A values-driven civic organisation running leadership programmes, scholarships and the Obama Presidential Center to connect people and strengthen communities.
The Barack Obama Foundation is a values-driven civic organisation founded in 2014. It works to equip, empower and connect ordinary people to create meaningful community impact, on the premise that democracy thrives when citizens are equipped, empowered and connected. Its activities sit across civic engagement, education, leadership development and community development, and it operates in the United States and globally.
Its flagship project is the Obama Presidential Center, a global hub for civic engagement being built on Chicago's South Side, intended for dialogue, action and community connection. Alongside it run the Obama Leaders program, a leadership programme supporting emerging changemakers across continents and cultures, and the Voyager Scholarship, which fosters educational opportunities for students.
The Foundation describes its working culture as anchored in courage, empathy, integrity, accountability, community, inclusivity, pragmatism, resilience, imagination and hope. It places emphasis on how the team shows up for one another and for the communities it serves, on partnership and listening, and on balancing deep community connection with a global perspective. It embraces complexity and navigates uncertainty with collective purpose, treating sustainable progress and turning hope into tangible action as guiding principles.
