KIND Foundation Inc. was founded by Daniel Lubetzky as an extension of KIND Healthy Snacks. Lubetzky has claimed that KIND Foundation’s mission is informed by his experiences as the son of a Holocaust survivor and therefore aims to “foster kinder and more empathetic communities.” It emphasizes educational initiatives that help people, especially youth, recognize shared humanity across differences. ^{1  2  3}

As of March 2026, the foundation was primarily operating through its flagship program, Empatico, which was managed as part of Lubetzky’s Builders Network Inc., an organization which aims to “reduce political polarization and promote collaborative problem-solving.” ⁴

Programs and Initiatives

Kind People

Kind People, KIND’s first initiative, honored individuals who demonstrated “extraordinary kindness.” Awards totaled $1 million each year consisting of a grand prize of $500,000 with each finalist receiving $100,000. This program has been phased out. ⁵

Empatico

Empatico is the foundation’s most significant initiative, a $20 million project launched in 2017. It is a free online platform connecting classrooms worldwide through live video and interactive activities. The target audience includes students aged 5 through 18 and focuses on developing empathy and critical thinking. Themes include STEM, environmental topics, and various international issues. ³

By 2025, Empatico had reached over two million students from more than 150 countries and over 4,000 classroom connecting exchanges. While live exchanges ended in 2024, the program shifted to asynchronous models, offering free activity libraries and games for teachers. ⁶

The KIND Foundation’s activities focus on Empatico’s global outreach, facilitating cross-border collaborations on issues like climate change, exemplified by its 2024 Earth Day Challenge that advocated for a 60 percent reduction in plastic production by 2040. ⁷

Through partnerships, Empatico supported programs like the “Coding with Empathy Challenge,” where students from different regions co-developed approaches to real-world problems, reducing stereotypes, reducing bias, and fostering friendships. ⁸

Starts With Us

As of March 2026, with Empatico’s integration into the Builders Network, the focus has shifted to scalable resources for educators. This aligns with Lubetzky’s ongoing efforts to reduce polarization through initiatives like Starts With Us, an initiative to “combat culture wars.” ⁹

Partner Organizations

Builders Network (BN) was formed by Lubetzky as a separate organization that is led and managed by board members of KIND to “replace our toxic “us vs. them” culture with one of curiosity, compassion, courage, and creative innovation.” Control of KIND Foundation’s primary program, Empatico was transferred to BN in 2021. BN programs include Builders Middle East, Builders USA, and Builders Ukraine. BN’s website claims the participation of 300 plus leaders of industry, culture, and community. ^{10  11}

Related organizations within Lubetzky’s ecosystem include OneVoice Movement and PeaceWorks Foundation, and the Lubetzky Family Foundation (LFF) that focus on countering extremism, promoting civil dialogue, philanthropic giving, and cross-cultural bridge-building. ⁴

Key partners of KIND include the Aspen Institute’s Stevens Initiative, which provided $249,683 in 2022 and $128,214 in 2023 for Empatico’s virtual exchanges between U.S. and Middle East and North African youth, later expanding to Mexico and Ukraine. Other collaborators include educational nonprofits like Code.org for STEM-focused empathy challenges. ^{12  13  3}

Financials

According to its 2024 tax return, the KIND Foundation reported revenue of $166,014, mostly from contributions and investment income. Expenses totaled $2,566,954, primarily for program-related costs, including Empatico operations. This led to a net income of negative $2,400,940 and net assets of $1,425,278. ¹⁴

Leadership

As of 2026, Daniel Lubetzky was serving the founder and director of KIND Foundation. His other initiatives included OneVoice Movement, which supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict; Citizen Solutions; Builders Network; and SOMOS, a Mexican food brand. He was a “Shark” on “Shark Tank,” author of Do the KIND Thing, and founder of Camino Partners and the Lubetzky Family Foundation. ²

As of 2026, Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez was president and a member of the board of directors of KIND Foundation. She was also president and chief philanthropy officer of Lubetzky Family Foundation and was managing director of Jim Joseph Foundation. ¹⁵

As of 2026, Julianna Storch Cohen was secretary and director of KIND Foundation and chief of staff and director of network engagement at Lubetzky’s Camino Partners and Lubetzky Family Foundation. Previously Cohen was manager of special projects at KIND Healthy Snacks. ¹⁶

As of 2024, Zhilun Pang was serving as a member of the KIND Foundation board of directors as well as a treasurer, director, and chief financial officer at Lubetzky Family Foundation. Previously, Pang was senior director of finance and administration at Mozilla Foundation and Mozilla Ventures. ¹⁷

Other KIND Foundation directors as of 2024 included Michael Johnston, Justin Mervis, and Jeffrey Solomon. ¹⁸

1. “Kind: Healthy Snacks: Wholesome Granola Bars & Clusters: Kind Snacks.” KIND Snacks US, November 4, 2024. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.kindsnacks.com/media-center/press-releases/kind-creates-the-kind-foundation?srsltid=AfmBOorDj_58U244s1yzICMvRIdika5NQZu2WbLPa1lhMYtJ0_OEC-b_.
2. “Daniel Lubetzky – Founder of Kind Snacks & Camino Partners: Husband, Father, Shark on Shark Tank🦈: Let’s Replace ‘US vs. Them’ with Solving Problems Together 🤝: The Builders Movement:” LinkedIn. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellubetzky/.
3. “Log in to Your Account.” The Kind Foundation Inc | Foundation Directory | Candid. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile?activity=result&collection=grantmakers&key=4556663.
4. Foster, Tom. “The Billionaire behind Kind Bars Now Thinks He Can Save Democracy.” Texas Monthly, March 5, 2026. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/daniel-lubetzky-kind-bars-shark-tank/.
5. “Kind: Healthy Snacks: Wholesome Granola Bars & Clusters: Kind Snacks.” KIND Snacks US, November 4, 2024. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.kindsnacks.com/media-center/press-releases/kind-creates-the-kind-foundation.
6. Lubetzky, Daniel. “Empatico Acquired by Classroom Champions, Expanding Global Impact: Daniel Lubetzky Posted on the Topic.” LinkedIn, August 25, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7365818912858333184/.
7. “Earth Day 2024: Activities & Resources for April 22.” Earth Day, March 3, 2026. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2024/.
8. How coding with empathy can make science more inclusive | by Code.org | Medium. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://codeorg.medium.com/how-coding-with-empathy-can-make-science-more-inclusive-af62df558ee8.
9. Singman, Brooke, and Fox News. “Recurring ‘shark Tank’ Entrepreneur Daniel Lubetzky Launches Movement to Combat Culture Wars: ‘Starts with Us.’” Fox News. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/shark-tank-entrepreneur-daniel-lubetzky-launches-movement-combat-culture-wars.
10. “Builders Movement – Mission.” Builders, October 31, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://buildersmovement.org/mission/.
11. “990 Finder.” Candid. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://app.candid.org/profile/15735378/builders-network-inc-99-0538269. 
12. “The Aspen Institute”. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. Form 990. 2022. Schedule I, Part II, Line 124 
13. “The Aspen Institute”. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. Form 990. 2023. Schedule I, Part II, Line 68
14. “The Kind Foundation Inc.” Return of Private Foundation. Form 990-PF. 2024. Part I, Lines 12, 26. Part II, Line 29.
15. Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez – New York, New York, United States | professional profile | linkedin. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessamyn-waldman-rodriguez-a7a205/.
16. “Julianna (Storch) Cohen – Camino Partners (Formerly Equilibra).” LinkedIn. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianna-storch-cohen-6b879114/.
17. Zhilun Pang – Mozilla | Linkedin. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhilun-pang-47b1335/.
18. “The Kind Foundation Inc. “Return of Private Foundation”. Form 990-PF. 2024. Part VII, Line 1