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H&H Evergreen Foundation

Annual Giving
$183.7M
Grant Range
$250K - $72.0M
00

H&H Evergreen Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $183.7 million (2023)
  • Assets: $4.2 billion (2023)
  • Success Rate: N/A (no public application process)
  • Decision Time: N/A (invitation only)
  • Grant Range: Historically $250,000 - $72 million
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily San Francisco Bay Area, with some national giving

Contact Details

Address: Menlo Park, CA (UPS Store mailbox)

Note: The foundation has no website, no public email, and maintains minimal public presence.

Key Contact: Eric Hu, Program Manager and Chief Compliance Officer

Overview

Founded in 2014, the H&H Evergreen Foundation is one of the largest foundations in the United States by assets, with $4.2 billion as of 2023, yet it maintains virtually no public presence. The foundation was established by Duan Yongping, a Chinese billionaire tech mogul and investor who co-founded BBK Electronics (parent company of smartphone brands Vivo and Oppo). Operating with no full-time staff and an official address at a UPS Store mailbox, the foundation distributed $183.7 million in grants in 2023. Since 2020, the foundation has undergone a dramatic shift in strategy, routing approximately 99% of its giving through donor-advised funds at Schwab Charitable, which obscures the ultimate recipients of grants. This represents a significant departure from its earlier approach of making direct grants to major institutions. The foundation is described as preferring to operate "in a quiet way" and explicitly states it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not have formal grant programs with published guidelines. Historical giving patterns reveal:

  • Major Institutional Grants: Between 2016-2019, Stanford University received nearly $72 million, representing approximately 70% of annual grant dollars
  • Donor-Advised Fund: Since 2020, nearly $161 million annually flows to Schwab Charitable (89.3% of total payout in 2022)
  • Typical Grant Size: Median historical grant of $250,000, with grants ranging from six figures to tens of millions

Priority Areas

Based on historical giving patterns (primarily pre-2020):

  • Higher Education: Major support to universities, particularly Stanford University
  • Healthcare and Children's Services: Regular seven-figure grants to UC San Francisco, Lucile Packard Children's Fund, and Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation
  • Poverty Alleviation: Significant ongoing support to the Glide Foundation in San Francisco ($25 million over seven years, including $19 million in 2022)
  • San Francisco Bay Area Institutions: Concentrated giving to Bay Area hospitals and service providers

What They Don't Fund

The foundation explicitly states it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Current giving priorities beyond the Glide Foundation are unclear due to the use of donor-advised funds.

Governance and Leadership

Founder and Board Member: Duan Yongping

  • Chinese billionaire tech mogul and investor
  • Co-founded BBK Electronics
  • Known for being extremely reclusive, giving his first media interview in a decade in 2017
  • His investment company, H&H International Investment LLC, holds approximately $14 billion in assets, heavily concentrated in Apple and Berkshire Hathaway stock
  • Won the 2006 charity auction for lunch with Warren Buffett by bidding $620,100

Program Manager and Chief Compliance Officer: Eric Hu

  • Declined to specify reasons for the foundation's shift to donor-advised funds
  • Expressed concern about unwanted publicity
  • Representative stated the foundation prefers operating "in a quiet way"

Board Structure: Two board members since the foundation's 2014 launch

Staffing: No full-time staff

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are awarded through:

  • Trustee discretion and preselection of organizations
  • Donor-advised fund distributions (approximately 99% of giving since 2020)
  • Pre-existing relationships with founder and board members

Getting on Their Radar

Limited actionable intelligence is available due to the foundation's exceptionally private nature. Based on the research:

  • Historical Pattern: The foundation established long-term relationships with specific institutions (Stanford received funding for multiple years; Glide Foundation has received support for at least seven years)
  • Geographic Connection: Bay Area location appears to be a significant factor—major recipients have included Bay Area universities, hospitals, and service organizations
  • No Proactive Outreach: The foundation's representative has explicitly expressed concern about publicity, suggesting that proactive outreach attempts are unlikely to be welcome
  • Relationship Building: Given that Duan Yongping gave his first media interview in a decade in 2017 and maintains minimal public presence, traditional networking strategies are unlikely to be effective

Note: Since 2020, the vast majority of giving flows through a Schwab Charitable donor-advised fund, which means even documented historical recipients may no longer receive direct funding, and new recipients are not publicly disclosed.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable—no public application process exists.

Success Rates

Not applicable—the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable—the foundation does not accept applications.

Application Success Factors

Given the absence of a public application process, traditional success factors do not apply. However, the historical record suggests:

Historical Giving Patterns (Pre-2020):

  • Multi-year commitments: Organizations that received funding typically received it over multiple years (e.g., Stanford from 2016-2019, Glide for at least seven years)
  • Large institutional recipients: Major universities and healthcare institutions with established reputations received the largest grants
  • Geographic proximity: Bay Area institutions represented the majority of disclosed recipients
  • Mission alignment with founder's values: Education (particularly higher education) and poverty alleviation appear to align with Duan Yongping's philanthropic interests, based on his separate giving in China

Current Reality (2020-Present):

  • The shift to donor-advised funds means the foundation can meet its 5% mandatory payout requirement while maintaining complete donor confidentiality
  • This strategy provides a benefit unavailable through traditional private foundation structures—the ability to conceal final fund recipients
  • Whether historical recipients continue to receive support through the DAF structure is unknown

Key Insight: This foundation represents an extreme example of private philanthropy, where even basic transparency has been intentionally minimized. Organizations seeking funding should not invest resources in pursuing this funder.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Do not pursue this funder: The foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited applications and has taken extraordinary steps to maintain privacy
  • No public pathway exists: With no website, no staff, a UPS Store mailbox, and 99% of giving routed through opaque donor-advised funds, there is no actionable way to approach this funder
  • Historical patterns are no longer relevant: The dramatic 2020 shift to DAF-based giving means even organizations that previously received funding cannot be certain of continued support
  • Extreme privacy is the priority: The foundation's representative explicitly cited concerns about unwanted publicity, signaling that outreach attempts would be unwelcome
  • One of the largest "stealth" foundations: Despite $4.2 billion in assets making it among the top 40 largest U.S. foundations, H&H Evergreen maintains virtually no digital footprint or public presence
  • Focus resources elsewhere: Grant writers should direct their efforts toward funders with public application processes and transparent grantmaking practices
  • Monitor for future changes: While unlikely, it's theoretically possible the foundation could adopt a more public approach in the future; however, all current indicators suggest the opposite trajectory

References

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