[4] The founders Paulette Fair, Pambana Uishi, and Imhotep Adisa report that the organization was named after the Kemetic word for the scarab beetle, a symbol of renewal.

KI began as youth outreach and leadership development program to mentor African American males enrolled in Indianapolis schools.

Some of these programs have included the Good Stuff Thrift Store (2004–2009), KI Paint (2006–2010), a fair-trade coffee café that provides free Internet access (2006–2012), and a variety of other social enterprises.

[9] At the end of 2022, the Institute received a $90,000 grant to support Octavia's Visionary Campus, a seventeen acre urban farm on the south side of Indianapolis.

[10][11] In early 2023, Kheprw released a report with the Polis Center at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis focused on disparities in Marion County's criminal justice system.