Jack Ma Foundation
The Jack Ma Foundation is a private Hangzhou-based charitable foundation founded in 2014 by Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, funding entrepreneurship (Africa's Business Heroes), rural education, women's sports, medical research, and environmental programs through grants to beneficiaries in over 140 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersHangzhou, China
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Jack Ma Foundation does
The Jack Ma Foundation is a private charitable foundation established by Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma on December 15, 2014, headquartered in Hangzhou, China. It operates four programmatic focus areas: entrepreneurship, education, women's leadership, and medical/environmental protection, distributing funds through grant programs rather than selling products or services. Flagship initiatives include the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (Africa's Business Heroes), launched in August 2018 to award USD 1 million annually to 10 African entrepreneurs through a televised pitch competition; a portfolio of rural education programs in China covering teachers, principals, pre-service teachers, and boarding schools; the RMB 1 billion ten-year support program for China's National Women's Soccer Team (joint with Alipay and Joe Tsai Foundations); the Ma & Morley Scholarship at the University of Newcastle; and environmental commitments including a founding-partner role in Prince William's Earthshot Prize (USD 3.8 million).
The foundation's underlying "technology" is its grant-making platform and partner ecosystem rather than proprietary software. It relies on the Alibaba ecosystem for operational support—finalists in Africa's Business Heroes receive training at Alibaba Group headquarters in Hangzhou, and Alibaba Cloud provides AI computing infrastructure free of charge for COVID-19 research teams. The COVID-19 Handbook, published in seven languages on Alibaba Cloud infrastructure, represents a knowledge-distribution channel rather than a software product. No proprietary technology stack, patents, or AI models are owned by the foundation itself.
The foundation's business model is donation-funded philanthropy: it does not generate commercial revenue, does not charge for services, and does not have a pricing model. Capital inflows come from founder Jack Ma and co-funding partners (Alibaba Philanthropy, Alipay Foundation, Joe Tsai Foundation, Yunfeng Fund, Paradise Foundation). It distributes funds via competitive grant programs (Africa's Business Heroes), direct institutional donations (Zhejiang University First Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, Lhasa Normal University, Columbia University, Peter Doherty Institute), and direct in-kind donations (medical supplies to 140+ countries during COVID-19). Geographic reach spans Africa, China, the Middle East, Europe, North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Oceania through both programmatic and crisis-response activity.
Jack Ma Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Jack Ma Foundation
- Legal name
- Jack Ma Foundation
- Website
- https://jackmafoundation.org.cn
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The Jack Ma Foundation is a private Hangzhou-based charitable foundation founded in 2014 by Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, funding entrepreneurship (Africa's Business Heroes), rural education, women's sports, medical research, and environmental programs through grants to beneficiaries in over 140 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Jack Ma Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Philanthropy and Charitable Foundation
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)
Keywords
Where Jack Ma Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hangzhou
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Jack Ma Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Donations and Grants: The foundation operates as a non-profit organization funded by donations from founder Jack Ma and partners. It distributes funds through grant programs to entrepreneurs, educators, and medical research initiatives.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Jack Ma Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Jack Ma Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy organization that administers grant funding, scholarships, and direct donations across four focus areas: entrepreneurship, education, women's leadership, and medical and environmental protection. Its flagship offerings include the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (Africa's Business Heroes) granting USD 1 million annually to 10 African entrepreneurs, multiple rural education programs providing cash awards and professional development to Chinese rural teachers and principals, and large-scale medical research funding and supply donations during the COVID-19 pandemic reaching 140+ countries.
Product overview
The Jack Ma Foundation is a philanthropy organization founded by Alibaba founder Jack Ma on December 15, 2014, focusing on four main areas: entrepreneurship, education, women's leadership, and medical support and environmental protection. Rather than a unified technology product, the foundation operates a portfolio of grant programs and initiatives including the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (Africa's Business Heroes) for African entrepreneurs, multiple rural education initiatives (Rural Teachers, Principals, Pre-Service Teachers, and Schools), COVID-19 research funding and medical supply donations, the China National Women's Soccer Team Support Program, and environmental initiatives including Earthshot Prize support and Xixi National Wetland Park Protection. The foundation does not offer technology products but rather administers funding, scholarships, and programmatic initiatives to support entrepreneurs, educators, and healthcare advancement globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Africa's Business Heroes (ABH): Flagship initiative of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy that identifies and supports African entrepreneurs through an annual pitch competition with grant funding.
- Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI)
- Jack Ma Rural Teachers Initiative
- Jack Ma Rural Principals Initiative
- Earthshot Prize Partnership
Quantifiable outcome
- 10 African entrepreneurs receive grant funding annually totaling USD 1 million through Africa's Business Heroes
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Jack Ma Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Jack Ma Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Jack Ma Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.
- Rwanda Development BoardminorCo-organized the ABH summit, a two-day event gathering African entrepreneurs, students, and investors
- Royal Foundation / Prince WilliamflagshipJack Ma Foundation pledged USD 3.8 million as founding partner of Earthshot Prize, a 10-year initiative to fund 50 environmental solutions with USD 1 million awarded to 5 winners annually
- Paradise FoundationflagshipCo-founding partner with Jack Ma Foundation of the Earthshot Prize alongside Prince William and Royal Foundation
- Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, AustraliacoreAUD 3.2 million donation for COVID-19 vaccine R&D; institute was first outside China to develop coronavirus strain in lab and first to share globally
- Ethiopian Government / Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed AlicorePrime Minister agreed to lead logistics and distribution of COVID-19 medical supplies (1.1M test kits, 6M masks, 60K protective suits) to all 54 African nations from Addis Ababa hub
- Columbia University (Mailman School of Public Health)coreUSD 2.15 million to support R&D on drugs and antibodies for COVID-19 led by world-renowned HIV/AIDS researcher David Ho; team of virologists, molecular biologists, and chemists
- Guangdong Zhong Nanshan Medical Foundation / Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory HealthcoreRMB 6 million donation for clinical diagnosis, drug development, and vaccine research led by Academician Zhong Nanshan; Alibaba Cloud provides AI computing support
- Chinese Academy of EngineeringcoreRMB 20 million donation to support research on COVID-19 treatments by five academicians; projects cover drug screening, development, industrialization, and traditional Chinese medicine
- Chinese Academy of SciencescoreRMB 20 million donation for COVID-19 vaccine research and development as part of RMB 100 million total epidemic prevention fund
- Alibaba CloudcoreProvides AI computing power free of charge to support COVID-19 research teams for drug screening, new drug R&D, virus gene sequencing, and protein screening; also developing national respiratory disease early warning system
- Yuhang District Charity Federation of HangzhouminorRMB 100 million donation for Xixi National Wetland Park protection project aiming to preserve the wetland similar to New York's Central Park
- Alipay FoundationcoreJoint partner in RMB 1 billion ten-year support program for China's National Women's Soccer Team covering training, techniques, coaches, youth participation, and post-retirement careers
- Joe Tsai FoundationcoreJoint partner in RMB 1 billion ten-year support program for China's National Women's Soccer Team
- Lhasa Normal University (Lhasa Teachers College)coreRMB 100 million donation to support 1,400 Tibetan teachers, 1,000 Tibetan principals, and 800 teacher-trainees over 10 years through subsidies and training programs
- Alibaba PhilanthropyflagshipCo-sponsor of Africa's Business Heroes initiative alongside Jack Ma Foundation since 2019, providing the platform for the annual grant competition and Alibaba headquarters training
- African Governments and Local PartnerscoreAfrica's Business Heroes works with prominent local partners, service providers, and celebrities in Africa to provide mentorship and entrepreneurial guidance to finalists
- Queen Rania Foundation of JordancoreUSD 3 million donation to support principals' training and develop online learning platform benefiting learners from Jordan, Arab countries, and refugee children
- Zhejiang University First Affiliated HospitalcoreRMB 560 million donation with Alibaba and Yunfeng Fund to establish development fund supporting medical education, training, research, and equipment procurement; hospital attracted 3,000 staff
- University of Newcastle, AustraliacoreUSD 20 million donation to establish Ma & Morley Scholarship supporting students to explore and critically experience the world; 59 students received subsidies by December 2019
- Hangzhou Normal UniversitycoreJack Ma Foundation donated RMB 100 million to establish Jack Ma Education Fund supporting education research and innovation; 601 teachers and students subsidized by end of 2019
Scale indicators18 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Jack Ma Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Prince William's Earthshot Prize (Royal Foundation): Global environmental prize and Royal Foundation initiative in which the Jack Ma Foundation is a Global Alliance Founding Partner. Directly comparable as a flagship initiative partner and co-funder of the same prize vehicle.
- Tencent Foundation: The philanthropic arm of Chinese tech giant Tencent, running education, poverty alleviation, and disaster response programs in China. Comparable as another Chinese tech-foundation with similar focus areas, geographic footprint, and tech-platform-enabled distribution.
- Alibaba Foundation: The corporate-affiliated philanthropic arm of Alibaba Group, co-sponsoring Africa's Business Heroes with the Jack Ma Foundation. Operates overlapping disaster relief, education, and environmental programs in China and globally, often in partnership.
- Li Ka-shing Foundation: Hong Kong-based philanthropic foundation established by CK Hutchison founder Li Ka-shing, focused on education and healthcare. Highly comparable as a Chinese billionaire's private foundation with education-heavy grantmaking and global medical partnerships.
Broad incumbents
- Rockefeller Foundation: Historic U.S. foundation with current focus on health (pandemic preparedness), climate, and economic opportunity. Comparable as a globally active grantmaker with medical R&D and environmental programs overlapping JMF's COVID and Earthshot work.
- Wellcome Trust: U.K.-based charitable foundation primarily funding biomedical research and global health, including pandemic preparedness. Comparable as a globally active foundation with significant health R&D grantmaking footprint, including institutions like the Peter Doherty Institute that JMF also funds.
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative: Philanthropic LLC founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, focused on education, science, and social justice. Comparable as a young billionaire-founder-led foundation with education, science/medical research focus, and active programmatic grantmaking.
- Bloomberg Philanthropies: Michael Bloomberg's philanthropic vehicle covering public health, education, environment, and cities globally. Comparable as a tech-billionaire founder's foundation running multi-cause, multi-region grantmaking with high public profile.
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The world's largest private philanthropic foundation, focused on global health, education, and poverty. Directly comparable as a billionaire-founder-led grantmaking entity with global program reach across health, education, and development causes.
Emerging players
- Mastercard Foundation: Large private foundation focused on education and financial inclusion, with a major emphasis on youth employment in Africa (e.g., Young Africa Works). Comparable as a major non-Western private foundation running flagship Africa-facing entrepreneurship and education programs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Jack Ma Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceJack Ma Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Jack Ma Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Jack Ma Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Jack Ma Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments4 records
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Frequently asked questions about Jack Ma Foundation
What does Jack Ma Foundation do?
The Jack Ma Foundation is a non-profit philanthropy organization that administers grant funding, scholarships, and direct donations across four focus areas: entrepreneurship, education, women's leadership, and medical and environmental protection. Its flagship offerings include the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (Africa's Business Heroes) granting USD 1 million annually to 10 African entrepreneurs, multiple rural education programs providing cash awards and professional development to Chinese rural teachers and principals, and large-scale medical research funding and supply donations during the COVID-19 pandemic reaching 140+ countries.
Is Jack Ma Foundation a public or private company?
Jack Ma Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Jack Ma Foundation founded?
Jack Ma Foundation was founded in 2014.
Where is Jack Ma Foundation based?
Jack Ma Foundation is headquartered in Hangzhou, China, in the Asia region.
How does Jack Ma Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: philanthropic Donations and Grants.
Who are Jack Ma Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Prince William's Earthshot Prize (Royal Foundation), Tencent Foundation, Alibaba Foundation and Li Ka-shing Foundation. Broad incumbents are Rockefeller Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Mastercard Foundation is listed as an emerging player.
Does Jack Ma Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Jack Ma Foundation.
What industry is Jack Ma Foundation in?
Jack Ma Foundation's product category is Philanthropy and Charitable Foundation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAB, Community Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAK, Education Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211.