The Frank Liu Jr Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on higher education and cultural institutions, with a strong local focus on Houston-area arts, schools, and community services. The foundation makes one or a few very large investments (notably multi-grant support for Rice University) alongside smaller grants to local museums, hospitals, community centers, and identity-based service groups. Its giving suggests interest in education (from K–12 charter and independent schools to major research universities), arts and cultural vitality, and targeted health and social services in the Houston region.
A single university anchor stands out in the Frank Liu Jr Foundation’s recent giving: William Marsh Rice University received $840,000 in 2024 and $836,000 in 2025, with an additional $306,668 in 2023. That repeated support signals a foundation that sustains a few institutions over time rather than spreading gifts broadly. Alongside that higher-education commitment, the foundation backs Houston-based education, arts, health, and community organizations, including a charter school, a museum, and a health research institution. The pattern is strongly local and centered on Houston-area institutions. Grants also reach cultural organizations and community-serving nonprofits, from museums and opera to social-service groups and environmental beautification. In the current grant record, the foundation’s gifts range from six-figure support for major universities to smaller awards of $10,000 to $30,000 for local nonprofits. That mix suggests a portfolio built around long-running institutional relationships, especially in education, with additional support for civic and cultural life in Houston. The recent record includes both major research universities and organizations serving neighborhood-level needs.
Higher education is the clearest theme in the recent record. William Marsh Rice University appears repeatedly, and the foundation also supported Utah State University in Logan, Utah, showing that university giving extends beyond Texas. In K–12 and charter education, Frank Liu Jr Academy for Music and Arts received $250,000 in 2025, and St. John’s School received $15,000 in 2024. Those gifts place school support alongside the larger university commitments. Arts and culture are another visible area. Contemporary Arts Museum Houston received $38,350 in 2025 and $35,000 in 2024, while Houston Grand Opera Association Inc received $30,000 in 2025. The foundation also gave $10,000 to Menil Foundation Inc in 2025. Health and social services appear in smaller awards, including Baylor College of Medicine, Methodist Hospital Foundation, Pflag Houston, Chinese Community Center Inc, and Mendcenter Foundation.
Typical grant size clusters around a modest core, with p25 at $10,000, a median of $14,000, and p75 at $65,000. The distribution includes a few much larger awards, led by university support in the hundreds of thousands, while many gifts sit at $10,000 to $15,000. The same recipient can appear across multiple years: William Marsh Rice University, University of Connecticut Foundation Inc, and Contemporary Arts Museum Houston all received repeated grants in the recent record. The foundation is a private family foundation led by Frank Liu and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$1.2M
$25.3M
$61K
$1.2M
Most grants fall between $10K and $65K, with a median of $14K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$14K
75th Percentile
$65K
FRANK LIU
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Concentrated giving: a few very large grants (majority to a single university) plus numerous smaller, often local grants. The foundation shows repeat funding to core beneficiaries and favors place-based cultural, educational, and health-related organizations in Houston.
Notable grantees: William Marsh Rice University, Frank Liu Jr Academy for Music and Arts, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, Trees for Houston
Giving is heavily concentrated in Texas, which accounts for 80% of grants by recipient state. Houston is the main city in the record, with multiple grants to institutions there, including the university, arts organizations, hospitals, and community groups. Outside Texas, the recent record includes Logan, Utah, and Storrs, Connecticut, each appearing with university-related grants. All listed grants in the current sample went to U.S. recipients.
The recent record centers on higher education, Houston arts and cultural institutions, K–12 schooling, and smaller grants for health and community services. Examples include university support, charter and independent schools, museums, opera, biomedical research, mental health services, and local social-service organizations.
Its typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $14,000 at the median, and $65,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent record also includes a few much larger university grants in the six-figure range.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including William Marsh Rice University, University of Connecticut Foundation Inc, and Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. That pattern points to recurring support for selected institutions rather than only one-time gifts.
Texas is the top recipient state, with 80% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Houston is the most common city in the grant record, with grants to universities, museums, health institutions, and community organizations there.
The leadership listed is Frank Liu. The foundation’s legal name is FRANK LIU JR FOUNDATION, and it does not fund individuals.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITY | HOUSTON, TX | $836,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| FRANK LIU JR ACADEMY FOR MUSIC AND ARTS | HOUSTON, TX | $250,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION-CHARTER SCHOOLS |
| CONTEMPORARY ARTS MUSEUM HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $38,350 | 2025 | ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES-ART MUSEUMS |
| HOUSTON GRAND OPERA ASSOCIATION INC | HOUSTON, TX | $30,000 | 2025 | ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES-OPERA |
| UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT FOUNDATION INC | STORRS, CT | $14,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION-SINGLE ORGANIZATION SUPPORT |
| MENIL FOUNDATION INC | HOUSTON, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES-ART MUSEUMS |
| WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITY | HOUSTON, TX | $840,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | HOUSTON, TX | $100,000 | 2024 | HEALTH CARE-RESEARCH INSTITUTES & PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS |
| CONTEMPORARY ARTS MUSEUM HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $35,000 | 2024 | ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES-ART MUSEUMS |
| ST JOHN'S SCHOOL | HOUSTON, TX | $15,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION-ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY SCHOOLS |
| UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT FOUNDATION INC | STORRS, CT | $14,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION-SINGLE ORGANIZATION SUPPORT |
| MENDCENTER FOUNDATION | HOUSTON, TX | $10,000 | 2024 | MENTAL HEALTH & CRISIS INTERVENTION-MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT |
| PFLAG HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $10,000 | 2024 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $10,000 | 2024 | CIVIL RIGHTS, SOCIAL ACTION & ADVOCACY-CIVIL RIGHTS, SOCIAL ACTION & ADVOCACY N.E.C. |
| BELLAIRE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | BELLAIRE, TX | $7,000 | 2024 | RELIGION-RELATED-PROTESTANT |
| WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITY | HOUSTON, TX | $306,668 | 2023 | EDUCATION-HIGHER EDUCATION |
| UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY | LOGAN, UT | $80,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL |
| TREES FOR HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $50,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENT-ENVIRONMENTAL BEAUTIFICATION |
| UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT FOUNDATION INCORPORATED | STORRS, CT | $14,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION-SINGLE ORGANIZATION SUPPORT |
| METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | HOUSTON, TX | $10,000 | 2023 | HEALTH CARE-HOSPITALS |
| CHINESE COMMUNITY CENTER INC | HOUSTON, TX | $10,000 | 2023 | HUMAN SERVICES-PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES |
FRANK LIU JR ACADEMY FOR MUSIC AND ARTS
$250,000EDUCATION-CHARTER SCHOOLS
HOUSTON GRAND OPERA ASSOCIATION INC
$30,000ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES-OPERA
MENIL FOUNDATION INC
ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES-ART MUSEUMS
HEALTH CARE-RESEARCH INSTITUTES & PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS
ST JOHN'S SCHOOL
$15,000EDUCATION-ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY SCHOOLS
MENDCENTER FOUNDATION
$10,000MENTAL HEALTH & CRISIS INTERVENTION-MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
PFLAG HOUSTON
$10,000HUMAN SERVICES
CIVIL RIGHTS, SOCIAL ACTION & ADVOCACY-CIVIL RIGHTS, SOCIAL ACTION & ADVOCACY N.E.C.
BELLAIRE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
$7,000RELIGION-RELATED-PROTESTANT
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
$80,000EDUCATIONAL
EDUCATION-SINGLE ORGANIZATION SUPPORT