Ruan Family Foundation
Ruan Family Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. Its 2024 filing reports $4,444,212 in grants to charitable organizations, including support for higher education and organizations working in areas such as basic needs, health, animal welfare, food security, mental health, and public media.
Ruan Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Ruan Family Foundation gave $4.4M across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $342K), top state Ohio. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $4,444,212
- -2.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 13
- +8.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $341,862
- -10.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $90,520,129
- -1.5% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Ohio (27% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Ruan Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1 Embarcadero Ctr 2410, San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone: (415) 439-1144
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ruan Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Lanzhou University Education Development Foundation ($3.0M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $4.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
32 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 24 grants of 32 (75%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grants listed include recipients in California, Ohio, New York, and Washington, D.C. The largest listed grant was to Lanzhou University Education Development Foundation, whose location is not specified in the filing information provided.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
How Ruan Family Foundation gives
- 50% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 16360% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 92% 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 (2024). 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 2021 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $27K (2021) to $5.1M (2022). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $4.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lanzhou University Education Development Foundation | To Support Higher Education | $2,900,000 |
| Fidelity Charitable Cincinatti, OH | Allocated to the Ruan Family Fund Giving Account | $1,194,212 |
| Lanzhou University Education Development Foundation | To Support Higher Education | $100,000 |
| Animal Legal Defense Fund Cotati, CA | To provide legal assistance to prosecuters in their fight against animal cruelty | $25,000 |
| BABY2BABY Los Angeles, CA | To provide children living in poverty with diapers, clothing and other basic necessities | $25,000 |
| City of Hope Duarte, CA | To conquer cancer and diabetes for people everywhere by integrating scientific discovery, clinical ingenuity and compassion | $25,000 |
| Medecins Sans Frontieres USA New York, NY | To provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare | $25,000 |
| Wallis Annenberg Petspace Playa Vista, CA | To strengthen the bonds between us and all animals and pets, and to form innovative new policies and partnerships - to save animals' lives through adoption and education, and to help make our communities moreanimal-friendly | $25,000 |
| The Whole Child Whittier, CA | To Empower Families Towards Healing, Health, and Homes. | $25,000 |
| Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Los Angeles, CA | To source and acquire nutritious food and other products and distribute them to people experiencing nutrition insecurity through our partner agency network and directly through programs | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Ruan Family 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $90,520,129 | $3,721,787 | $5,084,125 | $4,444,212 | 13 | $4,470,330 | $3,076,773 | $4,854,304 |
| 2023 | $91,882,467 | $1,034,386 | $5,319,846 | $4,572,417 | 12 | $4,596,916 | $1,038,612 | $4,453,742 |
| 2022 | $96,167,927 | $679,892 | $5,652,948 | $5,130,417 | 5 | $5,168,071 | $1,224,421 | $4,712,871 |
| 2021 | $101,123,601 | $1,511,834 | $353,573 | $27,000 | 2 | $29,100 | $1,207,361 | $5,029,804 |
| 2020 | $100,000,027 | $100,000,027 | — | — | — | — | $27 | $26,913 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ruan Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.9M for 2024 — 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for higher education through grants to Lanzhou University Education Development Foundation, as well as grants to organizations addressing children’s basic needs, cancer and diabetes, medical emergencies, animal welfare, family support, food insecurity, mental health, and public media.
Among the grantees whose missions are provided, Baby2Baby says it provides children in need with diapers, formula, clothing, and other necessities. City of Hope describes its mission as making hope a reality for people touched by cancer and diabetes. Médecins Sans Frontières USA says it provides independent medical humanitarian emergency aid. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank says it mobilizes resources to fight hunger in its community, and Southern California Public Radio says it strengthens civic and cultural bonds through news and information.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 13 grants totaling $4,444,212. Grants ranged from $25,000 to $2,900,000, with a median grant of $25,000. The largest listed grants were $2,900,000 and $100,000 to Lanzhou University Education Development Foundation for higher education, and $1,194,212 to Fidelity Charitable, allocated to the Ruan Family Fund giving account.
Other listed 2024 grants include $25,000 each to Animal Legal Defense Fund, Baby2Baby, City of Hope, Médecins Sans Frontières USA, Wallis Annenberg PetSpace, The Whole Child, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, NAMI Westside Los Angeles, and Southern California Public Radio. The filing also lists a $25,000 grant to Hopewell Fund.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists George Ruan as director and president, and Grace Ruan as director, secretary, and CFO.
Ruan Family Foundation is led by George Ruan, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
George Ruan
Director & President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Grace Ruan
Director, Secretary & CFO
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Ruan Family Foundation
How much does Ruan Family Foundation give each year?
Ruan Family Foundation gave $4.4M across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $4.6M across 12 grants.
What is Ruan Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Ruan Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $341,862, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Ruan Family Foundation give grants?
Ruan Family Foundation's top state is Ohio, with 27% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (3 grants).
Does Ruan Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on Ruan Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Ruan Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Ruan Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Lanzhou University Education Development Foundation ($3,000,000 across 2 grants), Fidelity Charitable ($1,194,212) and Animal Legal Defense Fund ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 95% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Ruan Family Foundation?
Ruan Family Foundation reported $90.5M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.9M (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 Ruan Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ruan Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ruan Family Foundation's EIN?
Ruan Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-4389719. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Ruan Family 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Ruan Family Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ruan Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ruan-family-foundation-morg_a50d3e2956d14644a5b51ac4d9c28b4d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_854389719_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ruan Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ruan-family-foundation-morg_a50d3e2956d14644a5b51ac4d9c28b4d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Ruan Family 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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