WM Keck Foundation

The W.M. Keck Foundation is among the nation's largest philanthropic organizations, with assets of more than $1 billion. The Foundation was established in 1954 in Los Angeles by William Myron Keck, founder of The Superior Oil Company. The Foundation has focused on five broad areas: science and engineering research; undergraduate science and engineering; medical research; liberal arts; and Southern California. At the beginning, under Keck's guidance, the company pioneered new exploration and drilling methods, including the first successful use in California of directional drilling, the first use of a reflection seismograph to aid in locating hydrocarbons and construction of the first offshore oil platform, off the coast of Louisiana.