Daofeng & Angela Foundation Corporation

The Daofeng & Angela Foundation Corporation is a family-driven private foundation founded in 2016 by Dao Feng He, a Chinese-American entrepreneur turned philanthropist. He built a business career restructuring distressed Chinese companies — most notably growing Sinobright Group from 300 million to 14 billion RMB in market value over 15 years — before pivoting to full-time philanthropy. His 17 years as unpaid volunteer chairman of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, growing annual fundraising from $2.5 million to over $90 million, reflects a patient, relationship-first giving philosophy that carries directly into the foundation's grantmaking model.

The foundation's explicit mission is preserving the roots of universal values, anchored in a Christian faith-based worldview that bridges Eastern and Western philosophical and religious traditions. Its four declared funding pillars — Comparative Research on Faith, Research and Practice of Universal Values, Conservation of Heritage and Tradition, and Disaster Response — reflect this dual-heritage orientation. In practice, grantmaking concentrates on organizations sharing a conservative, faith-anchored values framework: explicitly Christian mission organizations (Ambassadors for Christ, Bridges International, Rockville Evangelical Mission Church) and institutions advancing cross-cultural faith scholarship (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Wheaton College).

This is a preselection-only foundation: the 990-PF filings explicitly confirm the organization funds only preselected organizations and does not consider unsolicited requests. With only 8–12 grantees per year and a small leadership team — Dao Feng He as unpaid President, Angela He as paid Director at $60,000, and communications specialist Ying Ye hired in 2024 — grantmaking relationships are personal and relationship-dependent.

The typical relationship progression begins with introductory contact via service@dafnet.org, where the foundation evaluates alignment before extending a formal invitation. First-time grantees often receive smaller, unrestricted trust-based grants — particularly grassroots organizations — while returning partners receive multi-year, project-specific restricted funding with formal reporting requirements. Young America's Foundation ($430,015 across two grants) and China Folk House Retreat ($290,369 across two grants) illustrate this deepening partnership model.

First-time applicants should understand that the foundation values cultural and philosophical alignment above organizational size or track record. Smaller grassroots organizations with genuine connections to the foundation's values — especially at the intersection of Eastern-Western religious dialogue, investigative journalism, or heritage conservation — have a viable path if they can establish a personal relationship with foundation leadership.

The Daofeng & Angela Foundation Corporation has grown its annual giving significantly since its 2016 founding. Total giving reached $439,286 in FY2019 (earliest full public data year), jumped to $1,301,793 in FY2020 coinciding with $4.96 million in new contributions received, and has settled into a range of $993,180 to $1,227,905 annually from FY2021 through FY2023. The FY2024 figure is not yet in the public 990-PF database, but ProPublica data suggests charitable disbursements of approximately $1.39 million, indicating continued growth.

Typical grant size data from 990-PF disclosures shows a median grant of $100,000, with a range from $10,000 (Syracuse Chinese Christian Church) to $430,015 (Young America's Foundation across two grants). The average per-transaction grant is $88,612, though cumulative multi-year amounts to top grantees run considerably higher. In a typical year, the foundation makes 8–12 grants to 6–10 distinct organizations.

By program area (based on all disclosed grantee history totaling $1,595,022 across 18 transactions):

• Youth education and conservative values (Young America's Foundation): approximately 27% of total disclosed giving ($430,015)
• Faith and religion-related activities (Flagstone Foundation, Bridges International, Ambassadors for Christ, Rockville Evangelical Mission Church, Syracuse Chinese Christian Church): approximately 26% ($415,000)
• Cultural heritage preservation (China Folk House Retreat, C&O Canal Trust): approximately 25% ($396,419)
• Journalism and media (ETA, Sohrn): approximately 12.5% ($200,000)
• Academic research (Wheaton College, Georgetown University): approximately 6.5% ($103,588)
• Asian Pacific American civic engagement (International Leadership Foundation): approximately 3% ($50,000)

Geographically, the foundation concentrates grantmaking in the Washington D.C. metro corridor: Maryland claims 5 of 13 disclosed grantees, Virginia 2, and Washington D.C. itself 3, with occasional grants reaching New York (2), West Virginia (2), Pennsylvania (1), California (1), and Florida (1). Total foundation assets have remained stable at $21.2–26.7 million over five years, with net investment income of $738,355 in FY2022 indicating a well-managed endowment. The consistent 4–6% annual payout ratio signals an active, disciplined funder unlikely to dramatically scale giving volume in any single cycle.

The Daofeng & Angela Foundation Corporation occupies a cohort of mid-sized private family foundations in the $21–22 million asset range, all classified under NTEE code T20 (Private Grantmaking Foundations). The table below compares this foundation to its five closest asset-class peers:

Note: Estimated annual giving for peers is based on the standard 5% private foundation minimum distribution requirement applied to asset levels; actual figures may vary and are unavailable in public records for several peers.

What distinguishes Daofeng & Angela from this peer group is its unusually transparent online presence — a full website detailing funding pillars, active projects, and leadership bios — and its explicit cross-cultural Eastern-Western philosophical mission. Most peers in this asset tier operate with minimal public-facing documentation. The foundation's conservative, faith-anchored values orientation makes it a distinct niche player in its peer cohort, and its consistent payout of 5–6% of assets suggests it operates near the upper end of the peer group's distribution range.

The most notable governance development in 2025 was the addition of Stanley He to the board of directors. The founder's son — a biotech industry forecaster — joined in 2025, bringing next-generation family leadership into the foundation's governance, a common succession pattern for founder-led family foundations approaching a decade of operation.

On the programmatic side, the foundation launched a new grant to Cornerstone Schools of Washington D.C. in December 2025, running through December 2026. This marks the foundation's most visible foray into K-12 faith-based education, a category not previously prominent in the disclosed grant record.

As of mid-2026, the foundation maintains eight active projects across its funding pillars: The Dao Prize with Young America's Foundation (ongoing since March 2023); PragerU Chinese Translation Channel (since May 2024); East Asian Christianity Conference at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (ongoing since 2024); research on the Cizhong Catholic Church with China Folk House Retreat (since May 2025); the C&O Canal Bench Donation Program with C&O Canal Trust (ongoing since December 2017); Ambassadors for Christ (since June 2022); and Cornerstone Schools of Washington D.C. (December 2025–December 2026).

The FY2024 Form 990-PF filed November 5, 2025 disclosed three named grantees: Young Americas Foundation ($303,000 for Young Americans Programs), Bridges International ($120,000 for religion-related activities), and Ambassadors for Christ ($59,664 for religion-related activities), with total disbursements of approximately $1.39 million. The foundation also hired communications specialist Ying Ye at $100,000 in FY2024 — the most senior professional hire in its operating history — signaling a more active external outreach posture.

The single most important fact for any applicant: Daofeng & Angela Foundation Corporation funds exclusively by preselection and invitation. The foundation's 990-PF filings explicitly confirm it does not consider unsolicited funding requests. Cold grant proposals — regardless of quality — will not advance through any formal process.

That said, the foundation's public website and direct contact address (service@dafnet.org) indicate openness to relationship inquiries that demonstrate genuine mission alignment. The pathway for new organizations is relationship development, not application submission.

Optimal timing: The foundation does not publish application cycles or annual deadlines. Grant relationships appear to be initiated year-round based on strategic fit. The December–January period may correspond to new project launches (Cornerstone Schools began December 2025; the Vision Conference with Bridges International was held December 2024), suggesting fall outreach could position an organization for a Q4 relationship conversation.

Language and alignment: All outreach must deeply engage the foundation's core framing around roots of universal values and the integration of faith, love, and responsibility. The foundation has articulated concern that contemporary society has allowed freedom and equality to lose its foundational basis of love and responsibility. Organizations that can articulate how their work restores that foundation — through journalism, faith, education, or heritage work — have the strongest alignment.

For faith-based organizations: Demonstrate practical application of cross-cultural Christian values. The foundation funds a spectrum from grassroots campus ministry (Ambassadors for Christ) to international religious programming (Bridges International) to academic faith scholarship (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Wheaton College).

For journalism organizations: Reference The Dao Prize explicitly — the foundation's named annual award recognizes accuracy and courage in investigative reporting. Frame media work in these specific terms; avoid framing around neutrality or objectivity alone.

For heritage and conservation organizations: The C&O Canal Trust relationship — ongoing since December 2017 across $106,050 in two grants — shows the foundation values long-term stewardship partnerships. Tangible, project-based conservation work with visible community benefit is preferred over general operating support.

Pitfalls to avoid: Framing proposals in secular or politically neutral language when the foundation has an explicit conservative, faith-based values orientation. Submitting any materials without a prior personal introduction to foundation leadership.