China Medical Board Inc.

China Medical Board (CMB) is one of the oldest American foundations working in Asia, founded in 1914 and holding assets of $337M as of 2024. Its giving philosophy is not traditional philanthropy — since formally becoming a direct operating foundation in 2016, CMB designs and co-manages programs rather than simply issuing checks. Grant seekers who approach CMB expecting a straightforward proposal-and-wait relationship will be disappointed; those who position themselves as genuine collaborative partners aligned with CMB's institutional agenda have a far stronger chance.

CMB operates through three substantive program tracks: Health Policy and Systems Sciences (its largest by expense at $2.75M), Health Professional and Medical Education ($1.88M), and the Equity Initiative for Southeast Asia ($989K). A fourth Southeast Asia general track ($892K) supports regional networking and programming. Every proposal must fit clearly within one of these tracks — there is no general grant category.

The foundation's historical grantee list is dominated by Chinese academic medical institutions. Peking University Health-Science Center has received 17 grants totaling $1.46M; Peking Union Medical College, Fudan, Central South, and Sun Yat-Sen Universities together account for millions more across dozens of grants. These relationships have been cultivated over decades. First-time applicants without pre-existing ties to these anchor institutions should seek co-applicant status from one of them, or demonstrate equivalent institutional standing through a track record of peer-reviewed work in CMB's focus geographies.

For the Open Competition grants — the primary pathway for research teams — CMB requires a binational PI structure: one PI based in China (or Southeast Asia) and one based in the United States. The 2025 cycle required both PIs to have received their terminal degree or completed postdoctoral/residency training within the past 10 years. This early-career emphasis is intentional; CMB sees itself as investing in the next generation of Asian health leaders, not rewarding established scholars.

Relationship cultivation before submitting a formal application is important. Program officers at the Beijing office (cmbbeijing@cmbfound.org) and the Bangkok office are accessible and can clarify alignment before significant proposal-writing investment. CMB's planning grants (typically $20,000-$50,000) serve as an explicit on-ramp for organizations developing new programs — these are worth pursuing before a full competitive grant if your concept is still forming.

CMB's annual total giving has ranged from $5.9M (2019) to $14.6M (2023) over the five years of available data, with a 2019-2023 average of approximately $10.5M per year. Assets have grown from $295M (2019) to $337M (2024), driven primarily by investment returns.

The Open Competition grant database reveals a clear grant-size structure. Median grant: $80,000 (per foundation records). Range: $669 (a supplemental Myanmar scholarship) to $767,855 (a multi-year Peking Union Medical Foundation institutional grant). The vast majority of open competition research awards cluster between $50,000 and $80,000 per project. Planning grants typically run $20,000-$50,000. Implementation projects — which translate research into practice — command $80,000-$100,000. Multi-year institutional partnership grants for flagship programs (Global Health Leadership Development, pediatric training, fellowship programs) reach $400,000-$617,000 in aggregate.

By program area (from 990 expense data): Health Policy & Systems Sciences absorbs the largest share at $2.75M; Health Professional/Medical Education at $1.88M; Equity Initiative (Southeast Asia direct operating) at $989K; Southeast Asia general grantmaking at $892K. These proportions have been relatively stable, though the Equity Initiative is expanding with the new Bangkok office.

Geographically, China-based institutions account for approximately 80% of grant dollars. Peking University Health-Science Center alone represents 14.6% of the tracked grant sample ($1.46M). US-based institutional partners — Yale ($617K), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia ($400K), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine ($550K) — receive grants primarily as overseas operating hosts for fellowship programs, not as independent research grantees.

Southeast Asia grants (Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia) are smaller in size, typically $30,000-$50,000, and support civil society organizations, universities, and public health institutes addressing health equity and marginalized populations.

CMB's asset-size peers from the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category represent very different strategic mandates — useful for benchmarking scale but not thematic alignment:

What distinguishes CMB from every asset-size peer is its exclusive international mandate and its role as a direct operating foundation. All five foundations manage endowments in the $332-342M range, but only CMB focuses entirely on Asia — making it the dominant private American foundation for US-China and US-Southeast Asia health sector collaboration. CMB's competitive open competition track also sets it apart; most comparably sized foundations rely on invited proposals or prior relationships, while CMB maintains a genuine open call mechanism (with binational eligibility requirements) that creates pathways for new entrants.

The most consequential recent development is the appointment of Dr. Thaksaphon Thamarangsi as Chief Representative and Director of the Bangkok Office, effective January 1, 2026. Dr. Thamarangsi previously served in senior roles at the International Health Policy Program of Thailand's Ministry of Public Health — a direct CMB grantee ($49,903 in the tracked sample). His appointment signals CMB's intent to deepen its Southeast Asia presence beyond grantmaking into sustained programmatic partnership.

In 2024, CMB celebrated its 110th anniversary, marking over a century of uninterrupted philanthropic work in Asia — a milestone that reinforced the foundation's long-term institutional identity and commitment to the region.

The 2025 Open Competition Grants Program introduced a thematic focus on healthy aging, with attention to clinical and translational projects, implementation science, and health system strengthening. This represents a thematic consolidation relative to prior years' broader public health framing.

CMB launched a new U.S. Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for American biomedical scholars, offering 1-2 year placements at Chinese partner institutions. This bidirectional exchange supplement suggests CMB is actively rebuilding US-China scientific bridge programs during a period of geopolitical tension between the two countries.

No major leadership changes to the board or US-based senior staff are apparent from available records. Harvey V. Fineberg (former IOM/NAM president), Frederick Zuliu Hu, Jeffrey P. Koplan (former CDC director), and Suzanne Siskel continue as trustees, providing strong global health policy credibility to the board.

Know the binational PI requirement cold. The Open Competition track mandates one PI from China or Southeast Asia and one from the United States. Both must have received their terminal degree (PhD, ScD, DrPH, or MD) or completed postdoctoral/residency training within the past 10 years (2015 or later for 2025). Senior faculty who completed training before 2015 are ineligible as PIs — they can serve as co-investigators or mentors, but the lead PI slot must go to an early-career researcher.

Match the annual theme before drafting. CMB's Open Competition changes its thematic focus annually. In 2025 it was healthy aging; in prior years it has covered mental health, maternal and child health, and infectious disease. Check cmbfound.org in January-February each year before investing in proposal development. Submitting a well-crafted proposal that doesn't match the announced theme is a hard disqualifier.

Anchor to an established CMB partner institution. Proposals from researchers at Peking University, PUMC, Fudan, Central South, Sun Yat-Sen, Zhejiang, or Sichuan Universities carry implicit credibility because CMB has deep institutional relationships with these schools. If your China-side PI is at a less prominent institution, pair the application with a co-investigator or advisory role from a CMB anchor school.

Use planning grants as a deliberate strategy. CMB awards planning grants ($20,000-$50,000) to organizations developing programs that may not yet be ready for full competition. These are not consolation prizes — they are explicitly designed as on-ramps. If your concept is early-stage, request a planning grant first, deliver strong results, then apply for an implementation or open competition grant in a subsequent cycle.

For Southeast Asia proposals, engage the Bangkok office. The Equity Initiative targets health equity leaders in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Typical awards: $30,000-$50,000 to civil society organizations and universities. Contact the Bangkok office for current guidelines; the Beijing office (cmbbeijing@cmbfound.org) handles China-focused inquiries. Do not conflate the two tracks.

Emphasize implementation and systems, not just discovery. CMB's mission is squarely in health professional education and health systems strengthening — not basic science. Even clinical research proposals should explain how findings will influence training, policy, or health system practice in the target region. Pure laboratory or biomedical science proposals will not be competitive.