Harvard-Yenching Institute
The institute is an independent foundation dedicated to advancing higher education in asia in the humanities and social sciences, with special attention to the study of asian culture.
Harvard-Yenching Institute at a glance
In short: Harvard-Yenching Institute gave $3.1M across 2 grants in 2025 (avg $1.6M), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,129,082
- -1.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 2
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,564,541
- -1.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,564,541
- Total assets
- $402,829,351
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (71% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who Harvard-Yenching Institute funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Harvard University ($2.2M). Together the top 2 received $3.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
12 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $1–5M range: 6 grants of 12 (50%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 2 itemized grants.
Cities
How Harvard-Yenching Institute gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+16%). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $2.2M (2020) to $3.9M (2021). In 2025 it made 2 grants totaling $3.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard University Cambridge, MA | To support harvard-yenching library, harvard graduate programs, asia center monographs and harvard journal of asiatic studies. | $2,216,082 |
| United Board of Christian Higher Education in Asia New York, NY | To Support the Organization's Grant Programs in Asia | $913,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $402,829,351 | $8,181,510 | $8,433,621 | $3,129,082 | 2 | $8,068,156 |
| 2024 | $369,211,252 | $7,887,276 | $9,240,799 | $3,159,585 | 2 | $7,797,319 |
| 2023 | $344,178,257 | $7,211,857 | $7,753,630 | $3,218,508 | 3 | $7,100,632 |
| 2022 | $343,052,532 | $5,618,562 | $7,463,395 | $2,688,121 | 2 | $5,583,389 |
| 2021 | $357,386,063 | $5,038,189 | $7,136,523 | $3,912,648 | 3 | $4,981,118 |
| 2020 | $272,601,222 | $5,490,998 | $6,131,709 | $2,200,442 | 2 | $5,447,611 |
About Harvard-Yenching Institute
Based on IRS filings
Harvard-Yenching Institute is a public charity focused on International, Foreign Affairs & National Security, based in Cambridge, MA. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $402.8M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 2 grants totaling $3.1M. Net investment income was $8.1M.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Harvard-Yenching Institute is led by Yvonne Chan, Chairman since 2025 (on filings since 2023); 5 of 15 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Yvonne Chan
Chairman
Trustee → Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Robson
Director of Institute - Current
Trustee → Trustee -, 2024
Trustee - → Director of Institute - Current, 2025
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
$106K (2025)
Robert Murowchick
Trustee
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nicholas Harkness
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pareena Lawrence
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ya-Wen Lei
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Murck
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan Hecht
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Zolner
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Reed
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shigehisa Kuriyama
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth J. Perry
Director of Institute - Former
Director → Director of Institute, 2024
Director of Institute → Director of Institute - Former, 2025
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
$194K (2020) → $161K (2025)
Ruohong Li
Associate Director
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
$109K (2020) → $163K (2025)
Susan Scott
Assistant Director
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
$88K (2020) → $128K (2025)
Lindsay Strogatz
Program Coordinator
New on the 2025 filing
35 hrs/week
$101K (2025)
Former officers (11)
- Former: Christian Murck (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Helena Kolenda (2020–2024) — Chairman
- Former: Karen Thornber (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Carter Eckert (2021–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Kamal Ahmad (2021–2024) — Trustee
- Former: John Wheeler (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Nancy Chapman (2023) — Trustee
- Former: Judith Berling (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Su Yon Pak (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Sun Joo Kim (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Terrill Lautz (2020) — Chairman
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $163K, to Ruohong Li (Associate Director). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Harvard-Yenching Institute
How much does Harvard-Yenching Institute give each year?
Harvard-Yenching Institute gave $3.1M across 2 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $3.2M across 2 grants.
How large is Harvard-Yenching Institute?
Harvard-Yenching Institute reported $402.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $8.2M.
What is Harvard-Yenching Institute?
Harvard-Yenching Institute is a public charity focused on International, Foreign Affairs & National Security, based in Cambridge, MA. It holds $402.8M in total assets as of 2025.
Where does Harvard-Yenching Institute operate?
Harvard-Yenching Institute has awarded grants in Massachusetts, Michigan, New York.
What is Harvard-Yenching Institute's EIN?
Harvard-Yenching Institute's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-2062394. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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