What Narada Foundation does

Narada Foundation (南都公益基金会) is a Beijing-based private grant-making foundation founded on May 11, 2007 with RMB 100 million in registered capital donated by Shanghai Narada Group Co. Ltd. The foundation's stated mission is to foster China's third sector - the non-profit and philanthropy ecosystem - by providing funding, infrastructure, and capacity-building support to non-profit organizations, social enterprises, and individual social entrepreneurs. It operates under the supervision of China's Ministry of Civil Affairs and is governed by a Board of Directors including founding-donor representatives.

The foundation's core programmatic vehicles include the China Effective Philanthropy Multiplier (好公益平台), an open platform co-founded in 2016 with 16 partner organizations that selects proven-effective social solutions and scales them through a network of 17 co-creating partners, 40 hub organizations, and nearly 6,700 implementing entities across 61,000+ sites in 31 provinces; the Ginkgo Fellows Programme (launched 2010, spun off in 2015 as the independent Ginkgo Foundation), which invests in young social entrepreneurs with RMB 100,000 grants disbursed over three years; and the New Citizen Programme (registered independently in 2017 as Beijing Sanzhi Shelter for Children in Distress), focused on migrant children's education. Additional programs include the Promoting Social Enterprises initiative and Forum, the Narada Insights thought-leadership platform, the Good Voice for Charity public advocacy brand, and a Quantitative Historical Research Project led by Yale Professor Chen Zhiwu.

The foundation employs approximately 20-30 staff and operates on a non-commercial grant-making model funded by endowment returns and donations. Platform-aggregate cumulative impact metrics include 78 high-quality philanthropic products launched (59 currently in operation), 1.05 billion+ beneficiaries, 1.23 billion+ RMB raised, 1.77 million person-times volunteer engagement, and 114 Ginkgo fellows supported across 23 provinces - though these reflect platform-facilitated outcomes rather than the foundation's direct revenue or expenditure.

Name

Narada Foundation

Legal name

Narada Foundation (南都公益基金会)

Website

https://naradafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Narada Foundation is a Beijing-based private grant-making foundation founded in 2007 that invests in China's non-profit and philanthropy sector through the China Effective Philanthropy Multiplier platform, Ginkgo Fellows Programme, and direct grants to NGOs and social enterprises across 31 provinces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy Grant-Making Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

Keywords

• Grant-making foundation
• Philanthropy infrastructure
• Social innovation support
• Nonprofit capacity building
• Third sector development

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment and Donations: Narada Foundation operates as a private foundation with registered capital of RMB 100 million donated by Shanghai Narada Group Co. Ltd. The foundation receives donations and deploys grant funding to support non-profit organizations and philanthropic projects across China.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Narada Foundation is a private grant-making foundation in China that provides funding, capacity-building resources, and scaling support to non-profit organizations, social enterprises, and philanthropic projects. Through programs such as the China Effective Philanthropy Multiplier (好公益平台), Ginkgo Fellows Programme, and New Citizen Programme, the foundation invests in philanthropy sector infrastructure, supports scaling of proven social solutions, and promotes development of China's third sector.

Product overview

Narada Foundation operates as a grant-making foundation focused on fostering China's third sector (non-profit and philanthropy ecosystem). The foundation's core programs include the China Effective Philanthropy Multiplier (好公益平台) - an open platform for scaling high-quality philanthropy products; the Nurturing Plan and Regional Ecological Construction for advancing the philanthropic sector; Public Advocacy initiatives including Narada Insights and Good Voice for Charity; the Promoting Social Enterprises program; the Ginkgo Fellows Programme supporting young social entrepreneurs; the New Citizen Programme focused on migrant children's education; and a Quantitative Historical Research Project led by Yale Professor Chen Zhiwu. These programs work together to invest in philanthropy infrastructure, support scaling of philanthropic projects, and promote cross-sector collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• China Effective Philanthropy Multiplier (好公益平台): Open shared platform for high-quality philanthropy products, supporting scaling-up of effective social solutions across China with 17 co-creating partners and 40 hub organizations as of October 2021
• Ginkgo Fellows Programme (银杏伙伴计划)
• Narada Insights (南都观察)

Products and services

• China Effective Philanthropy Multiplier (好公益平台) An open and shared platform for scaling up high-quality philanthropy products, selecting proven effective social solutions and supporting them with resourceful networks, capacity building, financial resources, and partnering channels. Operates with 17 co-creating partners and 40 hub organizations across various provinces and cities.
• Ginkgo Fellows Programme (银杏伙伴计划) Long-term fellowship program investing in young social entrepreneurs, providing RMB 100,000 grants per fellow over three years, biannual cohort activities, and overseas study trips. Targets founders and leaders of non-profits/social enterprises, scholars, journalists, and individual activists.
• New Citizen Programme (新公民计划) Program focused on migrant children's education and welfare in China, conducting research and advocacy on issues faced by urban migrant children and left-behind rural children.
• Quantitative Historical Research Project Research program led by Yale Professor Chen Zhiwu, focusing on applying modern social science research paradigms in historical research using quantitative methodologies.
• China Social Enterprise and Investment Forum Initiative to shape the social enterprise sector, spread the concept of social enterprises, and promote innovative models and methods for social entrepreneurship in China.
• Research and Knowledge Production Program that screens high-quality content from industry events and published theories and practices, combining commissioned research with internal summarization on key sector issues facing China's nonprofit and philanthropy ecosystem.
• Narada Insights (南都观察) Thought-leadership platform initiated by Narada Foundation, inviting experts, scholars, and media professionals to discuss social issues during China's transition period.
• Good Voice for Charity (公益好声音) Brand project connecting charitable endeavors with impactful communication channels to raise public awareness of China's third sector.
• Nurturing Plan Initiative focusing on supporting existing philanthropy infrastructure, identifying and cultivating new infrastructure, and promoting coordination among existing infrastructures to advance the philanthropic sector.
• Regional Ecological Construction for Charitable Work Program focusing on resource providers and frontline operators to promote joint development and foster positive interaction between them, including talent development for regional ecosystem building.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.05 billion+ beneficiaries served through platform initiatives
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 17 Co-creating Partners of China Effective Philanthropy MultipliercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2021As of October 31, 2021, the China Effective Philanthropy Multiplier platform had 17 co-creating partners and 40 hub organizations across various provinces and cities. These partners collaboratively develop and support high-quality philanthropy products for scaling across China.
• 40 Hub OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2021The platform operates with 40 hub organizations located in various provinces and cities, enabling nationwide coverage and local implementation of high-quality philanthropy products.
• Nearly 6,700 Implementing OrganizationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 31 October 2021Charitable organizations, volunteer teams, public institutions and schools that implement the high-quality philanthropic projects. These organizations operate at more than 61,000 sites across 31 provinces.
• Lego Group (乐高集团)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2019Lego Group partnered with Narada Foundation on the 'Lele Box Children's Play Development Support Program' (乐乐箱儿童玩乐发展支持计划). As of 2025, the program has donated over 78,800 Lele Boxes and benefited over 2.4 million children in more than 230 cities.
• Ginkgo FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015The Ginkgo Foundation was spun off from Narada Foundation in 2015 after the Ginkgo Fellows Programme was registered as an independent organization. The Ginkgo Foundation continues to operate the fellowship program that supports young social entrepreneurs.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer President Xu Yongguang serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the UNDP SDG Financing Platform, connecting the foundation to international development networks.
• 阿拉善SEE基金会coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 16 co-founding organizations of the Good Public Welfare Platform (好公益平台), contributing to the open shared platform for scaling high-quality philanthropy products.
• 中国扶贫基金会coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 16 co-founding organizations of the Good Public Welfare Platform, one of China's largest public welfare foundations.
• 深圳壹基金公益基金会coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 16 co-founding organizations of the Good Public Welfare Platform, founded by former QQ CEO Charles Zhang.
• 招商局慈善基金会coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 16 co-founding organizations of the Good Public Welfare Platform, the charitable arm of China Merchants Group.
• 腾讯公益慈善基金会coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 16 co-founding organizations of the Good Public Welfare Platform, providing digital philanthropy infrastructure.
• 爱德基金会coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 16 co-founding organizations of the Good Public Welfare Platform, a pioneer in China's civil society development.
• 上海恩派社会创新发展中心coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 16 co-founding organizations of the Good Public Welfare Platform, a leading social innovation incubator in China.
• 北京乐平公益基金会coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 16 co-founding organizations of the Good Public Welfare Platform, focused on social finance and innovation.
• Beijing Dongyu Children's Relief Service Center (北京东隅儿童济困服务中心)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerA partner organization that collaborates with Lego Group and Narada Foundation on the Lele Box program, focusing on serving children in difficult circumstances including urban migrant children and left-behind children in rural areas.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• WINGS (Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support): Global philanthropy infrastructure network that featured Narada's EPM platform as a case study in 2020. Comparable as the international reference point for the type of infrastructure investing Narada pursues in China.

Emerging players

• China Foundation Forum (中国基金会发展论坛): China's leading sector-building platform for foundations, where Narada Foundation CEO Peng Yanni sits on the board. Comparable as a peer in fostering the third sector, though focused on knowledge-sharing and convening rather than direct grantmaking.

Direct peers

• 腾讯公益慈善基金会 (Tencent Charity Foundation): A co-founding organization of Narada's Good Public Welfare Platform and one of China's largest digital philanthropy infrastructure providers. Comparable as a tech-enabled grantmaking foundation that supports the third sector through platform-based scaling.
• 爱德基金会 (Amity Foundation): A pioneering Chinese foundation and co-founding member of the Good Public Welfare Platform. Operates comparable grantmaking programs across education, social welfare, and disaster response with a national footprint.
• 上海联劝公益基金会 (Shanghai United Foundation): Connected to Narada through shared leadership (He Wei serves as a director of Shanghai United Foundation). Operates as a community foundations platform with comparable grantmaking and donor-advised giving infrastructure in China.
• 中国扶贫基金会 (China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation): One of China's largest public welfare foundations and a co-founding partner of Narada's Good Public Welfare Platform. Operates at similar nationwide scale with comparable grantmaking, rural revitalization, and humanitarian programs that overlap with Narada's portfolio.
• 北京乐平公益基金会 (Leping Foundation): Co-founding member of the Good Public Welfare Platform focused on social finance and innovation. Directly comparable as a Chinese private foundation explicitly building philanthropic infrastructure and supporting social enterprises — closely aligned with Narada's mission.
• 招商局慈善基金会 (China Merchants Charitable Foundation): Co-founding member of the Good Public Welfare Platform. A corporate-affiliated private foundation with similar grantmaking focus on rural development and social innovation, serving as a direct peer in China's philanthropic ecosystem.
• 银杏基金会 (Ginkgo Foundation): Spun off from Narada Foundation in 2015 after originating as the Ginkgo Fellows Programme. A directly comparable Chinese foundation investing in social entrepreneurs, with overlapping program DNA and ecosystem relationships.
• 深圳壹基金公益基金会 (One Foundation): One of the 16 co-founding organizations of Narada's Good Public Welfare Platform. A major Chinese private foundation with similar grantmaking scale, urban-rural social welfare programs, and nationwide disaster response infrastructure — directly comparable to Narada's role in China's third sector.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naradafoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Narada Foundation