Narada Foundation

Narada Foundation

The Narada Foundation was established in 2007 with capital from Shanghai Narada Group and its founders, Zhou Qingzhi and He Wei. It operates under the supervision of China's Ministry of Civil Affairs as a private foundation. Co-founder Xu Yongguang, a prominent figure in Chinese philanthropy, helped shape the foundation's identity as a capital provider to the non-profit sector rather than an operating charity. The foundation deploys capital through grants, interest-free loans, and early-stage support for social enterprises. Its primary thematic focus is the education of migrant children in China, channeled through the flagship New Citizen Program. It also finances capacity-building initiatives for non-profit organizations. Geographic deployment concentrates on mainland China, with program offices in Beijing. Grantmaking partnerships include the Tencent Foundation on the 100 Projects Funding Scheme and collaborations with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen China's philanthropic infrastructure. The foundation maintains an endowment estimated at roughly $33 million (Altss estimate). CEO Yanni Peng leads the organization and holds board seats across several philanthropic networks, including the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network. The Beijing headquarters operates from the Wantong Center in the Chaoyang district. The foundation also holds heritage and cultural assets. No new deployment figures or major structural changes have been publicly reported in the last 24 months. The foundation's grantmaking architecture distinguishes it from operating foundations. It acts as a re-granting vehicle, channeling resources to frontline non-profits and social enterprises rather than direct service delivery. Its early-stage posture toward social enterprise — using seed and growth grants plus interest-free loans — positions it as a market builder for China's nascent third-sector financial infrastructure.