The Yao Yuan Sze Foundation concentrates its giving on health care and a smaller but recurring interest in higher education. Most dollars support hospitals and medical research—particularly cancer care—while a sizable portion is directed to a specific college. Grants are large and targeted, often awarded repeatedly to the same institutions, suggesting long-term relationships rather than broad, exploratory giving.
Concentrated, high-dollar giving to a small set of repeat grantees with multiple grants per beneficiary; primarily supports medical institutions with a secondary, recurring commitment to a single college.
A repeated pattern defines the Yao Yuan Sze Foundation: large, targeted grants to a small set of institutions, especially in health care and education. The foundation’s recent giving includes support for Fred Hutchison Cancer Center in Seattle, Overlake Medial Center Foundation in Bellevue, and Whittier College in Whittier, showing a mix of medical philanthropy and sustained institutional support. Health care accounts for the clearest thread in the recent record. Medical grants go to hospital and research organizations, with cancer care appearing as a major concern through Fred Hutchison Cancer Center. Overlake Medial Center Foundation appears multiple times across consecutive years and in different program labels, which points to a continuing relationship rather than a one-time award. Education is the other recurring theme, anchored by Whittier College and supplemented by smaller grants to Ark Institute of Learning and Southern Nevada Public Television. The foundation’s grantmaking is selective rather than broad, with recipients often receiving more than one award over time and several gifts clustered around the same institutions. That pattern suggests a portfolio built around ongoing commitments to specific organizations rather than a wide competitive grant program.
In health care, the foundation backed Fred Hutchison Cancer Center with $250,000 in 2023 for medical purposes, and it supported Overlake Medial Center Foundation with $200,000 in 2024, $100,000 in 2025, and another $75,000 in 2025 across medical and health categories. Those awards place hospitals and cancer-related work at the center of the portfolio. Education is also a recurring area. Whittier College received $100,000 in 2023, $100,000 in 2024, and $100,000 in 2025, followed by a $50,000 grant in 2024, all listed as education support. Smaller education grants went to Ark Institute of Learning in Tacoma and Southern Nevada Public Television in Las Vegas. The foundation also made targeted grants tied to family and homelessness-related services. The Widow's Mite in Las Vegas received $20,000 in both 2023 and 2024 under homeless health and welfare.
Typical grant size sits near the mid-five-figure range: the p25 is $23,750, the median is $25,000, and the p75 is $62,500. The recent record shows both repeated support and one-off awards, but the strongest pattern is recurring funding to the same institutions across multiple years, especially in health care and education. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its grants are concentrated enough to suggest an institutional, relationship-based style rather than a broad open application model.
$430K
$6.8M
$367K
$510K
Most grants fall between $24K and $63K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$24K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$63K
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Notable grantees: Overlake Medical Center Foundation, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Whittier College
Grantmaking is regional and heavily weighted toward Washington, which accounts for 44% of grants and is also the top state by grant count. Seattle and Bellevue appear frequently among recipient cities, with Tacoma also present through education grants. Outside Washington, the foundation gave to organizations in Whittier, California; Memphis, Tennessee; and Las Vegas, Nevada. All recent grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients.
The recent record centers on health care and education. Hospitals and medical research receive major awards, including cancer-focused work, while a second recurring stream supports a college and several education-related organizations.
Yes. Whittier College appears in multiple years, Overlake Medial Center Foundation appears in consecutive years, and The Widow's Mite received grants in both 2023 and 2024. That pattern points to recurring relationships rather than isolated gifts.
The distribution is centered in the mid-five-figure range. The p25 is $23,750, the median is $25,000, and the p75 is $62,500, so many grants land around $25,000 with some much larger awards.
Washington is the top state by grant count, with 44% of grants going to recipients in the state. Seattle, Bellevue, and Tacoma all appear among the recipient cities in the recent grants list.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHITTIER COLLEGE | WHITTIER, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| OVERLAKE MEDIAL CENTER FOUNDATION | BELLEVUE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| OVERLAKE MEDIAL CENTER FOUNDATION | BELLEVUE, WA | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| OVERLAKE MEDIAL CENTER FOUNDATION | BELLEVUE, WA | $75,000 | 2025 | HEALTH |
| SOUTHERN NEVADA PUBLIC TELEVISION | LAS VEGAS, NV | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| SOUTHERN NEVADA PUBLIC TELEVISION | LAS VEGAS, NV | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING | TACOMA, WA | $5,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| OVERLAKE MEDIAL CENTER FOUNDATION | BELLEVUE, WA | $200,000 | 2024 | MEDICAL |
| WHITTIER COLLEGE | WHITTIER, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| WHITTIER COLLEGE | WHITTIER, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| SOUTHERN NEVADA PUBLIC TELEVISION | LAS VEGAS, NV | $25,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING | TACOMA, WA | $25,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| SOUTHERN NEVADA PUBLIC TELEVISION | LAS VEGAS, NV | $25,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING | TACOMA, WA | $25,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| THE WIDOW'S MITE | LAS VEGAS, NV | $20,000 | 2024 | HOMELESS HEALTH & WELFARE |
| ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING | TACOMA, WA | $5,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| FRED HUTCHISON CANCER CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $250,000 | 2023 | MEDICAL |
| WHITTIER COLLEGE | WHITTIER, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| WILLIAM NOVICK GLOBAL CARDIAC ALLIANCE | MEMPHIS, TN | $40,000 | 2023 | CHILDREN HEALTHCARE |
| SOUTHERN NEVADA PUBLIC TELEVISION | LAS VEGAS, NV | $25,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING | TACOMA, WA | $25,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONEDUCATION |
| THE WIDOW'S MITE | LAS VEGAS, NV | $20,000 | 2023 | HOMELESS HEALTH & WELFARE |
| ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING | TACOMA, WA | $5,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
WHITTIER COLLEGE
$100,000EDUCATION
OVERLAKE MEDIAL CENTER FOUNDATION
$100,000MEDICAL
OVERLAKE MEDIAL CENTER FOUNDATION
$75,000HEALTH
SOUTHERN NEVADA PUBLIC TELEVISION
$25,000EDUCATION
SOUTHERN NEVADA PUBLIC TELEVISION
$25,000EDUCATION
ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING
$5,000EDUCATION
WHITTIER COLLEGE
$100,000EDUCATION
WHITTIER COLLEGE
$50,000EDUCATION
SOUTHERN NEVADA PUBLIC TELEVISION
$25,000EDUCATION
ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING
$25,000EDUCATION
SOUTHERN NEVADA PUBLIC TELEVISION
$25,000EDUCATION
ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING
$25,000EDUCATION
THE WIDOW'S MITE
$20,000HOMELESS HEALTH & WELFARE
ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING
$5,000EDUCATION
WHITTIER COLLEGE
$100,000EDUCATION
SOUTHERN NEVADA PUBLIC TELEVISION
$25,000EDUCATION
ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING
$25,000EDUCATIONEDUCATION
THE WIDOW'S MITE
$20,000HOMELESS HEALTH & WELFARE
ARK INSTITUTE OF LEARNING
$5,000EDUCATION