A Family Affair.
Long before Kerim became a donor, he was a scholarship recipient.
As a student in Türkiye, he received various scholarships that opened doors and gave him opportunities he never forgot. Combined with the example set by his parents, who believed deeply in helping others and supporting education, that experience shaped a lifelong commitment to giving back. From an early age, Kerim learned that generosity was not simply about making donations. It was about creating opportunities for others to reach their full potential.
Years later, after moving to the United States to pursue graduate studies at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Kerim built a successful career in finance at Morgan Stanley in New York. Yet as his professional accomplishments grew, he often found himself asking a different question: What creates a meaningful life?
Part of the answer came during a solo back-packing journey through East Africa during a sabbatical. While volunteering as a mathematics teacher at a children's home, he witnessed both the challenges communities face and the profound difference that opportunity can make. The experience reinforced a belief that had been growing throughout his life: success is measured not only by what we achieve for ourselves, but by the opportunities we create for others.
While at Morgan Stanley, Kerim had met Didem.
Although their paths to philanthropy were different, they quickly discovered they shared similar values. Growing up across a few different rural communities across Türkiye, Didem saw firsthand how geography, tradition, and circumstance could limit opportunities, particularly for girls and women. Those experiences inspired a lifelong commitment to advancing gender equality, supporting women, providing crisis & humanitarian relief and expanding opportunities for those too often left behind.
Together, Kerim and Didem built not only a life together but also a shared vision for their philanthropy.
Through their donor-advised fund at TPF, they support the causes that reflect the experiences that shaped them, including educational opportunity, women's empowerment, children's well-being, and poverty alleviation. Rather than focusing on a single organization, they invest in the issues they believe can create lasting change, trusting TPF to connect their philanthropy with organizations making a meaningful difference on the ground.
Their commitment extends well beyond financial support. Kerim serves on TPF’s Investment Committee, contributing his expertise to strengthen the Foundation’s long-term stewardship and sustainability, while Didem serves on TPF’s Strategic Planning Committee, helping shape the organization’s priorities and vision for the future.
In addition to their commitments to TPF, Kerim works extensively with Student Sponsor Partners, mentoring and supporting students in underserved NYC communities to maximize their potential. He is passionate in fundraising for University of Chicago as well as endowing scholarships for the educational institutions he attended back in Turkiye. Didem actively supports Turkish Women’s Associations, in addition to providing guidance for and directly funding educational causes.
For Kerim and Didem, giving is a reflection of who they are and the values that have guided their lives. The scholarships that once opened doors for Kerim, the lessons Didem carried from her childhood, and the experiences that shaped them both have come together in a shared commitment to creating opportunities for others.
Today, they hope the culture of generosity that shaped their own lives will continue to inspire the next generation, proving that the values we inherit can become the legacy we leave behind.