The SOAR Foundation

What The SOAR Foundation does

The SOAR Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-political, non-religious charitable organization founded in 1995 in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides scholarships and educational support to impoverished and academically capable youth in rural China, with the stated mission that no student should go without education due to financial difficulty. Its core offerings consist of three programs: a High School Scholarship Program providing $450 per year for three years, a University Scholarship Program providing at least $700 per year (RMB equivalent) for one to four years, and a Preschool Program launched in 2019 that supports children aged 3-5 in the mountainous Yunnan-Guizhou region.

The foundation operates with an all-volunteer US headquarters in Fremont, California (1 paid employee), and a Beijing office that processes scholarship applications collected from designated school-system nominators and distributes funds via direct bank deposits to students' accounts. There is no proprietary technology underpinning operations; the model is traditional non-profit program management. Revenue is generated through grassroots donor networks, annual galas (including a 30th Anniversary Gala in 2025), embassy communications, and biannual newsletters. Donations flow directly to students as scholarships, teacher training, meal subsidies, and school supplies—volunteers fund their own travel and operational costs.

Since 2019, SOAR has trained more than 300 preschool teachers in modern instructional techniques to address high turnover in underpaid rural teaching positions, and has rapidly expanded preschool operations across the Yunnan-Guizhou region. Governance is provided by a volunteer board, with Adam Brandley serving as Chairman and Trustee. The foundation does not disclose total funds raised, but its 30-year operational track record and active program expansion suggest sustained donor engagement and continued geographic program buildout within rural China.

Name

The SOAR Foundation

Legal name

The SOAR Foundation

Website

https://soaronline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The SOAR Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1995 that provides scholarships ($450/year high school, $700/year university), teacher training, and meal subsidies to impoverished youth and preschool programs in rural China, operating from Fremont, CA and Beijing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-Profit Educational Scholarships

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

Keywords

• Rural education scholarships
• Preschool teacher training
• Nonprofit charitable foundation
• Student financial aid
• Grassroots donor fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Union City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization raises funds through a grassroots donor network, events such as galas, and newsletter communications. All donations go directly to students as scholarships and support programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The SOAR Foundation is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious charity that funds educational scholarships and support programs for impoverished, academically capable youth in rural China. It operates a Preschool Program (ages 3-5) in the Yunnan-Guizhou region providing teacher training, textbooks, and meal subsidies, a High School Scholarship Program ($450/year for three years), and a University Scholarship Program ($700/year for one to four years). All funds are delivered through direct partnerships with rural schools, with application processing at the Beijing office and U.S. headquarters in Fremont, CA.

Product overview

The SOAR Foundation operates a unified scholarship and educational support platform consisting of three core programs targeting different educational stages: the Preschool Program (addressing urban-rural discrepancies for children aged 3-5, launched 2019), the High School Scholarship Program ($450/year for three years), and the University Scholarship Program ($700+/year for one to four years). The organization also provides teacher training, meal subsidies, and publishes biannual newsletters documenting its 30-year history. All programs are delivered through direct partnerships with rural schools in China, with scholarship distribution managed through the Beijing office via bank deposits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Preschool Program Educational support program for children aged 3 to 5 in rural China that provides teacher training, textbooks, financial aid, and meal subsidies to schools in the mountainous Yunnan-Guizhou region. Since inception, over 300 preschool teachers have been trained in modern instructional techniques.
• High School Scholarship Program Three-year scholarship program providing $450 per year to academically excellent students lacking funding for high school or vocational school education. Recipients must maintain good academic standing and become eligible to apply for college scholarships upon graduation.
• University Scholarship Program Higher-education scholarship program for SOAR high school and vocational school graduates admitted to universities, providing at least $700/year in RMB equivalent for one to four years depending on graduation requirements.
• Teacher Training Program Training program for preschool teachers in rural China who are often underpaid and have minimal training, providing modern instructional techniques and subsidies to improve retention of experienced instructors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained 300+ preschool teachers since 2019
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Room to Read: Global non-profit focused on literacy and girls' education in low-income communities, providing scholarships and teacher training in developing countries — directly comparable programmatic model to SOAR.
• Project HOPE: US-based international health and education non-profit operating cross-border programs including school support and teacher training in developing countries, with a similar donor-funded, volunteer-supported operating ethos.
• China Youth Development Foundation: Large Chinese non-profit administering the Hope Project and scholarship programs for underprivileged students in rural China; serves a very similar beneficiary population and program mission.
• China Tomorrow Education Foundation: Non-profit providing scholarships and educational support to underprivileged Chinese students, very similar model to SOAR with cross-border donor engagement and rural school partnerships.
• Half the Sky Foundation: Non-profit providing early childhood education and teacher training for orphaned and rural children in China; directly comparable preschool-focused programming and rural China operational model.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children: Large global NGO with education programs in rural China including teacher training and school support; comparable mission but vastly larger scale and broader geographic scope than SOAR.
• The Li Ka Shing Foundation: Large Asian philanthropic foundation with extensive education and rural Chinese scholarship programs; operates at much greater scale but pursues a similar mission of supporting underprivileged students.
• UNICEF China: UN agency delivering education, child welfare, and rural school programs in China; comparable target population and rural education mission, though at a much larger institutional scale.
• Jack Ma Foundation: Major philanthropic foundation funding rural education and teacher training initiatives in China; comparable target mission but with vastly larger financial resources than SOAR.

Emerging players

• Asian Americans for Equality: US-based non-profit with roots in the Chinese-American diaspora supporting community programs; shares SOAR's diaspora-led, grassroots fundraising ethos and Chinese-American donor base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/soaronline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The SOAR Foundation