James and Agnes Kim
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Amkor Technology, EB Games
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Arts & Culture, Community, Health
OVERVIEW: James and Agnes Kim move philanthropy through the James and Agnes Kim Foundation, which gave away around $2.2 million in a recent year. Philadelphia, including its Main Line suburbs, serve as an important region of giving. Kim has also strongly supported schools with which he has a personal connection — particularly University of Pennsylvania and Villanova.
BACKGROUND: James Joo-Jin Kim immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1955. He graduated from University of Pennsylvania, receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He taught at Villanova University before going on to found Amkor Technology, which he molded into a world leading independent fabricator of chips and ICs. He also created video computer and video games retailer Electronics Boutique (EB Games).
In 1977, Agnes C. Kim and her husband created EB Games. GameStop bought EB Games in 2005 for $1.4 billion in cash and stock. The Kim family netted more than $500 million and have been on the Forbes billionaire list in the past.
ISSUES:
HIGHER EDUCATION & YOUTH: Kim is a steady patron of his alma mater University of Pennsylvania; he is a former member of the board of overseers of the School of Arts and Sciences. Kim has been an advocate and supporter of Korean Studies for a quarter of a century and created the James Joo-Jin Jim Program in Korean Studies at Penn. The family also endowed the James Joo-Jin Kim Professorship at the Wharton School, established the James J. Kim Trustee Scholarship, and the James Joo-Jin Kim Professorship in Economics in the School of Arts and Sciences, among other efforts. The Kims have also supported Villanova University, where Kim once taught.
Other grantees have included Dartmouth College, Temple University (where Kim received an honorary degree), Young Scholars Charter School, and Georgetown University.
ARTS & CULTURE: The couple’s daughter Susan has sat on the board of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, which the family supports. Other grantees have included Philadelphia Orchestra Association, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and National Constitution Center.
HEALTH: The couple’s health-related grantmaking prioritizes larger, established health organizations such as hospitals. Past health grantees include Wills Eye Hospital and the Bryn Mawr Hospital Foundation. Though not a major priority, health giving may grow down the line.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT: Via their foundation, the Kims recently gave a 7-figure gift to Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia. Susan sits on the board of the institution. Other local grantees have included Philabundance, a hunger relief organization; and Natural Lands Trust, a non-profit land conservation organization with headquarters in Media, Pennsylvania, dedicated to the “management, protection, and conservation of eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey's native forests, fields, steams, and wetlands.” Grants here tend to prioritize Philadelphia organizations, as well as Bryn Mawr and Hanover, Pennsylvania.
LOOKING AHEAD: Down the line, the couple’s children Susan, who is especially civically active, and John, who is active in the family business, should be watched as giving moves to the next generation.
CONTACT:
The James and Agnes Kim Foundation does not provide a clear avenue for getting in touch with the couple, but below is an address
James and Agnes Kim Foundation
1500 E. Lancaster Ave.
Paoli, PA 1930
LINK: Amkor Technology
