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About the King Institute

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Clayborne Carson and King Papers Project staff members with Coretta Scott King, during her November 1986 visit to Stanford.

In 2005, with an initial $1 million endowment pledge from Hall of Fame football star Ronnie Lott and his All Stars Helping Kids organization, Dr. Clayborne Carson founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute to provide a permanent financial base for the King Papers Project and a broad range of other educational activities.

The Institute also received a substantial endowment gift from The Mumford Family/Agape Foundation. It is seeking additional endowment support to ensure that its efforts to disseminate King’s visionary ideas will continue in perpetuity. 

The King Institute’s current programs include:

  • Completion of the definitive, multi-volume edition of The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Publication of other books intended for general and scholarly audiences;
  • The Liberation Curriculum educational initiative, which produces curriculum materials and lesson plans as well as conducts teacher development workshops encouraging the use of the Papers Project’s online documentary materials;
  • Scholar/writer-in-residence program for invited experts who can benefit from access to the Institute’s unique research resources and contribute to public understanding of King’s historical significance;
  • King conferences and symposia, as well as other public events designed to enhance understanding of King’s life, ideas, and legacy.

View our promotional brochure for more information