Hsieh Family Foundation

The Hsieh Family Foundation is a closely held, relationship-driven vehicle for Ming Hsieh — founder of biometrics firm Cogent Inc. (sold to 3M for $943M in 2010) and current CEO of Fulgent Genetics — and his wife Fang Zhi Liu Hsieh, who serve as its only two directors and take zero compensation across every year on file. Every data point confirms this is not a cold-application funder: the foundation's own application_instructions field is blank, IRS-derived data flags it as "preselected_only," and third-party grant databases (Instrumentl, Grantable, GrantExec) independently report that Hsieh does not accept unsolicited proposals. Grants flow almost entirely to institutions where Ming or Fang Zhi Liu already has a personal, professional, or civic tie: USC (his alma mater, where Viterbi School of Engineering, the dentistry school, and the USC-Ming Hsieh Institute for cancer research/nanomedicine have all received gifts), Polytechnic School in Pasadena (a K-12 school that received five separate gifts totaling $1.39M), and a cluster of Chinese-American civic and cultural organizations (Committee of 100, National Committee on US-China Relations, China Institute in America, American Avatamsaka Association) reflecting Hsieh's identity as a Chinese-immigrant entrepreneur. First-time applicants without an existing tie to the Hsieh family, USC, or the Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley Chinese-American civic network have essentially no realistic path to funding through a cold LOI or portal — none exists. The one credible on-ramp is relationship-building: appearing at USC Viterbi, National Academy of Engineering, or Committee of 100 events the foundation already sponsors, or securing an introduction through a current grantee. Organizations in health/cancer research, STEM/engineering education, and Asian-American civic advancement are the closest philosophical fit; proposals framed as institution-building (endowments, named funds, named institutes, capital pledges) rather than annual program or operating support match the pattern of the largest gifts ($100K-$1.43M), while smaller gala/event sponsorships ($5K-$35K) are more accessible entry points. Given the foundation's modest and shrinking asset base ($7.67M, down from $25.66M in 2012), expect it to fund smaller relationship gifts while Hsieh's largest philanthropy — over $85M in direct commitments to USC — bypasses the foundation entirely.

Financial data spanning 2012-2024 show a foundation in long-term asset decline paired with highly volatile annual giving. Total assets fell from $25.66M in 2012 to $7.665M in 2024 — a roughly 70% contraction — while total giving swung between $504,937 (FY2023) and $7,634,284 (FY2022), with no steady multi-year pattern. FY2022 was an outlier: $7,490,500 in grants paid against $9.11M in year-end assets, driven substantially by a single $1.43M COVID-19 research gift to Fudan University's Education Development Foundation and a $1M endowment gift to City of Hope. By contrast, FY2023 reverted to a modest $418,710 in grants paid, and FY2020 (the pandemic year) saw $3.55M in grants including COVID-relief-labeled gifts to Committee of 100 and USC. Across the 49 grants captured in the foundation's aggregate grantee history ($6,658,043 total, averaging $135,878 each), the distribution is bimodal: a handful of six- and seven-figure institutional/endowment gifts (Fudan University $1.43M, Polytechnic School $1.394M across five payments, City of Hope $1M, University of New Haven/Henry C. Lee Institute $420K, National Committee on US-China Relations $350K, Committee of 100 $284K, Richard Nixon Foundation $530K combined across two gifts, National Academy of Engineering $263,770) sit alongside two dozen small gala-sponsorship or program gifts in the $5,000-$35,000 range (Boy Scouts of America LA Area Council, National Academy of Inventors, China Institute in America, Asia Society Southern California, UCLA Foundation, AIMBE). The single most recent tax year captured in detail (11 grants) shows a much smaller typical gift — median $10,000, average $42,434, range $2,000-$250,000 — suggesting a pullback from the mega-gift years of 2020-2022 toward smaller, steadier relationship gifts. Geographically, California dominates with 29 of 49 grantees (59%), reflecting Hsieh's Pasadena base and USC ties; New York (8) and Washington DC (7) form a secondary cluster tied to national civic/policy organizations (Nixon Foundation, Hudson Institute, National Committee on US-China Relations), with single grantees in Connecticut, Florida, and Texas. By program area, higher education and research (USC, Fudan, University of New Haven, City of Hope) captures the largest dollar share of the aggregate — roughly 45-50% — followed by K-12/STEM and engineering education (~25%, largely Polytechnic School and NAE/NAI) and Chinese-American civic/cultural organizations (~15%).

The Hsieh Family Foundation sits in an unusually tight cluster of five small family foundations, all reporting between $7.665M and $7.667M in total assets — a peer set that appears matched by asset size rather than by shared program focus, since all five share the generic "Philanthropy & Grantmaking" NTEE classification rather than a common cause area.

Hsieh stands out among this asset-matched peer group as the only one with a clearly documented, invitation-only, relationship-based grantmaking pattern tied to one family's personal and institutional network (USC, Pasadena, Chinese-American civic groups). Its giving is also far more volatile year to year — a roughly 15x swing between its lowest and highest recent years — than would be expected of a typical program-driven foundation of this size, reflecting a small, closely held vehicle that opportunistically funds large one-off institutional gifts rather than running a competitive annual grant cycle. Grant seekers should treat the other foundations in this cluster the same way by default — as small, closely held family vehicles unlikely to have open applications regardless of NTEE classification — pending direct confirmation from each.

No foundation-specific press releases or grant announcements were found for 2025-2026; the Hsieh Family Foundation does not appear to issue public communications of its own. The only confirmed recent filing activity is the foundation's FY2024 Form 990-PF, posted to public 990 aggregators on 2026-04-07, showing $7,665,476 in total assets and $1,432,330 in total revenue — a filing that does not yet report itemized total_giving or grants_paid figures for FY2024 in aggregator data, meaning FY2024 grant-level detail was not available at the time of this research.

The most relevant recent public activity involving the foundation's namesake is USC Viterbi School of Engineering's November 2024 feature, "Celebrating Electrical Engineering Pioneer Ming Hsieh," marking continued recognition of Hsieh's two-decade relationship with USC. His $35M gift in 2006 endowed the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and his $50M gift in 2010 created the USC Ming Hsieh Institute for cancer research and nanomedicine. Hsieh remains active as CEO of publicly traded Fulgent Genetics, which he founded in 2011 and took public in 2016, and continues to serve as a USC trustee.

No leadership changes have been identified — Ming Hsieh (Chairman) and Fang Zhi Liu Hsieh (Secretary/CFO) have held the foundation's only two director seats across every filing reviewed, both at $0 compensation. Grant seekers should not expect a program announcement, RFP, or annual report cycle from this foundation; its "news" is effectively limited to the annual 990-PF filing and whatever institutional press its grantees (USC, City of Hope, Polytechnic School) generate about gifts received.

Given the invitation-only, relationship-first reality of this funder, generic LOI advice does not apply. Concrete, funder-specific tips:

1. Do not submit a cold LOI or search for a grants portal — none exists. The application_instructions field on file is blank, and the foundation's own website (hsieh.org) contains no Programs, How to Apply, or Contact page beyond a bare greeting. 2. Build the relationship before the ask. Every seven-figure grant on record (Fudan University $1.43M, City of Hope $1M, University of New Haven/Henry C. Lee Institute $420K) went to an institution with a pre-existing personal tie to Ming or Fang Zhi Liu Hsieh — an alma mater, a personal cause, or a fund/institute already bearing the family name. Organizations without that tie should focus on securing a warm introduction through a current grantee rather than applying directly. 3. Lead with institution-building framing, not annual program funding. The largest gifts are overwhelmingly endowments, named funds, pledge payments, or capital/research institutes — not one-year operating grants. A multi-year pledge or named-fund proposal is a far stronger fit than a program budget ask. 4. Target the right entry point for smaller asks. Gala tables, sponsorships, and event underwriting ($5,000-$35,000) — seen with the Boy Scouts of America LA Area Council, National Academy of Inventors, and China Institute in America — represent the most accessible funding tier and typically flow through event invitations rather than written proposals. 5. If your mission touches Chinese-American civic life, US-China relations, engineering/STEM education, or cancer and health research, and you can trace any connection to USC, Pasadena, or the Committee of 100/National Committee on US-China Relations network, reference that overlap explicitly in any outreach — it is the clearest philosophical alignment on record. 6. Address inquiries to the foundation's listed contact, "c/o Fong Liu," at 1289 S El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106, or by phone at (213) 334-7256 — the only documented contact channel, since no email address or online form is on file. 7. Expect volatility, not a calendar. With giving ranging from $504,937 to $7,634,284 year to year and no disclosed application_deadline or funding_cycle, this is not a foundation with a predictable annual RFP — approach opportunistically around a specific institutional milestone (a named-gift announcement, an endowment closing, an anniversary event) rather than a grant cycle. 8. Common mistake to avoid: treating this like a mid-size family foundation with a program office. It has zero paid staff — officer compensation is $0 for both directors across every year on file — so there is no program officer to court, only the two family principals themselves.