The Kinder Institute for Urban Research is an interdisciplinary research organization at Rice University in Houston. Through informed research, data and policy analysis, the Kinder Institute hopes to engage civic and political leaders to implement solutions to critical urban issues, including education, governance, housing, mobility and transportation, resilience and demographics. In addition to core research programs, the Kinder Institute partners with affiliates on campus and off, including the Greater Houston Community Foundation’s Understanding Houston project and the United Way of Greater Houston. The Houston Education Research Consortium is a Kinder Institute research center with 11 school district partnerships, including Alief, Cypress-Fairbanks, Friendswood, Houston, Katy and other ISDs. The Kinder Institute is also home to the Houston Population Research Center, which organizes the Kinder Houston Area Survey and other studies of the region. Created in 2010, the Kinder Institute was endowed with a $15 million gift from Houston philanthropists Richard and Nancy Kinder.