The Pinkerton Foundation is an independent grantmaking foundation established in 1966 by Robert Allan Pinkerton with the broad directive to reduce the incidence of crime and to prevent juvenille delinquency.

Building on this mandate, the Foundation currently carries out its mission mainly through its support of endeavors that strengthen youth programming in poor communities.

Robert Allan Pinkerton, a graduate of Harvard College, served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pinkerton's, Inc. for more than 35 years until his death in 1967. He was the great-grandson of Allan Pinkerton, a Scottish immigrant who founded Pinkerton National Detective Agency in 1850. For 117 years until 1967, Pinkerton's remained under the direct management of a family member and grew to become the oldest and largest security company in the world. Pinkerton's, Inc. was sold in 1983, and today the Foundation retains no connection with the company.