David H Liu Foundation
The David H Liu Foundation is a private foundation based in San Diego, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants supporting education and engineering programs, medical research and humanitarian assistance, among other charitable activities.
David H Liu Foundation at a glance
In short: David H Liu Foundation gave $174K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $16K), mostly in California. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $173,874
- +12.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- -8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,807
- +22.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $16,774
- Total assets
- $4,376,831
- +13.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (2 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (64% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to David H Liu Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 8056 Auberge Circle, San Diego, CA 92127
Phone: (602) 881-8955
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who David H Liu Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Stanford University ($30K). Together the top 10 received $154K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($20,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
58 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 57 grants of 58 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 64% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 20% to New York, 10% to Florida, 3% to Minnesota, and 3% to Virginia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is David H Liu Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 10 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $19K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $23K repeat.
- 80% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 62% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 110% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $87K (2020) to $174K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $174K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford University Stanford, CA | Sponsered lecture series. | $30,000 |
| Tech Museum of Innovation San Jose, CA | Provided Tech Challenge program. | $30,000 |
| Cornell University Ithaca, NY | Sponsered research for students. | $30,000 |
| Scripps Health Foundation La Jolla, CA | Cancer research. | $30,000 |
| 1 individual scholarship Recipients not named | — | $20,000 |
| Schwab Charitable Orlando, FL | Sponsor charitable events. | $16,774 |
| Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN | Supported medical research. | $5,000 |
| Catholic Charities USA Alexandria, VA | Support charity events. | $5,000 |
| Doctors wo Borders New York, NY | Support independent, impartial medical humanitarian assistance. | $5,000 |
| UBuddhist Tzu Chi Foundation San Diego, CA | Support charity and health events. | $2,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,376,831 | $1,199,554 | $184,744 | $173,874 | 11 | $173,874 | $1,187,895 | $158,646 |
| 2024 | $3,864,437 | $529,201 | $176,196 | $154,870 | 12 | $154,870 | $506,884 | $148,968 |
| 2023 | $2,800,365 | $178,311 | $120,742 | $107,200 | 11 | $107,200 | $164,769 | — |
| 2022 | $1,927,475 | $23,665 | $123,917 | $107,200 | 11 | $107,200 | $6,948 | — |
| 2021 | $3,842,225 | $149,060 | $169,944 | $149,700 | 13 | $166,096 | $128,816 | — |
| 2020 | $3,100,910 | $363,516 | $99,476 | $87,100 | 11 | — | $351,140 | $99,476 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, David H Liu Foundation reported a distributable amount of $159K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s 2025 filing describes support for a public engineering design lecture series, a student science and engineering challenge, and research projects in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Its listed grants also include support for scholarships, cancer and other medical research, charitable events, and medical humanitarian assistance.
Among the organizations it supported, Mayo Clinic describes its mission as inspiring hope and contributing to health and well-being through patient care, education and research. This is Mayo Clinic’s description of its own mission.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $173,874. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $30,000, with a median of $16,774.
Notable 2025 grants included $30,000 each to Stanford University for a sponsored lecture series, the Tech Museum of Innovation for its Tech Challenge program, Cornell University for student research, and Scripps Health Foundation for cancer research. An individual recipient received $20,000 for financial aid and scholarships for bioengineering graduate programs. Other reported grants included $5,000 to Mayo Clinic for medical research and $5,000 to Doctors Without Borders for medical humanitarian assistance.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ying-Hsin Liu as president, Josephine J Liu as treasurer, Connie Liao as secretary, and Jeff Liu as director.
David H Liu Foundation is led by Ying-Hsin Liu, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ying-Hsin Liu
President
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Liu
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Connie Liao
Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Josephine J Liu
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about David H Liu Foundation
How much does David H Liu Foundation give each year?
David H Liu Foundation gave $174K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $155K across 12 grants.
What is David H Liu Foundation's typical grant size?
David H Liu Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $16,774, and its average grant was $15,807, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from David H Liu Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does David H Liu Foundation give grants?
David H Liu Foundation gives mostly in California: 64% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (20%) and Florida (10%).
Does David H Liu Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on David H Liu Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are David H Liu Foundation's largest grantees?
David H Liu Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Stanford University ($30,000), Tech Museum of Innovation ($30,000) and Cornell University ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($20,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is David H Liu Foundation?
David H Liu Foundation reported $4.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $174K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $159K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does David H Liu Foundation fund?
The foundation’s 2025 filing describes support for a public engineering design lecture series, a student science and engineering challenge, and research projects in mechanical and aerospace engineering. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from David H Liu Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is David H Liu Foundation's EIN?
David H Liu Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 86-0780229. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does David H Liu Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). David H Liu Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/david-h-liu-foundation-morg_8a0e5349eadf4965a25f012661a16191
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_860780229_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{David H Liu Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/david-h-liu-foundation-morg_8a0e5349eadf4965a25f012661a16191},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from David H Liu Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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