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Ruan Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Ruan Family Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$4.4M
Granted FY2024still arriving
13
Grants FY2024still arriving
4
States reached
$2.9M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2021 to 2024.

Philanthropy$10MEducation$3.1MArts & Culture$275kHealth$235kAnimals$84kHuman Services$49kFood & Nutrition$35kInternational$35kOther$0
02FY2024 · 13 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k10 grants · $250k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $100k
  • $250k+2 grants · $4.1M
$25,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$91M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
LANZHOU UNIVERSITY EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION$2,900,000
FIDELITY CHARITABLE$1,194,212
LANZHOU UNIVERSITY EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION$100,000
HOPEWELL FUND$25,000
MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA$25,000
THE WHOLE CHILD$25,000
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO$25,000
ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND$25,000
Individual grant recipient$25,000
LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK$25,000
BABY2BABY$25,000
NAMI WESTSIDE LOS ANGELES$25,000
CITY OF HOPE$25,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

US giving: 79% of grant dollars ($11M). The need read here covers only this US portion; the 21% that went abroad ($3.0M) is mapped below.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY21–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 91% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%WASTE NO FOOD: $10k → 7%ALL WITHIN MY HANDS: $10k → 8%ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND: $25k → 9%SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO: $25k → 14%MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA: $25k → 17%HOPEWELL FUND: $25k → 14%HIPPOCRATIC CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $50k → 14%ONE TREE PLANTED: $10k → 10%ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND: $14k → 9%BABY2BABY: $25k → 14%MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA: $10k → 17%ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND: $10k → 9%BABY2BABY: $14k → 14%COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: $50k → 17%BABY2BABY: $10k → 14%COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: $43k → 17%WALLIS ANNENBERG PETSPACE: $25k → 14%COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: $25k → 17%WALLIS ANNENBERG PETSPACE: $10k → 14%NAMI WESTSIDE LOS ANGELES: $25k → 14%CITY OF HOPE: $25k → 14%CITY OF HOPE: $10k → 14%THE HAROLD & CAROLE PUMP FOUNDATION: $100k → 14%THE WHOLE CHILD: $25k → 14%LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK: $25k → 14%ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES: $250k → 14%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Beyond the US: 21% of all-years giving ($3.0M)

1 country, by the recipient’s country on the filing.

grant dollars sentlessmore
China$3.0M · 2 grants
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving. International giving is mapped by the recipient’s country from the same 990 filings; comparable need data isn’t available at that grain.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 16% of Ruan Family Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

Ruan Family Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 21% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

5%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$202k · 5 repeat orgs$3.5M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +34% since the first grant, against +19% for those funded once.

5 repeat relationships: 5 still active in FY2024, 0 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

5
7

Total granted

$202k
$440k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
+19%

Still filing today

60%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 4% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $3.1M went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’21’22’23’24
HealthPhilanthropyArts & CultureInternationalAnimalsOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • B
    BABY2BABY
    3× · 2021–2024 · $49k · revenue +146%
  • AL
    ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND INC
    3× · 2021–2024 · $49k · revenue +34%
  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC
    2× · 2023–2024 · $35k · revenue +1%

Funded once

  • AM
    ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES
    one grant, 2023 · $250k
  • TH
    THE HAROLD AND CAROLE PUMP FOUNDATION (FKA THE HAROLD PUMP FOUNDATION)
    one grant, 2022 · $100k · revenue -14%
  • HC
    HIPPOCRATIC CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2022 · $50k · revenue +19%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Npr Foundation

The npr foundation ("foundation") is organized and operated exclusively for the benefit of its sole supported organization, national public radio, inc. ("npr inc."). the foundation supports npr inc. through various activities such as…

—
2
Health Care Without Harm

The mission of health care without harm (hcwh) is to transform health care worldwide so that it reduces its environmental footprint, becomes a community anchor for sustainability and a leader in the global movement for environmental health…

Environment
3
Ucla Foundation

The ucla foundation is the giving, receiving, and investing arm of the ucla campus. the foundation enables private donors to help build, sustain and advance one of the world's finest academic and research institutions. private philanthropy…

Education
4
International Biomedical Research Alliance

Our mission is to invest in and accelerate the development of the most promising future leaders in biomedical research with global impact.

Health
5
Allosource

Inspired by the gift of donation from our communities, allosource responsibly provides innovative cellular and tissue allografts to advance patient healing.

Health
6
University Family Physicians Inc

Engage actively and continuously in medical research, education and training in the practice of medicine in conjunction with the department of family medicine of the indiana university school of medicine and indiana university…

—
7
America's Health Insurance Plans Inc

Ahip is the national trade association representing the health insurance industry. ahip's members provide health care coverage, services and solutions to more than 200 million americans. we are committed to market-based solutions and…

Membership Benefit
8
National Public Radio Inc

National public radio, inc. ("npr") works collaboratively with member public radio station licensees ("member stations") to create a more informed public, one that is challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of…

Arts & Culture
9
Ucsf Foundation Investment Company

The organization provides professional investment management services for endowed gifts and financial assets entrusted to the ucsf foundation.

Education
10
Foundation for Financial Planning Inc

Our mission is to help people in need improve their financial lives by expanding access to pro bono financial planning.

Human Services
11
City of Hope

City of Hope's mission is to make hope a reality for all touched by cancer and diabetes. PLEASE SEE SCHEDULE O FOR A CONTINUATION OF OUR MISSION

Health
12
Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation

The samuel waxman cancer research foundation (the "foundation") funds innovative research to bring faster cures to patients. in addition to supporting ongoing collaborative research in specific cancers, our scientists are investigating the…

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How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund; the most unlike its peers is Nami Westside La. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

14 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 14 of the 20 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
9/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $10,289,129 · Community ImprovementFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUNDLANZHOU UNIVERSITY EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION: $3,000,000 · OtherLANZHOU UNIVERSITY EDUCATIO…ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES: $250,000 · OtherACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PI…+6 more: $163,500 · OtherTHE HAROLD AND CAROLE PUMP FOUNDATION (FKA THE HAROLD PUMP FOUNDATION): $100,000 · HealthHIPPOCRATIC CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 · HealthNAMI WESTSIDE LA: $25,000 · HealthThe Whole Child - Mental Health & Housing Services: $25,000 · HealthTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $117,917 · EducationANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND INC: $48,500 · AnimalsHOPEWELL FUND: $25,000 · PhilanthropyALL WITHIN MY HANDS: $10,000 · PhilanthropyONE TREE PLANTED INC: $10,000 · PhilanthropyMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $35,000 · InternationalSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO: $25,000 · Arts & Culture
Community Improvement$10,289,129Other$3,413,500Health$200,000Education$117,917Animals$48,500Philanthropy$45,000International$35,000Arts & Culture$25,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $10,289,129 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $117,917 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE HAROLD AND CAROLE PUMP FOUNDATION (FKA THE HAROLD PUMP FOUNDATION): $100,000 over 1y, 5.4% of budgetHIPPOCRATIC CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC: $50,000 over 1y, 6.3% of budgetBABY2BABY: $48,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND INC: $48,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $35,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetNAMI WESTSIDE LA: $25,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetThe Whole Child - Mental Health & Housing Services: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHOPEWELL FUND: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetALL WITHIN MY HANDS: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetONE TREE PLANTED INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundMA5.4× affinity5 shared granteesties to 1 of 1Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Ruan Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Ruan Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    2get no government money at all
    5report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 20 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Ruan Family’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home