The Vehbi Koç Foundation () is one of the biggest

non-governmental A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

s in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It was established on January 17, 1969 by the Turkish

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Vehbi Koç Ahmet Vehbi Koç (20 July 1901 – 25 February 1996) was a Turkish billionaire, businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Koç Group, one of Turkey’s largest groups of companies. During his lifetime, he came to be one of ...

(1901-1996). The foundation is active in the fields of education, healthcare and culture. The board of directors is currently chaired by Semahat Arsel, the eldest daughter of Vehbi Koç. Executive committee's president is Suna Koç, another daughter. Erdal Yıldırım is the managing director of the foundation. The headquarters of the foundation is located at Nakkaştepe in

Kuzguncuk Kuzguncuk is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Üsküdar, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 4,151 (2022). It is on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. The neighborhood is centered on a valley opening to the Bosphorus and i ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Education

The Vehbi Koç Foundation established

Koç University Koç University () is a private non-profit research university in Istanbul, Turkey. It started education in temporary buildings in İstinye in 1993, and moved to its current Rumelifeneri campus near Sarıyer in 2000. Koç University is ranked hi ...

Koç School The Koç School () is a private coeducational school in Istanbul, İstanbul, Turkey founded by Vehbi Koç, one of Turkey's wealthiest businessmen. The school comprises a high school that pioneered the International Baccalaureate, IB program in T ...

and many Koç elementary schools across the country, and a number of hospitals as well.

Culture

The Vehbi Koç Foundation already runs various museums across Istanbul, including

Arter Arter is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Harry Arter * Jared Maurice Arter * Kingsley Arter Taft * Philip and Uriah Arter, after whom Philip and Uriah Arter Farm is named * Robert Arter * Solomon Arter, after whom Solomon Art ...

, a contemporary art exhibition space, which opened in 2010. This four-storey space housed in an historic building on

İstiklal Avenue İstiklal Avenue () is a 1.4 kilometre (0.87 mi) pedestrian street in the historic Beyoğlu (Pera) district in Istanbul, Turkey. It is one of the most famous avenues in the city. It acquired its modern name after the declaration of the Repub ...

is owned by Ömer Koç, the vice chairman of Koç Holding. The

Sadberk Hanım Museum The Sadberk Hanım Museum () is a private museum on the shores of the Bosporus, Bosphorus in Büyükdere, Sarıyer, the Büyükdere neighbourhood of Sarıyer district in Istanbul, Turkey. It was established by the Vehbi Koç Foundation in memory ...

, based at the Azaryan Mansion in Istanbul’s northern Sariyer district, houses the private collection of Sadberk Koç, the wife of Vehbi Koç. The most recent major cultural project of the Vehbi Koç Foundation is the establishment of a contemporary art museum scheduled to be opened at the end of 2017 in Istanbul’s Dolapdere district, close to the city center.

References

Koç family Foundations based in Turkey 1969 establishments in Turkey Organizations based in Istanbul {{Turkey-org-stub

Education

Culture

See also

References