The Kirk Gibson Foundation was created in 1996 to provide college scholarships to students – both athletes and non-athletes – at Detroit-area Waterford Kettering and Clarkston High School. Kirk’s parents, Robert and Barbara, taught at these schools for many years and bestowed upon Kirk the value of education and community.

Kirk and his family have always believed in giving back. In 1997, Kirk and US Ambassador Peter Secchia, co-chaired the “Victory for MSU” national campaign with a goal to build a state-of-the-art facility to help student athletes at Michigan State University achieve academic and athletic excellence. Today, the nationally-acclaimed Clara Bell Smith Student Athlete Academic Center at Kirk’s alma mater offers all Division 1 student athletes at MSU a wide range of services including: academic counseling, computer labs with instruction, tutoring in all subjects, career planning, and more.

In 2010, Kirk made a generous contribution to the Foundation by donating proceeds after auctioning off his coveted 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Trophy and National League MVP Award.