[4] In 2010, the foundation provided a catalyst gift of $30 million to Buffalo Bayou Partnership who, in conjunction with the City of Houston and Harris County Flood Control District, led the efforts to restore the area to a more natural and self-sustaining state, reintroduce native landscapes, and add amenities to enhance safety and convenience for visitors.

In 2015, the foundation made a new, endowed gift of $25 million to MU to provide permanent support for the renamed Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy.

[14] In 2010, the Kinder Foundation provided a $15 million grant to support expanded research in Houston and in major cities around the world, and the institute was renamed in their honor.

[15] In January 2015, the Kinder Foundation committed a principal gift of $50 million to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston for the redevelopment of its 14-acre campus.

In October 2016 the Kinder Foundation obtained perpetual naming rights to Houston's High School For the Performing and Visual Arts for $7.5 million.

He and his wife Nancy Kinder signed the Giving Pledge in 2011, asserting their desire to donate 95 percent of their worth to charity at the time of their deaths.