The Anders Foundation was founded by Bill and Valerie Anders. Bill is a former United States Air Force officer, nuclear engineer, NASA astronaut, and businessman. He, along with Apollo 8 crew mates, is one of the first three persons to have traveled to the Moon. Bill also has a crater on the Moon named in his honor: The Anders Crater.

Anders briefly served as a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, then joined General Electric. After leaving GE, he joined Textron as Executive Vice President for aerospace, and then became Senior Executive Vice President for operations. After Textron, Anders became Vice Chairman of General Dynamics, and shortly thereafter, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Bill is now enjoying his retirement where he and his children run the Heritage Flight Museum in the Pacific Northwest.