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Jen-Hsun & Lori Huang Foundation

Annual Giving
$123.0M
Grant Range
$100K - $100.0M

Jen-Hsun & Lori Huang Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $59.7 million (2023), $123 million (2024), projected $369 million (2025)
  • Foundation Assets: $9.2+ billion (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation-only grantmaking)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: $100,000 - $100,000,000+ (based on known grants)
  • Geographic Focus: United States, particularly West Coast and San Francisco Bay Area

Contact Details

Address: c/o Frank Rimerman Co LLP, Palo Alto, CA
Phone: (650) 845-8100
Website: No public website
EIN: 26-1551239

Note: The foundation does not have a public website and operates with minimal public-facing presence.

Overview

The Jen-Hsun & Lori Huang Foundation was established in 2007 by Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA Corporation, and his wife Lori Huang. The foundation was seeded with an initial donation of NVIDIA stock valued at $300 million. Due to NVIDIA's extraordinary growth in the AI era, the foundation's assets have appreciated to over $9.2 billion as of 2024, making it one of the 15 largest private foundations in the United States, comparable in size to the Rockefeller Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

The foundation focuses on higher education, public health, STEM initiatives, and community development, with a particular emphasis on the West Coast and San Francisco Bay Area. The foundation operates with a notably lean structure—Lori Huang serves as president and Jen-Hsun Huang as secretary/CFO, with no other board members or paid staff. The foundation maintains a low profile and prefers a proactive grantmaking approach that reflects the founders' personal interests and connections rather than implementing a formal theory of change or accepting unsolicited applications.

A distinctive feature of the foundation's giving strategy is its extensive use of donor-advised funds (DAFs). Approximately two-thirds of the foundation's grants flow through DAFs, particularly the GeForce Fund at DAFgiving360 (formerly Schwab Charitable), which received $46.5 million in 2023 alone. This structure allows the foundation to meet IRS distribution requirements while maintaining flexibility over when funds ultimately reach working charities.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not have formally structured grant programs. Instead, it makes strategic gifts to selected organizations, typically those connected to the founders' personal histories or emerging interests in AI, education, and health.

Major grants have ranged from:

  • Small to mid-sized grants: $100,000 - $1,000,000 to community organizations
  • Large institutional gifts: $2,000,000 - $100,000,000 to universities and major research institutions

Application Method: Invitation only / Trustee discretion (no public application process)

Priority Areas

Higher Education: The foundation prioritizes institutions connected to the Huangs' personal history, including:

  • Oregon State University (both Huangs' alma mater)
  • Stanford University (Jensen's graduate school)
  • Oneida Baptist Institute in Kentucky (Jensen's boarding school as a young immigrant)
  • University of California, San Francisco
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • California College of the Arts

Research and Technology:

  • AI and advanced computing applications in biomedical research
  • Materials science and robotics
  • Engineering education and infrastructure
  • Diversity in artificial intelligence (AI4ALL)

Health and Community:

  • Public health initiatives
  • Mental health services (Crisis Text Line, Mental Health Innovations)
  • Cancer research (Oregon Health & Science University)
  • Bay Area community organizations (Monterey Bay Aquarium, Law Foundation of Silicon Valley)

Environmental and Scientific Organizations:

  • B612 Foundation (asteroid detection and planetary defense)
  • Tides Center

What They Don't Fund

Given the foundation's invitation-only approach, they do not fund:

  • Organizations without a connection to the founders' interests or networks
  • Projects unrelated to higher education, STEM, public health, or Bay Area community development
  • General operating support for organizations outside their focus areas

Governance and Leadership

Lori Huang - President
Lori Mills Huang graduated from Oregon State University in 1985 with a degree in electrical engineering, where she met her future husband as his lab partner. She serves as president of the foundation and, according to tax filings, dedicates approximately one hour per week to foundation work. Lori manages the foundation's strategic direction alongside her husband.

Jensen (Jen-Hsun) Huang - Secretary/CFO
Jensen Huang is the founder and CEO of NVIDIA Corporation. Born in Taiwan and raised partly in Thailand before immigrating to the United States, he attended Oneida Baptist Institute in Kentucky before earning his bachelor's degree from Oregon State University and master's degree from Stanford University. He founded NVIDIA in 1993 and has led the company to become a dominant force in AI computing. His personal net worth exceeded $108 billion in 2024, making him one of the world's wealthiest individuals. Like Lori, tax filings indicate he dedicates approximately one hour per week to foundation activities.

Foundation Structure
The foundation operates with no additional board members beyond the Huangs and employs no staff. Administrative services are provided by Frank Rimerman Co LLP in Palo Alto. This minimal structure allows the foundation to operate with very low overhead while making decisions based purely on the founders' personal interests and values.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Jen-Hsun & Lori Huang Foundation does not have a public application process.

The foundation operates through invitation-only, proactive grantmaking. According to Inside Philanthropy, the foundation is "not transparent or accessible" and "prefers a proactive grantmaking approach that reflects its founders' evolving, personal interests rather than a theory of change implemented by a staff."

Grants are made at the discretion of Jensen and Lori Huang, typically to:

  • Educational institutions where the Huangs have personal connections
  • Organizations addressing their current areas of interest (AI, health research, STEM education)
  • Community organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area
  • The GeForce Fund (donor-advised fund at DAFgiving360/Schwab Charitable)

Inside Philanthropy notes: "Short of networking directly with this Foundation's leadership or, perhaps, its grantees, there's little in-road here for new grantees."

Getting on Their Radar

Oregon State University and Stanford University Connections
The foundation has shown particular interest in the Huangs' alma maters. Oregon State University received $50 million for the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex, demonstrating that institutions with direct connections to the founders' educational history are prime beneficiaries. Organizations affiliated with these universities or working with their faculty may have indirect pathways to the foundation's attention.

NVIDIA Corporate Relationships
Given Jensen Huang's role as NVIDIA CEO, organizations that have partnerships or relationships with NVIDIA in areas of mutual interest (AI research, computing applications, technology education) may be better positioned to come to the foundation's attention, though there is no documented pathway for this approach.

Bay Area Community Presence
The foundation has supported local Bay Area organizations including the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Law Foundation of Silicon Valley. Organizations with strong reputations in the Bay Area working in the foundation's focus areas may occasionally receive consideration.

AI and Technology Sector Networks
The foundation has supported AI4ALL, an organization promoting diversity in artificial intelligence. Organizations working at the intersection of technology, diversity, and education may align with the foundation's emerging interests as Jensen Huang continues to shape the AI industry.

Personal Connections Through Board Service
Jensen Huang serves on various boards and advisory committees in the technology and education sectors. Organizations where Huang or his close associates have board involvement or relationships may have opportunities to present funding needs, though this is entirely at the foundation's discretion.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available. Given the small board structure (only the two founders), decisions can presumably be made quickly when aligned with their interests, but there is no established timeline for consideration or notification.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. The foundation makes fewer than ten grants per year to direct recipients (excluding DAF transfers), making it highly selective. Success rates for unsolicited inquiries would be effectively 0% given the invitation-only approach.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications.

Application Success Factors

Since the foundation does not accept applications, success in receiving a grant depends entirely on alignment with the founders' interests and existing relationships. Based on the pattern of known grants, the following factors appear most relevant:

Personal Connection to the Founders
Every major grant shows a clear connection to Jensen and Lori Huang's personal history: Oregon State (where they met and studied), Stanford (Jensen's graduate school), Oneida Baptist Institute (Jensen's childhood school), and UCSF and California College of the Arts (Bay Area institutions). Organizations without such connections have received grants only when they align closely with NVIDIA's business focus (AI research) or the founders' emerging interests.

AI and Advanced Computing Focus
The $100 million gift to UCSF specifically targeted "biomedical research through AI and advanced computing," and the $50 million Oregon State gift funded a "Collaborative Innovation Complex" focused on AI, materials science, and robotics. Organizations proposing cutting-edge applications of AI and computing technology, particularly in health or education, align with the foundation's demonstrated interests.

Institutional Scale and Reputation
The foundation's direct grants (outside of DAF transfers) go overwhelmingly to major universities and established institutions. Small grassroots organizations appear to receive support primarily through the GeForce Fund DAF rather than direct foundation grants.

West Coast and Bay Area Location
While the foundation has made grants nationally (Johns Hopkins, Oneida Baptist Institute), there is a clear preference for West Coast institutions and Bay Area community organizations. Geographic proximity to the foundation's Palo Alto base appears to be a factor.

STEM Education and Diversity
Support for AI4ALL (promoting diversity in AI) and multiple engineering education initiatives suggests that organizations working to broaden participation in STEM fields, particularly among underrepresented groups, align with foundation values.

Capital Projects and Named Opportunities
Many of the largest grants have supported capital projects that bear the Huang name: the Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center at Stanford, Jen-Hsun Huang Hall at Oneida Baptist Institute, and the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex at Oregon State. Universities and institutions offering significant naming opportunities for transformational gifts may be considered.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This foundation is effectively closed to new applicants. With no public application process, no website, and a stated preference for proactive grantmaking based on personal interests, organizations without existing relationships to the Huangs should not expect to receive funding.

  • Personal connections matter above all else. The vast majority of grants go to institutions where the Huangs studied, organizations in their immediate geographic area, or initiatives directly connected to NVIDIA's AI focus. If your organization lacks such connections, pursuing this foundation is not a productive use of time.

  • AI and computing applications are the emerging focus. As NVIDIA has become central to the AI revolution, the foundation's largest recent grants (UCSF $100M, Oregon State $50M) have focused on AI applications in research and education. This trend will likely accelerate.

  • Two-thirds of giving goes through donor-advised funds. The foundation meets much of its IRS distribution requirement through transfers to the GeForce Fund at DAFgiving360. The ultimate recipients of these DAF grants are not publicly disclosed, creating significant opacity around the foundation's full grantmaking.

  • The foundation's assets and required distributions are growing exponentially. From $828 million in assets in 2019 to over $9.2 billion in 2024, IRS rules require increasingly large annual distributions (projected $369 million in 2025). This may create opportunities for larger and more numerous grants in coming years, though there's no indication the foundation will change its invitation-only approach.

  • Minimal infrastructure means highly personal decision-making. With no staff and minimal time commitment from the founders (approximately one hour per week each per tax filings), all decisions are made directly by Jensen and Lori Huang based on their personal interests and values rather than professional program staff recommendations.

  • Consider indirect pathways if you must pursue this funder. Rather than approaching the foundation directly, organizations might consider building relationships with major grantees (Oregon State, Stanford, UCSF) or investigating whether the GeForce Fund at DAFgiving360 might be a more accessible pathway, though information about that fund's grantmaking is also not publicly available.

References

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