2000-2021History

In 2000, Fred Kavli created a foundation to advance science for the benefit of humanity. Since that time, the foundation has endowed 20 Kavli Institutes globally, supporting basic research in astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience and theoretical physics; established the international Kavli Prizes honoring scientists in celebration of breakthroughs that transform our understanding of the big, the small and the complex; and developed a program dedicated to public engagement with science. We invite you to explore some of the foundation’s major milestones in its first two decades.

  • 2000
  • 2001
  • 2002
  • 2003
  • 2004
  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2007
  • 2008
  • 2009
  • 2010
  • 2011
  • 2012
  • 2013
  • 2014
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2021

Dec 2000

Rockell Hankin, Douglas Freeman and Fred Kavli form the board of directors

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

Dec 2000

 The Kavli Foundation established

  • Foundation
  •  

Jul 2001

Tom Everhart and Jack Peltason join board of directors

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

Dec 2001

Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

May 2002

David H. Auston named foundation’s first president

  • Foundation
  • President 

Jan 2003

Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Nov 2003

Kavli Nanoscience Institute

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Dec 2003

Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Dec 2003

Kavli Institute for Neuroscience

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Feb 2004

Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Feb 2004

Kavli Institute for Brain Science

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Apr 2004

Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Jul 2004

Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Delft

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Aug 2004

Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Jan 2005

Charles M. Vest joins board of directors

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

May 2005

The Kavli Prize established

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

Oct 2005

Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposia

  • Science
  • Grants

Apr 2006

Fred Kavli elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

May 2006

Kavli Institute for Bionano Science & Technology

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Jun 2006

Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Jun 2006

Kavli Institute for Theoretical Sciences

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Jul 2006

Fred Kavli receives Royal Norwegian Order of Merit

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

Oct 2006

Kavli Institute for Cosmology

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Jan 2007

First Kavli Futures Symposium

  • Science
  •  

Apr 2007

Henry Yang joins board of directors

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

Aug 2007

Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Apr 2008

The Kavli Charitable Trust established

  • Foundation
  • Trustees - Kavli Charitable Trust

May 2008

First Kavli Prizes awarded

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

Jun 2008

AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards Endowment

  • Prizes and Awards
  • AAAS Science Journalism Awards

Nov 2008

Kavli Prize Laureates Honored at The White House

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

Apr 2009

Robert W. Conn joins as second president

  • Foundation
  • President 

Oct 2009

First Carnegie Institution for Science Kavli Prize Laureate Lecture

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

May 2010

2010 Kavli Prizes awarded

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

Sep 2010

Alan Alda hosts The Kavli Prize Ceremony

  • Prizes and Awards
  • The Kavli Prize

Jan 2011

Fred Kavli received Franklin Institute Bower Award for Business Leadership

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

Jun 2011

Kavli Prize Laureates Honored at The White House

  • Prizes and Awards
  • The Kavli Prize

Oct 2011

Fred Kavli receives Carnegie Medal for Philanthropy

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

Oct 2011

First Royal Society Kavli Medal and Lecture

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Royal Society Medal

Dec 2011

Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Jan 2012

Science Philanthropy Alliance formed

  • Foundation

May 2012

2012 Kavli Prizes awarded

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

Mar 2013

Kavli Prize Laureates Honored at The White House

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

Apr 2013

U.S. BRAIN Initiative announced

  • Science
  •  

Jul 2013

Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Nov 2013

Fred Kavli leaves wealth to the foundation

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

Dec 2013

Rockell N. Hankin elected chair of the board of directors

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

Jan 2014

Gunnar Nilsen joins board of directors

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

Feb 2014

Mary Sue Coleman and Richard Meserve join board of directors

  • Foundation
  • Board of Directors

Feb 2014

Neurodata Without Borders proposed

  • Science

May 2014

2014 Kavli Prizes awarded

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

Jul 2014

Kavli Prize Laureates Honored at The White House

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

Apr 2015

AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards endowment doubles

  • Prizes and Awards
  • AAAS Science Journalism Awards

Jun 2015

Brain Initiative Alliance formed

  • Science
  • Initiatives

Sep 2015

Kavli Neural Systems Institute

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Oct 2015

Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Dec 2015

Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

May 2016

2016 Kavli Prizes awarded

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

Jun 2016

Public Engagement with Science program created

  • Science and Society

Apr 2017

Fred Kavli Auditorium established at National Academy of Sciences

  • Foundation
  •  

Jul 2017

Foundation relocates to Los Angeles

  • Foundation

Dec 2017

Alda-Kavli Learning Center created

  • Communications
  • Science Communication

Dec 2017

International Brain Initiative formed

  • Science
  • IBI

May 2018

2018 Kavli Prizes awarded

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

Nov 2019

TED@NAS

  • Science and Society

Feb 2020

The Endless Frontier: The Next 75 Years of Science

  • Science and Society
  •  

May 2020

2020 Kavli Prizes awarded

  • Prizes and Awards
  • Kavli Prize

Dec 2020

Kavli Nanoscience Discovery Institute

  • Science
  • Kavli Institutes

Jan 2021

Cynthia M. Friend joins as third president

  • Foundation
  • President

Jan 2021

SciPEP created

  • Science and Society
  • Public Engagement with Science

Feb 2021

Distinguished Science Communicator Award bestowed

  • Prizes and Awards

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