The foundation was formed by his parents Ruth and Judea Pearl after musician and Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Karachi, Pakistan in 2002.

[3] The organization's mission is to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music, and innovative communications.

The foundation has also made charitable donations to the Daniel Pearl Magnet High School.

[4] The honorary board of the Daniel Pearl Foundation includes Christiane Amanpour; former President Bill Clinton; Abdul Sattar Edhi; Danny Gill; John L. Hennessy; Ted Koppel; Queen Noor of Jordan; Sari Nusseibeh; Mariane Pearl; Itzhak Perlman; Harold M. Schulweis; Craig Sherman; Paul Steiger; and Elie Wiesel.

The first Daniel Pearl World Music Days was held on October 10, 2002, and now yearly includes more than 8,900 performances in 119 countries.