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Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation
The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation was formed in 2008 in Los Angeles by surgeon, entrepreneur, and inventor Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and his wife, actress...
Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation
The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation was formed in 2008 in Los Angeles by surgeon, entrepreneur, and inventor Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and his wife, actress and philanthropist Michele Chan. The foundation's capital originates from Soon-Shiong's career developing and commercializing novel drug-delivery technologies; he invented the nanoparticle albumin-bound chemotherapy agent Abraxane and built two pharmaceutical firms, APP Pharmaceuticals and Abraxis BioScience, which he sold for a combined total exceeding $9 billion. A portion of the proceeds endows the foundation. Grant-making focuses on two pillars where the founders see structural failure: access to medical research and equitable education. In healthcare, the foundation has funded the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine and, alongside Vitalik Buterin, the Long Covid Research Initiative (LCRI) to accelerate clinical trial pathways. In education, it supports programs that widen STEM participation among under-resourced communities. The foundation does not operate as a traditional venture-philanthropy vehicle — it makes grants to vetted 501(c)(3) organizations rather than taking equity stakes in for-profit ventures. The foundation's governance sits with Soon-Shiong as Chairman and President and Chan as CFO and Secretary. While the foundation does not disclose its total assets or annual deployment, the principals are signatories to the Giving Pledge, binding them to donate the majority of their wealth during their lifetimes or in their estates. Patrick Soon-Shiong also co-chairs the Bipartisan Policy Center's CEO Council for Health and Innovation and sits on the Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council, reflecting a policy-engagement posture that complements the foundation's grant-making. The foundation is an asset owner, not an operating charity: it disburses grants but does not run clinics or schools. Its structural differentiator is the direct link between Soon-Shiong's continued commercial life-science activity — he also owns the Los Angeles Times — and the foundation's philanthropic capital, creating a pipeline where proprietary medical research and media influence sit adjacent to the grant-making entity, potentially shaping both the flow of funding and the public narrative around the issues it targets.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
2008
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Los Angeles
Corporate office
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Principals
Patrick Soon-Shiong
Chairman and President
Michele Chan
CFO and Secretary
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation?
The foundation is governed by Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who serves as Chairman and President, and Michele Chan, who serves as CFO and Secretary. It does not disclose a separate investment committee or CIO, suggesting that grant-making and asset-allocation decisions rest with the founders directly. The foundation does not publicly report on how its endowment is invested, only on the grants it makes.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The wealth was generated by Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong's career as a surgeon, inventor, and pharmaceutical entrepreneur. He developed the cancer drug Abraxane, an albumin-bound paclitaxel nanoparticle, and founded APP Pharmaceuticals and Abraxis BioScience. He sold APP to Fresenius for roughly $4.6 billion in 2008 and Abraxis to Celgene for $2.9 billion in 2010. He and Michele Chan signed the Giving Pledge the same year.
Is the foundation structured as a single family office or a philanthropic foundation?
It is a philanthropic foundation — a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization — not a family office. While the Soon-Shiong family's broader assets include commercial real estate, a newspaper, and private aviation, the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation itself makes grants to other charities and research entities rather than managing the family's total balance sheet or making direct private investments.
Does the foundation make direct investments in for-profit companies or only grants?
Based on its public filings and stated mission, the foundation operates as a grant-making entity supporting 501(c)(3) organizations. There is no public evidence of it taking equity stakes in for-profit ventures. The adjacent Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine is itself a non-profit research institute, consistent with a pure philanthropy model.
How is the foundation related to Dr. Soon-Shiong's other commercial and media interests?
The foundation is legally separate from Dr. Soon-Shiong's commercial holdings, which include ownership of the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune, as well as the for-profit biotech ventures NantWorks and ImmunityBio. There is no public disclosure of cross-funding between the entities, though the common principal creates a cluster of influence spanning medical research, news media, and philanthropy.
What is the foundation's known posture on co-funding research with other philanthropists?
The foundation has co-funded at least one research initiative — the Long Covid Research Initiative (LCRI) — alongside Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, demonstrating a willingness to pool philanthropic capital with other ultra-high-net-worth donors. It does not, however, publicly advertise a formal co-funding program or platform.
Does the foundation maintain other philanthropic structures alongside the main entity?
Yes. The Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine operates as a separate non-profit research institute, also based in Los Angeles. The two entities share a founder and mission overlap in medical research, but they are structurally distinct organizations with their own programs.
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