The Ge Li & Ning Zhao Family Foundation concentrates its giving on higher education and biomedical research, making large endowed gifts and program-specific commitments that build long-term institutional capacity. Major patterns include funding endowed chairs, scholarships, and a named lung cancer research initiative, with a clear interest in strengthening US–China academic ties. The foundation favors established, elite institutions and often gives multi-million-dollar, repeat grants rather than many small awards.
A defining feature of the Ge Li & Ning Zhao Family Foundation is its willingness to make large, program-specific commitments that build enduring institutional capacity. The foundation has backed a named lung cancer research initiative at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, alongside a separate multi-million-dollar general grant to the same institution, showing a sustained interest in biomedical research and long-term research infrastructure. Its giving also reaches higher education through major support for Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, Peddie School, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, often through endowments, unrestricted support, and faculty or student funds. That pattern points to a funder that favors established institutions and works through substantial awards rather than many small discretionary grants. In education, the foundation has supported Columbia College, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, as well as endowed student support at Peddie School. In medicine, it has invested in an endowed professorship in medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and repeated support for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The recent record also includes support for scholarships, athletics, and selected public-facing programs, including a concert tied to cancer research.
In biomedical research, the foundation gave $4,000,000 to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2023 to establish the Ning Zhao & Ge Li Family Initiative for Lung Cancer Research and New Therapies, and later added another $4,000,000 for general and unrestricted support in 2024. In higher education, it gave $3,000,000 to Columbia University in the City of New York for the benefit of Columbia College, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, plus $1,000,000 for The Valentini Endowment Fund for the Columbia College Journey. The foundation also supports endowed academic capacity abroad and student aid. It gave $1,911,745 to The Chinese University of Hong Kong for the establishment of an Endowed Professorship in Medicine, and $1,000,000 to Peddie School for the Zhao Li Family Endowed Scholarship Fund.
$205K
$309.6M
$29.6M
$2.7M
Most grants fall between $63K and $2M, with a median of $1M.
25th Percentile
$63K
Median
$1M
75th Percentile
$2M
About 0% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Ge Li & Ning Zhao Family Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 21 | $21.2M | 95.5% |
| 2 | Hong Kong |
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Concentrated, high-dollar giving: relatively few but large grants, often multi-million-dollar endowments or program launches; several repeat grants to the same institutions indicating sustained institutional partnerships.
Notable grantees: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania (Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania), Peddie School, Peking University Education Foundation USA
Typical award size is large: the 25th percentile is $62,500, the median is $1,000,000, and the 75th percentile is $1,977,936. The pattern is dominated by substantial institutional grants, with repeated support to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Columbia University. The foundation operates as a family foundation, and it also funds individuals. The recent record shows both unrestricted support and designated gifts tied to endowments, facilities, scholarships, research initiatives, and program funds.
Grant recipients are concentrated in the United States, with one grant in Hong Kong. Among U.S. recipients, New York, NY appears repeatedly, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and multiple Columbia-related grants. Other recipient locations include Philadelphia, PA; Hightstown, NJ; La Jolla, CA; Rockville, MD; Cambridge, MA; Seattle, WA; and Bedminster, NJ. New Jersey is the top state by grant count, even though the foundation is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware.
Its recent grants go mainly to universities, cancer research institutions, and a few schools and nonprofit organizations. The largest awards support Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, Peddie School, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The grant-size distribution is steep: the 25th percentile is $62,500, the median is $1,000,000, and the 75th percentile is $1,977,936. That reflects a pattern of relatively large institutional awards rather than small, frequent grants.
Yes. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center appears in multiple years with both a $4,000,000 unrestricted grant in 2024 and $100,000 grants in 2023 and 2025. Columbia University also appears repeatedly, with major awards in 2023 and 2024.
New Jersey is the top state by grant count. Recent New Jersey recipients include Peddie School in Hightstown and Somerset Hills Learning Institute in Bedminster.
Yes. One recent grant went to The Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shatin, and the overall recipient-country distribution includes 1 grant in Hong Kong, alongside 21 in the United States.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 1 |
| $1.9M |
4.5% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER The Societ | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| MADISON SQUARE PARK CONSERVANCY INC | NEW YORK, NY | $55,000 | 2025 | Charitable Event |
| CANCER RESEARCH AMERICA NFCR INC | ROCKVILLE, MD | $25,000 | 2025 | In support of "The Nearness of You Concert" at Lincoln Center in New York City |
| NEW YORK-PRESBYTERIAN FUND INC | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | Center for Youth Mental Health |
| MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER The Societ | NEW YORK, NY | $4,000,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $2,000,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG | SHATIN, NE | $1,911,745 | 2024 | establishment of an Endowed Professorship in Medicine |
| PEDDIE SCHOOL | HIGHTSTOWN, NJ | $1,100,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER The Societ | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | The MSK Presidential Vision Fund |
| SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | LA JOLLA, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| COMMITTEE OF 100 INC | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| LIFE SCIENCE CARES INC | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $15,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER The Societ | NEW YORK, NY | $4,000,000 | 2023 | TO ESTABLISH THE NING ZHAO & GE LI FAMILY INITIATIVE FOR LUNG CANCER RESEARCH AND NEW THERAPIES |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000,000 | 2023 | FOR THE BENEFIT OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE, THE FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES AND THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES |
| TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $2,000,000 | 2023 | Football Facility Fund, Coaches Fund, Basketball Varsity Fund, Field Hockey Varsity Fund, the Field Hockey Impact Fund, and the Women's Athletics Endowment Fund, Student-Athlete Fund, Li Basketball Endowment Fund and the Women's Basketball Foreign Trip Fund at the Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics of the university. |
| PEKING UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION USA | MILLBRAE, CA | $1,578,632 | 2023 | endowment fund at the Yenching Academy of Peking University |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK | New York, NY | $1,000,000 | 2023 | The Valentini Endowment Fund for the Columbia College Journey |
| PEDDIE SCHOOL | HIGHTSTOWN, NJ | $1,000,000 | 2023 | Zhao Li Family Endowed Scholarship Fund |
| MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER The Societ | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2023 | The MSK Presidential Vision Fund |
| FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $15,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| SOMERSET HILLS LEARNING INSTITUTE INC | BEDMINSTER, NJ | $15,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER The Societ
$100,000General & Unrestricted
CANCER RESEARCH AMERICA NFCR INC
$25,000In support of "The Nearness of You Concert" at Lincoln Center in New York City
MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER The Societ
$4,000,000General & Unrestricted
General & Unrestricted
THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
$1,911,745establishment of an Endowed Professorship in Medicine
TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW
$1,000,000General & Unrestricted
MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER The Societ
$100,000The MSK Presidential Vision Fund
MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER The Societ
$4,000,000TO ESTABLISH THE NING ZHAO & GE LI FAMILY INITIATIVE FOR LUNG CANCER RESEARCH AND NEW THERAPIES
FOR THE BENEFIT OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE, THE FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES AND THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES
Football Facility Fund, Coaches Fund, Basketball Varsity Fund, Field Hockey Varsity Fund, the Field Hockey Impact Fund, and the Women's Athletics Endowment Fund, Student-Athlete Fund, Li Basketball Endowment Fund and the Women's Basketball Foreign Trip Fund at the Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics of the university.
PEKING UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION USA
$1,578,632endowment fund at the Yenching Academy of Peking University
The Valentini Endowment Fund for the Columbia College Journey
MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER The Societ
$100,000The MSK Presidential Vision Fund