The Foundation

The helmsman must guide the boat by using the waves, otherwise the boat will be submerged by the waves.”
– Chou En-Lai

The Foundation


Guiding Principles

  • The Hefner Foundation is driven by the interests and passions of Robert and MeiLi Hefner.
  • We fund projects in the areas of: Foreign Affairs, Environment & Global Ecosystem, Education, Culture and Clean Energy.
  • We build long-term positive relations between the United States and China – a relationship we believe to be the defining global relationship for centuries to come.
  • The necessity of unbounded thinking so that our research can take us wherever nature leads.