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Enlight Foundation

Annual Giving
$39.6M
Grant Range
$100K - $2.5M

Enlight Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $39,613,833 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $247,700,568 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation-only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $100,000 - $2,500,000
  • Median Grant: ~$500,000
  • Geographic Focus: Global, with strong emphasis on San Francisco Bay Area

Contact Details

Address: 954 Roble Ridge Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306-2609

Website: https://www.enlightfoundation.org/

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding. It funds only pre-selected organizations.

Overview

The Enlight Foundation was established in 2004 by Chinese-American photojournalist Xin Liu and Chinese electrical engineer Yongping Duan. With total assets exceeding $247 million as of 2023, the foundation distributed approximately $39.6 million in grants that year. The foundation's mission centers on "education equality and youth empowerment," providing flexible, multi-year grants to "ambitious social entrepreneurs and bold ideas." Xin Liu serves as the foundation's president, director, CEO, and sole trustee, bringing her distinctive background as an award-winning photojournalist who worked for Time Magazine, Newsweek, Fortune, and major newspapers in the U.S. and China. The foundation employs a proactive, trust-based philanthropic model, emphasizing unrestricted funding and collaborative partnerships with other funders.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

For this decade, the foundation focuses on three primary pillars:

1. Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing (Global)

  • Grant Range: $100,000 - $1,000,000+
  • Addresses vulnerable populations through online services and social media interventions
  • Partners include the Youth Mental Wellbeing Co-Lab
  • Recent grantees: Foundation for Art & Healing (Project UnLonely) for addressing college student loneliness, #HalfTheStory for digital habit education, Force of Nature for turning eco-anxiety into agency

2. Youth-Driven Climate Solutions (Global)

  • Grant Range: $1,000,000 (through Emerging Climate Champions Award)
  • Co-sponsored the $25 million Emerging Climate Champions Award, providing $1 million grants to youth-led climate organizations
  • Partnership with The Patchwork Collective and Lever for Change
  • Focuses on youth leadership (ages 15-35) advancing durable climate solutions

3. Next-Generation Changemakers (Global, with U.S. focus)

  • Grant Range: $100,000 - $2,500,000
  • Broadest giving category supporting youth-led social entrepreneurs across democracy, economic development, and social justice
  • Recent grantees: GenUp (California-based student-led social justice organization), Watson Institute (Fellowships for historically disenfranchised entrepreneurs), Tilting Futures/Global Citizen Year

4. Education Innovation (Primary focus on higher education)

  • Grant Range: $1,000,000 - $3,000,000
  • Emphasis on scalability and action-driven research
  • Major support to Stanford University including the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS) and Rural Education Action Program
  • Recent grants: Syracuse University ($2 million, 2022), Boston University ($1 million, 2021), Presidio Graduate School ($3 million), World Savvy ($1 million for K-12 global citizenship education)

5. Civic Participation

  • The Voter Participation Center received at least $9 million in support

6. Bay Area Cultural & Community Organizations

  • Smaller grants ($2,500 - $100,000) to local institutions including Chinese Historical Society of America, Palo Alto Art Center, Magical Bridge Foundation, Exploratorium, Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Friends of Palo Alto Parks

Priority Areas

  • Youth empowerment and youth-led initiatives (ages 15-35)
  • Education equality and innovation in higher education
  • Mental health and wellbeing for young people
  • Climate action led by youth
  • Social entrepreneurship and next-generation changemakers
  • Global citizenship education
  • Civic engagement and voter participation
  • Rural education (particularly in China through partner organizations)
  • Solutions journalism
  • Scalable, innovative approaches to social problems

What They Don't Fund

Information about explicit exclusions is not publicly available. However, the foundation's proactive grantmaking approach suggests they fund pre-identified initiatives aligned with their strategic pillars rather than responding to general appeals.

Governance and Leadership

Xin Liu - Founder, President, Director, CEO, and Sole Trustee Xin Liu co-founded the Enlight Foundation in 2004. Prior to her philanthropic work, she was an award-winning photojournalist whose work appeared in Time Magazine, Newsweek, Fortune Magazine, Baltimore Sun, Miami Herald, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Palm Beach Post, and China Youth Daily. Her philanthropy is driven by personal experiences with education inequality and a desire to engage youth for social change. She also serves as an advisory board member at Stanford PACS.

Lindsay A. Louie - CEO Compensation: $73,135 (2023)

Ying Wang - Program Manager Compensation: $194,807 (2023)

The foundation maintains a lean staff structure, with just three key personnel managing a portfolio exceeding $39 million in annual grantmaking, suggesting significant reliance on strategic partnerships and a focused, proactive approach to identifying grantees.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. According to tax filings and public statements, the Enlight Foundation only makes contributions to pre-selected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds or proposals.

Grants are awarded through:

  • Proactive identification by foundation leadership
  • Pre-existing relationships with the foundation or its trustees
  • Strategic partnerships with intermediary organizations (such as Lever for Change for the Emerging Climate Champions Award)
  • Connections to past grantees or advisory board members

Exception: The Enlight Foundation co-sponsors specific open-call programs through partner organizations, such as the Emerging Climate Champions Award administered by Lever for Change, which does accept applications during designated periods.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. Given the proactive grantmaking model, decision timelines likely vary significantly based on the foundation's strategic priorities and relationship development processes.

Success Rates

Not applicable for general applications, as the foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. For collaborative programs like the Emerging Climate Champions Award, success rates would depend on the specific competition structure.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Organizations that have been declined would need to be re-identified through the foundation's proactive processes or maintain relationships with foundation leadership.

Application Success Factors

Since the Enlight Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, based on the foundation's public statements and grantmaking patterns, the following characteristics appear important:

Alignment with Strategic Pillars The foundation has clearly defined focus areas for this decade: youth mental health and wellbeing, youth-driven climate solutions, and next-generation changemakers. Organizations working in these areas are more likely to be identified by the foundation.

Youth Leadership and Empowerment Xin Liu has emphasized that her philanthropy is "driven by experiences in education inequality and a desire to engage youth for social change." Organizations with strong youth leadership (particularly ages 15-35) or that empower young people as changemakers align with this core value.

Innovation and Scalability The foundation describes its approach as supporting "ambitious social entrepreneurs and bold ideas" with emphasis on "innovation in higher education with emphasis on scalability." Organizations demonstrating innovative approaches with potential for broader impact appear favored.

Multi-Year, Unrestricted Funding Model The foundation's stated preference is to provide "flexible, multi-year grants," suggesting they seek organizations capable of effectively deploying substantial, unrestricted funding over extended periods.

Evidence of Impact Success factors for being identified by the foundation include "demonstrated impact evidence" and "measurable results," indicating the foundation values data-driven approaches and outcomes measurement.

Trust-Based Philosophy The foundation employs a "trust-based philanthropic model" and takes a "collaborative partnership approach with other funders," suggesting they value transparency, strong organizational governance, and willingness to collaborate within the broader philanthropic ecosystem.

Geographic and Network Connections Strong connections to the San Francisco Bay Area or to Stanford University (a top grantee and where Xin Liu serves on the PACS advisory board) may increase visibility to the foundation. Similarly, connections to past grantees could facilitate introduction.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: The Enlight Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Traditional grant applications will not be reviewed.

  • Focus on Relationship Building: Success requires being identified through the foundation's proactive processes, connections to foundation leadership, past grantees, or strategic partners.

  • Youth-Centric Mission: Organizations with strong youth leadership (ages 15-35) or that empower young people as changemakers are most aligned with the foundation's core mission.

  • Strategic Alignment is Critical: The foundation has clearly defined pillars for this decade—youth mental health, youth climate solutions, and next-generation changemakers. Work outside these areas is unlikely to receive support.

  • Substantial Grant Sizes: With a median grant around $500,000 and grants ranging up to $2.5 million, the foundation targets organizations ready to deploy significant funding effectively over multiple years.

  • Look for Collaborative Opportunities: The foundation partners with intermediary organizations like Lever for Change for specific initiatives. Monitoring for such collaborative programs may provide rare public application opportunities.

  • Stanford Connection: Given Xin Liu's advisory role at Stanford PACS and the university's status as a top grantee, Stanford-affiliated programs or initiatives may have enhanced visibility to the foundation.

References

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