Unleash Intelligence
Founded in 1971, the Mensa Foundation was established by members of American Mensa to extend the organization’s impact. While connected by a shared purpose, the Foundation operates independently, guided by its own Board of Trustees, strategic plan, and initiatives.
Purpose
Unleashing Intellience | Nurtuing Brilliance
The Mensa Foundation exists to unleash intelligence and nurture brilliance for the benefit of humanity. Aligned with the global Mensa community, we are committed to identifying, supporting, and advancing human intelligence through research, education, and meaningful engagement—empowering individuals to thrive and contribute in transformative ways.
Toward a Broader Understanding of Intelligence.
The Mensa Foundation’s work in recent years has led to a broader, more nuanced understanding of intelligence. Rather than a fixed trait, we see it as a dynamic quality that emerges over time and is shaped by lived experiences.
Our research into the unmet needs of highly intelligent and gifted individuals has reinforced this perspective. Many struggle to find environments that recognize their unique ways of thinking, learning, and connecting. We seek a more neuro-inclusive world by appreciating intelligence in all its forms and fostering environments where diverse ways of thinking, learning, and experiencing the world are recognized and supported.
Priorities
Our strategic priorities include:
Empower People to Thrive
Supporting well-being across the lifespan by providing resources, research-driven programs, and opportunities for personal and professional growth—ensuring intelligence is nurtured in all its complexity.
Foster Connection and Collaboration
Creating spaces where people can engage in meaningful dialogue, build a sense of belonging, and exchange ideas that deepen their understanding of themselves and the world around them.
Expand the Understanding of Intelligence
Advancing interdisciplinary research and fostering exploration of intelligence as a fluid, evolving quality—one shaped by emotion, environment, and lived experience, rather than limited by conventional measures.
Team
Meet the Team
The Mensa Foundation is driven by a dedicated staff and Board of Trustees. We’re supported by an incredible network of donors and volunteers whose generosity power the mission to unleash intelligence for the benefit of humanity.
Unleash intelligence. Nurture brilliance.
