International giving · Asia
Which US foundations give to China?
US foundations sent $639M to organizations in China across 2,452 grants, from 320 different funders. Read from IRS 990 filings.
The short version
- 320 US foundations have made grants to China, totaling $639M across 2,452 grants on record.
- GATES FOUNDATION (WA) is the largest US funder of China organizations, with $292M.
- That is about $0.45 per resident across all years on file, for a country the World Bank classes as upper middle income.
- LUI CHE WOO CHARITY is the most China-focused funder, directing 100% of its overseas giving here.
- US giving to China has fallen over the filing years on record.
The biggest funders, year by year
Each top funder of China with its total, and how that giving falls across the filing years — darker means more.
| '17 | '18 | '19 | '20 | '21 | '22 | '23 | '24 | '25* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GATES FOUNDATION$292M | |||||||||
| CYRUS TANG FOUNDATION$63M | |||||||||
| THE FORD FOUNDATION$47M | |||||||||
| ROCKEFELLER BROTHERS FUND INC$31M | |||||||||
| CHARLES HUANG FOUNDATION$30M | |||||||||
| LUI CHE WOO CHARITY$28M | |||||||||
| STEPHEN A SCHWARZMAN EDUCATION$17M | |||||||||
| SHANGHAI JIAO TONG UNIVERSITY$14M | |||||||||
| THE SHAW (US) FOUNDATION$11M | |||||||||
| CHINA MEDICAL BOARD INC$10M | |||||||||
| DALIO FOUNDATION INC$8M | |||||||||
| THE AFSM FOUNDATION$6M |
* 2025 onward is still arriving — 990s lag 12–24 months, so the most recent years under-report.
Top US funders of China
China's dedicated funders
Foundations that send most of their overseas money to China — the specialists, not just the biggest checks.
What the money funds
By the kind of organization receiving the money — universities, hospitals, research institutes, and so on.
284 recipients
108 recipients
102 recipients
61 recipients
21 recipients
9 recipients
23 recipients
26 recipients
Largest recipients in China
Spelling, accent, abbreviation, and language variants of the same organization are merged into one recipient. Organizations abroad have no US EIN, so this resolution is best-effort.
13 US funders · 62 grants
1 US funder · 7 grants
10 US funders · 94 grants
1 US funder · 2 grants
5 US funders · 33 grants
1 US funder · 9 grants
A further $64M across 8 grants went to recipients the filings name only in the aggregate (“various”, “multiple organizations”, and the like), so they can’t be attributed to a single organization.
Who funds whom
The largest funder-to-recipient ties — which US foundation backs which organization in China.
Where the funders are
The US states home to the foundations giving to China, shaded by dollars granted. Click a state.
Notable grants
The largest individual grants to China on record.
Questions and answers
- Which US foundation gives the most to China?
- GATES FOUNDATION is the largest US funder of China organizations on record, with $292M across 530 grants.
- How much do US foundations give to China?
- 320 US foundations have granted a combined $639M to organizations in China across 2,452 grants in the IRS filings on record, about $0.45 per resident.
- What do US foundations fund in China?
- The largest areas are education & schools, health & medicine, research & science, by the kind of organization receiving the money.