About NACEF

A mission shaped by education, responsibility, and exchange.

NACEF is a long-standing nonprofit public-benefit organization dedicated to educational excellence, student opportunity, cultural exchange, and community service.

Founded in 1998 Project Hope legacy 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Project Hope The early work that helped define NACEF’s public impact.

Introduction

Created to promote educational excellence within Chinese communities.

NACEF began in the spring of 1998 at Stanford University, where students and scholars shared the belief that education is both a critical prerequisite and an effective catalyst for social and economic development. The organization was structured as a nonprofit public-benefit corporation devoted to educational advancement and talent development.

That founding purpose continues to guide NACEF today: expanding educational opportunity, helping students engage with broader society, and developing programs in youth science research and senior health innovation.

Founding purpose

NACEF was incorporated for charitable purposes and organized to promote educational excellence in Chinese communities while helping Chinese student talent connect with mainstream society. Its roots trace to Stanford University in Silicon Valley in 1998.

This foundation reflects both a formal nonprofit mission and a community belief in education as a catalyst for opportunity.

Project Hope

The story that anchors the foundation’s early history.

Project Hope is central to NACEF’s origin story and continues to represent the foundation’s commitment to educational access.

North America fundraising with a broad coalition.

In 1998, NACEF joined the Chinese Youth Development Foundation and the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at Stanford to launch China Project Hope fundraising in North America. Student associations from universities such as Harvard, MIT, Columbia, UC Berkeley, Caltech, and Toronto joined alongside Chinese community organizations.

The effort was designed to unite individuals and organizations concerned about educational development in China and to help children forced out of school by poverty return to the classroom.

A campaign recognized by major supporters.

NACEF’s history highlights Nobel laureate Steve Chu as the first donor after hearing about the effort in early 1998. Project Hope is presented as one of the most influential public charity efforts in China during the 1990s and is linked to broader educational progress.

Together, these moments reflect an early commitment to helping children return to school and mobilizing support across communities.

Project Hope background

NACEF’s Project Hope background explains that the larger Project Hope movement received major public support over time, helped many children return to school, and helped build Hope Schools. NACEF’s North America fundraising work contributed to that educational mission and to school construction support in China.

Signature programs

Three modern pillars of the mission.

Science Program

Training students in bioinformatics and RNA-seq analysis.

Aimed especially at underrepresented communities, this program introduces high school students to research methods, data analysis, and independent scientific investigation.

AI for Senior Health

Exploring AI tools that support aging populations.

The foundation’s newer work examines health monitoring, predictive analytics, medication support, and compassionate in-home assistance for seniors.

Senior COVID-19 Awareness

Accessible public health education for vulnerable communities.

Online educational videos and community outreach materials helped seniors better understand prevention, precautions, and mental well-being during the pandemic.

Advisory board

Leaders from engineering, investment, and the arts.

Dr. C.J. Huang

Partner at H&W Development LLC, with prior leadership roles at Summit Oil Co. Bangkok and Oceanic Petroleum Corporation. His academic background includes civil engineering degrees from Wuhan University and the University of Michigan, and his record reflects long-standing charitable service.

Dr. T.Y. Lin

An internationally known engineer and educator, Professor Emeritus at UC Berkeley, and a celebrated designer best known for the arches of the Moscone Center in San Francisco. His presence reinforces the organization’s strong academic and engineering roots.

Ting Shao Kuang

An artist and educator whose specialties include Chinese painting, art history, oil painting, and woodcut. NACEF’s materials describe him as an official artist of the United Nations in 1995 and an honorary professor at leading institutions in China.

Carry the mission forward.

NACEF continues to build on its founding belief that education creates opportunity, strengthens communities, and opens paths across cultures.

Go to programs Contact NACEF