We came from humble families on opposite sides of the world. Chuck grew up in a rural part of southeastern Ohio. Lijie grew up in China. Our parents and grandparents taught us the value of education and the value of hard work, mostly by living those values themselves.
We were lucky in the ways that mattered most: we were born into families that loved us and believed our lives could go somewhere. From there, things have gone better than either of us would have predicted, and we feel the responsibility that comes with that.
To whom much is given, much is expected.
But we also started this Foundation because we love the project of it, figuring out together, with our limited resources and talents, how to have the most impact we can in the places where impact is hardest to make.
2025 was the year we found a model that worked. In December, in partnership with the Penang Science Cluster in Malaysia, we trained roughly 25 teachers in AI literacy and design thinking. Across the cohort, the curriculum reached on the order of 2,500 students, a multiplier of roughly 100 students per teacher trained. From early survey responses, every responding teacher adopted AI tools or design thinking in their classrooms, and 73% of surveyed students reported discovering a career path they had not seriously considered before.
The number that mattered most to us isn't the 2,500, though. It's that this approach, train teachers, let teachers reach students, works in a way that two of us running curriculum directly never could. We expect to spend the next several years figuring out which other geographies and partner organizations the model fits.
We made eight mission-related and program-related investments this year, in companies and funds aligned with the Foundation's areas of focus: women's health, mental health access, neurotechnology for the disabled, and financial inclusion in West Africa. We exceeded our IRS-required 3.33% qualifying distribution and reinvested returns into Foundation programming.
The numbers are still small. So is the Foundation. But the work is real, the partners are real, and the model is starting to compound.
Foundation-attributable numbers, programs we directly funded or ran. Asset position as of December 31, 2025.
The Foundation exceeded its IRS-required 3.33% qualifying distribution in 2025, distributing $25,920 against a required minimum of $23,957. Speaking and teaching honoraria of $33,811 were directed to the Foundation per our honoraria policy and re-deployed into programming.
In December 2025, the Foundation ran a teacher-training and student career-discovery program at the Penang Science Cluster in Malaysia, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and APPGM-SDG.
Roughly 25 teachers were trained directly. Across the cohort the curriculum reached on the order of 2,500 students, a multiplier of roughly 100 students per teacher trained. From early survey responses (six teachers, eleven students), every responding teacher adopted AI tools or design thinking techniques in their classrooms, every responding teacher reported saving one to five hours per week through AI workflow integration, and 73% of surveyed students reported discovering a career path they had not seriously considered before.
We expect to spend the next several years figuring out which other geographies and partner organizations the model fits.
Before joining this workshop, I felt unsure and unclear about my future career direction… This workshop gave me the opportunity to explore my interests and skills more deeply, and helped me see how they can be applied in ways that are beneficial not only to myself, but also to society.
ChatGPT helps me design lesson plans, generate discussion questions, and create differentiated learning materials… which saves time and allows me to focus more on student engagement.
Two programs were active in 2025, Molokai in March, and the December trip to Malaysia (Penang and Kuala Lumpur, featured above). The Foundation also maintains relationships built through prior-year programming, several of which grew out of Chuck's former student network: alumni of his classes and PhD program who built the connections and co-taught alongside us.
Teaching residency at Kaunakakai Elementary, working with teacher Kawika Gonzales on AI literacy curriculum integrated into project-based learning. Approximately 20 students reached. The Foundation continues partnership with the Molokai GenCyber program.
Same trip as Penang, different audience. Talks at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and the Malaysian Parliament (APPGM-SDG) connected the Foundation's work to Malaysian education and entrepreneurship policy. Hosted in part by the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Programming with Fulbright University Vietnam, UEH University's College of Business, and an AI Innovation & Trends workshop with HKU and AWS. Bao Phan, a former student of Chuck's, inspired the trip and co-taught alongside us. Approximately 30–40 students reached across two to three events.
Teaching at LOHADA orphanage alongside James Juma, a former Chuck student who built the connection, and Abisola, a former Stanford PhD student who co-taught. Approximately 50–60 students and 20 teachers reached. The Foundation also purchased and auctioned a painting to raise funds toward a tractor for the orphanage.
Support partnership for MEET, the three-year program bringing Israeli and Palestinian high school students together in Jerusalem for technology entrepreneurship education.
Volunteer teaching at two middle schools in rural Hsinchu County, organized in partnership with ITRI. Distinct from co-founder Chuck Eesley's professional Stanford-ITRI engagements.
Eight Foundation-held positions across mission-related investments (MRIs, dual financial and impact returns) and program-related investments (PRIs, impact-first). Personal angel positions held by our co-founders are not Foundation activity.
Endovascular brain-computer interface restoring digital autonomy for patients with paralysis from ALS, stroke, and spinal cord injury. FDA IDE status; aligned with SDG 3 (Good Health).
AI-powered floor scale ("Footprint") for daily diabetic foot monitoring, preventing amputations in 1.6M+ underserved high-risk patients in the U.S.
Stanford-engineered women's menstrual products. First major design innovation in the $6B+ U.S. feminine hygiene market in 80 years. Aligned with SDG 5 (Gender Equality).
Online mental health platform expanding access to therapy for underserved populations. Foundation participated in successive SAFE rounds.
Mental health support platform designed for teens, supporting access to age-appropriate digital mental health tools.
Capital-efficient venture studio targeting aging, pandemic preparedness, and food security. Disciplined per-company caps with 18–36 month exit horizon.
Mission-aligned fund position supporting frontier technology and capital-efficient innovation.
Below-market-rate loan to a fintech platform closing the $330B credit gap for West African small businesses. Bridgespan-calculated 36x social return on investment. MIT Solve and Visa-recognized.
The teacher-training approach worked. We want to find which other geographies and partner organizations it fits. Early conversations are underway in the Philippines.
PRIs let us deploy capital below market rate for high-impact ventures. We're evaluating additions to the portfolio in financial inclusion and education access.
GenCyber and Kaunakakai Elementary remain anchor partners. We'll deepen the curriculum and explore additional sites on the island.
Across Foundation programming and the broader teaching reach of our co-founders, our long-term target is half a million students reached. Ambitious for a foundation of our size, by design.
Private operating foundation organized in California. Recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Form 990-PF filed annually with the IRS. Our independent directors are full voting members of the Board.
Lijie Zhou, Co-Founder, President & CEO
Chuck Eesley, Co-Founder & Treasurer
Sharon (Yixuan) Li, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin–Madison
Hadiyah Mujhid, HBCUvc
Yanbo Wang, Ph.D., HKU Business School
Investment Policy and Conflict of Interest Policy adopted 2021; reviewed annually. Both available at zhoueesleyfoundation.com/about/#governance.
A printable version of this report is available as a PDF.
Download 2025 Annual Report (PDF) ↓