About Us
KINDR Foundation
Mindful Kindness is the foundation of personal well-being, thriving relationships, and welcoming communities. The key to lasting happiness rests in the positive relationships we build across a lifetime. And those relationships help to build a resilience allowing us to weather life's ups and down. The secret to fostering positive, strong relationships is through the actions of Mindful Kindness.
Our programs give kids and adults the opportunity to recognize self-defeating habits and replace them with healthy, empowering behaviors. Built upon scientific research on the critical role mindfulness and kindness play in building and sustaining nurturing connections, individuals develop the skills they need to avoid feelings of loneliness and isolation that lead to maladaptive coping mechanisms. Kindness is the gateway to a lifetime of health & happiness.
The KINDR Foundation makes it easy to spread kindness by providing resources, curricula, educational expertise, and grants to implement KINDR Programs in classrooms, communities, workplaces, and prisons. We partner with leaders who feel a sense of responsibility to help inspire communities to be just a bit more kind.
Our Founders
Dr. Doug Carnine and Dr. Linda McRoberts Carnine, pictured above with the Dalai Lama in 2022, founded the KINDR Foundation and authored its original mindful kindness curriculum. With doctorates in educational psychology and curriculum design, respectively, they have dedicated their careers to advancing research-based educational practices that improve outcomes for at-risk youth.
Doug Carnine, Professor Emeritus at the University of Oregon, has developed more than 50 educational programs in reading, mathematics, language arts, history, and science. His work has been cited in over 5,000 scholarly publications worldwide. A longtime advocate for evidence-based education, he served on the National Institute for Literacy Advisory Board through a presidential appointment confirmed by the U.S. Senate and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council for Exceptional Children. He also founded the Evidence Advocacy Center, a key component of the KINDR Schools initiative.
Linda McRoberts Carnine, Vice President of the Foundation, has spent more than 50 years advancing educational and kindness initiatives. An accomplished teacher, administrator, curriculum developer, and consultant, she has focused her career on supporting underserved and at-risk students. She also leads her family’s efforts to support Indigenous communities through a land trust near Eugene, Oregon and continues her work in literacy education as a co-author and reviser of the Corrective Reading Decoding program.
Together, Doug and Linda have invested more than $6 million of their own resources to launch and grow the KINDR Foundation. Their combined expertise has resulted in proven, scalable curricula and programs that have reached nearly one million people.
Our Impact
6Years
6Published Books
8Data Driven Programs
300Schools
7,500+Community Kids
10,000+Prisoners Reached
850,000+Students Reached
$5MKINDR Grants Awarded
Meet our Team
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It Takes a Village
Partner With Us
Kindr Workplaces
Mindful Kindness in Leadership
This year marks the launch of the Kindr Foundation's pioneering pilot program, Kindr Workplaces, which aims to integrate and assess the impact of mindful kindness within leadership frameworks from Fortune 500 companies to startups. Our core belief is that Mindful Kindness not only strengthens interpersonal relationships, but also serves as a foundational pillar for bridging gaps between employees across different departments, genders, races, and generations.
By fostering strong connections in the workplace, we anticipate a surge in productive communication, innovation, creativity, and financial growth opportunities. Furthermore, the practice of Mindful Kindness contributes to the well-being of employees, both within the professional environment and in their personal lives, promoting a healthier, more harmonious workplace culture. Join us in leading the charge toward cultivating workplaces where Mindful Kindness is at the heart of every interaction and decision.
Contact UsKindr Council
Cultivating a Future of Mindful Kindness
Join a network of changemakers committed to cultivating and implementing the latest research and practical application of Mindful Kindness. The Kindr Council is actively seeking trailblazers in education, neuroscience, positive psychology, social media, technology, sociology, marketing, and business leadership to join forces and strategize how to spread the power of Mindful Kindness and lead future generations in a healthier more mindful direction.
E-mail us @ [email protected] to nominate yourself or a leader you believe will enhance our mission.
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Kindr Donors
Expanding the Reach of Mindful Kindness
Drs. Doug and Linda Carnine launched the Kindr Foundation with a visionary $4.5 million donation, establishing a groundbreaking curriculum dedicated to teaching Mindful Kindness and reaching nearly 1 million individuals. With a solid track record of transforming lives—from students and community members to adults in custody—we stand at a pivotal moment, ready to amplify our impact globally.
The Carnine’s generosity has been instrumental in cultivating a future where the Kindr Foundation thrives independently through diverse funding streams and is shared among community leaders. As we set our sights on inspiring 10 million individuals across communities within the next two years, we extend a heartfelt invitation for your support.
The contributions of many are vital as we scale our impact and launch a national marketing campaign aimed to reach millions of students, young adults, and cultural trendsetters to combat the global epidemic of mental health issues, loneliness, and suicide. In partnership with leading Gen Z marketing agencies, influencers, and celebrities, we aim to elevate Mindful Kindness education to unprecedented heights.
Join us in this transformative mission. Together, we can equip the next generation with the emotional intelligence, self-acceptance, and loving relationships they deserve for a brighter, kinder future.
Contact UsKindr Fiscal Board
Creating a Scalable Financial Future
At the heart of this transformative journey is the need for visionary leadership and sustainable fiscal strategies that have the power to amplify our impact and extend the reach of the Kindr Foundation. We invite accomplished entrepreneurs, fundraisers, and growth strategists to join the Kindr Fiscal Board, a dedicated team poised to guide our financial growth and ensure the foundation's enduring legacy of Mindful Kindness.
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