Lui Foundation
Lui Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. In 2025, it reported 12 grants totaling $292,612 to charitable organizations, including organizations in California, New York, Washington, and Colorado.
Lui Foundation at a glance
In short: Lui Foundation gave $293K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $24K), mostly in California. 50% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $292,612
- +18.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $24,384
- +8.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $16,000
- Total assets
- $9,523,521
- +15.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 50% first-time grantees (6 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (75% 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 Lui Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 433 California St Ste 700, San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: (415) 982-1321
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Lui Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was China Institute in America ($60K). Together the top 10 received $288K.
Grant Size Distribution
48 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 39 grants of 48 (81%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 75% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 21% to New York, 3% to Washington, and 1% to Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Lui Foundation open to new grantees?
50%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 12 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $21K; repeat grants $28K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 42% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 85% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 68% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 $156K (2020) to $293K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $293K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| China Institute in America New York, NY | general fund | $60,000 |
| SF Host Committee San Francisco, CA | general fund | $50,000 |
| UC San Francisco Foundation San Francisco, CA | general fund | $50,000 |
| Asian Art Museum San Francisco, CA | general fund | $42,100 |
| Chinese Historical Society of America San Francisco, CA | general fund | $29,379 |
| Rose Pak Community Fund San Francisco, CA | general fund | $20,000 |
| San Francisco opera San Francisco, CA | general fund | $12,000 |
| MG2 Foundation Seattle, WA | donation | $10,000 |
| SF Chinese chamber of commerce San Francisco, CA | general fund | $8,800 |
| SF Symphony San Francisco, CA | general fund | $6,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Lui Foundation?
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 | $9,523,521 | $131,607 | $295,437 | $292,612 | 12 | $295,437 | $131,607 | $436,308 |
| 2024 | $8,268,853 | $16,596 | $249,647 | $247,072 | 11 | $247,072 | $75,764 | $379,589 |
| 2023 | $7,188,701 | $67,751 | $200,777 | $198,216 | 6 | $198,216 | $67,751 | $314,102 |
| 2022 | $5,604,964 | $106,733 | $168,808 | $157,779 | 10 | $157,779 | $106,733 | $331,904 |
| 2021 | $7,933,653 | $604,317 | $280,818 | $268,800 | 9 | $280,818 | $604,317 | $353,281 |
| 2020 | $6,753,883 | $92,660 | $164,658 | $155,680 | 6 | — | $418,189 | $315,249 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lui Foundation reported a distributable amount of $436K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in areas such as Chinese culture and education, Chinese American history, San Francisco Chinatown community projects, and arts and media. These descriptions reflect the grantees’ own missions: China Institute in America says it advances understanding of China through education, culture, business, and art; the Chinese Historical Society of America says it documents, studies, and presents Chinese American history; the Rose Pak Community Fund says it supports projects affecting San Francisco Chinatown and the Chinese American community; and Chinatown Media and Arts Collaborative says it operates a platform supporting creative expression at the intersection of community, culture, art, and media.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave 12 grants totaling $292,612. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $60,000, with a median of $16,000.
The largest grants included $60,000 to China Institute in America, $50,000 each to SF Host Committee and UC San Francisco Foundation, $42,100 to Asian Art Museum, $29,379 to Chinese Historical Society of America, and $20,000 to Rose Pak Community Fund. The filing lists the purposes of these grants as general fund.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lawrence Lui and Gorretti Lui as directors.
Lui Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Gorretti Lui
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lawrence Lui
Director
On filings since 2020
2 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 Lui Foundation
How much does Lui Foundation give each year?
Lui Foundation gave $293K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $247K across 11 grants.
What is Lui Foundation's typical grant size?
Lui Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $16,000, and its average grant was $24,384, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Lui Foundation that year got $21K on average.
Where does Lui Foundation give grants?
Lui Foundation gives mostly in California: 75% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (21%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (9 grants).
Does Lui Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 92% of Lui Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Lui Foundation's largest grantees?
Lui Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include China Institute in America ($60,000), SF Host Committee ($50,000) and UC San Francisco Foundation ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 55% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Lui Foundation?
Lui Foundation reported $9.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $295K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $436K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Lui Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in areas such as Chinese culture and education, Chinese American history, San Francisco Chinatown community projects, and arts and media. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lui Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Lui Foundation's EIN?
Lui Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3813205. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Lui 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 16, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 30, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Lui Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders with grantees in common, and similar funders in California
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Mountain View, CA
Silicon Valley Community Foundation funds work in areas such as housing, economic security, education, health, the environment, arts and culture, and civic engagement, with Community Action Grants supporting local, community-led organizations in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Its 2024 grants had a median of $51,716, though amounts varied widely; applications depend on the program, and SVCF states that it does not accept unsolicited proposals for advised funds.
Assets
$12.3B
Grants
3,576
Total Given
$3.2B
Mimi and Peter Haas Fund
San Francisco, CA
The Fund supports early education, arts and culture, poverty-focused solutions, public schools, and medical research, with most 2024 grant dollars going to California and additional funding in New York, Massachusetts, Washington, and Pennsylvania. Its 2024 grants ranged from $1,000 to $2.75 million, with a median of $15,000. The filing says there are no required application forms or materials, deadlines, or award restrictions, but does not explicitly say whether it accepts unsolicited requests.
Assets
$177.6M
Grants
238
Total Given
$15.2M
East Bay Community Foundation
Oakland, CA
East Bay Community Foundation funds arts and culture for social justice, racial-equity capacity building, community organizing and movement building, and inclusive economic models, prioritizing communities affected by structural inequities. Its 2025 grants had a median of $25,000, though amounts varied widely, and generally support organizations in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Most strategy-guided grants are by invitation, with applications opened periodically; donor-advised fund grants may also be made without an application.
Assets
$514.0M
Grants
842
Total Given
$62.8M
Jessie Cheng Charitable Foundation
San Francisco, CA
The Jessie Cheng Charitable Foundation supports organizations in arts and culture, community services, health, education, and immigration history, with most funding going to California. Its 2024 grants ranged from $107 to $50,000, with a median of $2,500. It funds only preselected charities and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Assets
$2.9M
Grants
46
Total Given
$244K
California Community Foundation
Los Angeles, CA
The California Community Foundation supports nonprofits through discretionary and donor-directed grants, with discretionary priorities including education, health, housing and immigration, alongside other areas such as arts, civic engagement and economic opportunity. Its 2025 grants had a median of $50,000, and its work is focused on Los Angeles County; prospective discretionary applicants are asked to contact the relevant program officer before submitting a letter of intent.
Assets
$2.3B
Grants
2,174
Total Given
$326.6M
The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
Menlo Park, CA
The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation funds education, climate and conservation, the arts, democracy, gender equity, racial justice, and efforts to strengthen nonprofits and philanthropy, with work spanning the San Francisco Bay Area, the U.S. West, and locations including East and West Africa and Mexico. Its 2024 grants had a median award of $150,000, though amounts varied widely. It generally does not accept unsolicited requests, but sometimes invites proposals through open processes.
Assets
$14.2B
Grants
2,001
Total Given
$625.0M
More similar funders
More Funders in California
Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Lui Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lui-foundation-morg_0500243ba8fe487eb68a70ffec91a10e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203813205_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Lui Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/lui-foundation-morg_0500243ba8fe487eb68a70ffec91a10e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Lui 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.
Lui Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?