The Noyce Foundation Story, 1990–2015: Achieving High Impact With Low Overhead

The Noyce Foundation was established in 1990 by the family of the late physicist, inventor, and computer industry pioneer Dr. Robert N. Noyce, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel, and co-inventor of the integrated circuit, better known as the microchip. For the past quarter-century, the Noyce Foundation has been devoted to helping the nation’s students become “curious, thoughtful, and engaged” learners in the fields of mathematics and science. This Passages Family Profile tells the story of the foundation and describes the strategies and lessons learned during its 25 year history, concluding with its spend down in November 2015.