The Kodjoe Family Foundation partners with, and uses our resources to amplify, organizations aligned with our mission.
We envision a world where love finds opportunity, where people of color rise to their full potential, and where Africa's story is defined not by need but by strength and creativity.
Who We Are
Founded by Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker, the Kodjoe Family Foundation began as a personal mission and became a movement. When their daughter Sophie was born with spina bifida, the Kodjoe family encountered a system not built for families like theirs. That experience produced a blueprint: for who to back, and how to help them do it at scale.
The foundation works at the intersection of education, wellness, and economic agency. Every partner we fund, every scholar we invest in, every series we produce is designed to do one thing: amplify work that outlasts us.
How We Work
We invest in pipelines, not handouts. The LOVE ALL Scholarship places Black youth at elite academic and athletic institutions. Roots & Futures recovers the stories that curricula leave out. Tuesdays with Junior follows a young scholar-athlete's journey in real time, because the pipeline needs proof of concept, not just promise. Full Circle Africa spotlights the diaspora's return to the continent, because sovereignty is incomplete without return.
They are one architecture, not separate programs.
What We Believe
We believe excellence is not exceptional. It is the baseline that systemic exclusion has been used to suppress.
We believe community is infrastructure. Not a sentiment. A structure. One that carries weight, distributes load, and holds up what is built on top of it.
We believe the movement is multigenerational. The work we do today must function as the foundation for what the next generation builds. That is not metaphor. That is design specification.
Board of Directors
Regina Boone
Vicki Palmer
Steve Ewing
Patrick Kodjoe
Avis Richards
James Brown III
Our Story
2008
Origins: Sophie’s Voice Foundation
The Kodjoe Family Foundation began in 2008 as Sophie’s Voice Foundation (SVF), created by actors Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker in honor of their daughter Sophie, who was diagnosed with Spina Bifida at birth. Inspired by their journey, Boris and Nicole dedicated themselves to promoting healthy lifestyles, not only to meet Sophie’s medical and emotional needs but also to support families everywhere in building healthier lives together.
2011
Advancing Research and Prevention
In December 2011, SVF partnered with Emory University to establish The Center for Spina Bifida Research, Prevention and Policy (CSB) in Atlanta. Together with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Emory School of Medicine, and the Rollins School of Public Health, the center became a leader in national and international efforts to:
• Prevent folic acid-preventable spina bifida worldwide
• Improve healthcare transitions from childhood to adulthood for those living with spina bifida
2011–2018
Expanding Advocacy
Throughout the following years, Boris and Nicole used their voices and platforms to shine a light on preventable birth defects and the importance of education and wellness in multicultural communities. Their advocacy extended beyond spina bifida, sparking broader conversations about prevention, healthcare, and equity for underserved families.
2019
A Family Foundation
As Sophie and Nicolas grew older, they began engaging with the foundation’s mission, bringing their own social and cultural activism to its work. To reflect this family-wide commitment, the foundation was renamed The Kodjoe Family Foundation in June 2019. Today, the foundation continues to champion health, prevention, and empowerment, building on its roots while expanding into new initiatives led by the entire Kodjoe family.
2025
The Future
Looking ahead, the Kodjoe Family Foundation is expanding its global reach with a renewed focus on health, education, and community empowerment. Through the LOVE ALL Scholarship Program, the foundation creates opportunities for young students of color, opening doors to higher education and leadership development. At the same time, FULL CIRCLE AFRICA champions the reconnection between the diaspora and Africa, transforming the narrative from one of charity and aid dependency to one of economic development, investment, and shared opportunity.
Ready to be part of this?
Become a Full Circle Member: a recurring commitment that funds the pipeline, sustains the scholars, and keeps the movement moving.
Join the Full Circle