Our Projects
Wheelchair Foundation
The Wheelchair Foundation is a nonprofit organization leading an international effort to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities, to promote the joy of giving, create global friendship, and to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one. For these people, the Wheelchair Foundation delivers Hope, Mobility and Independence. $200 helps purchase, ship, and deliver a new wheelchair to a person in need and supports the mission of Wheelchair Foundation. To sponsor a container of 100 to 280 wheelchairs, please see our Sponsorship Program page.
Behring Pavilion, Walnut Creek
In 2023, the Behring Global Educational Foundation committed $20 million to John Muir Health’s Campaign to Conquer Cancer to establish the Behring Pavilion at the Walnut Creek Medical Center. The new 155,000-square-foot facility, opening in 2024, will house the UCSF–John Muir Health Cancer Center.
The Pavilion brings cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care coordination into one comprehensive center, supported by top cancer specialists and access to clinical trials. Programs include genetic counseling, nutrition support, nurse navigation, and survivorship services.
This gift, the largest in John Muir Health’s history, reflects BGEF’s ongoing mission to advance health care and education locally and globally. The Behring Pavilion will stand as a symbol of healing and hope for cancer patients and their families across the East Bay and beyond.
Global Natural History Day
Launched in 2012 by Kenneth E. Behring, founder of the Behring Global Educational Foundation, Global Natural History Day (GNHD®) is an international youth education initiative designed to inspire curiosity and discovery in the natural sciences. The program engages primary and secondary school students through extracurricular research projects, exhibitions, and competitions that promote hands-on learning and scientific exploration.
GNHD® is organized in partnership with museums, universities, and cultural institutions around the world, creating a platform for young people to share their work on topics ranging from ecology and biodiversity to geology and paleontology. Teachers are provided with resources and guidance to help students conduct meaningful investigations, while participants gain opportunities to showcase their projects at local, national, and international levels.
Chinese Museums Goodwill Ambassador
In 2012, the Chinese Museums Association recognized Kenneth E. Behring, founder of the Behring Global Educational Foundation, as the first-ever “Chinese Museums Goodwill Ambassador.” This honor acknowledged his long-standing commitment to making museums more accessible and enriching for people of all backgrounds.
To mark the occasion, BGEF and the Wheelchair Foundation donated 500 wheelchairs to be distributed across 100 museums in China, improving access for visitors with disabilities. Over the course of a decade, Ken Behring and BGEF also contributed natural history specimens to more than a dozen Chinese museums, helping create immersive wildlife displays and interactive educational programs that bring the natural world to life.
This recognition also reflected BGEF’s continued collaboration with Chinese cultural institutions, including its organization of Global Natural History Day (GNHD®) — an international youth education program that fosters scientific discovery, critical thinking, and environmental stewardship.
Donate Your Taxidermy
Behring Global Education Foundation is a United States-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that donates taxidermy to Museums worldwide through our International Museums Partnership.
We promote the conservation and preservation of wildlife through numerous educational programs and by providing top-quality taxidermy specimens for the world’s newest and most exciting Natural History Museums.
