Kinder, co-founder and executive chairman of Kinder Morgan. A longtime supporter of the university, the foundation has awarded grants totaling approximately $80 million on behalf of the Kinder Institute and its affiliates.

The latest grant will enable the institute to work with community partners regardless of their ability to pay for research projects, particularly in the wake of a natural disasters and health emergences. In addition, the funding will further support a doubling of the institute’s staff over the next five years and bolster existing partnerships with community organizations and government entities to conduct research, develop solutions, and improve outcomes in the areas of education, housing, economic mobility, and public health.

“Inclusive prosperity doesn’t just happen spontaneously,” said Kinder Institute director Ruth López Turley. “It requires an explicit effort informed by research. Lots of organizations are working hard to make things better, but most of them have very limited research capacity, and that’s what the Kinder Institute is primed to do.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Sean Pavone)