OVERVIEW: The Naveen and Anu Jain Family Foundation makes grants for global development causes as well as some local issues in Washington, where the family resides.
IP TAKE: The Naveen and Anu Jain Family Foundation foundation lacks transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. The foundation supports a mix of global causes, especially in India, and some human services organizations in Washington. The Jains are also involved with the XPrize Foundation, where they launched a prize for innovation in women’s safety. This is not an approachable funder; network with past grantees to get on Jain’s radar.
PROFILE: Established in 2005, the Naveen and Anu Jain Family Foundation is steered by tech entrepreneur couple Naveen and Anu Jain. They’ve cofounded companies like InfoSpace, once one of the largest internet companies in the American Northwest. Naveen Jain graduated with an industrial engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, and an M.B.A. from XLRI Jamshedpur. He worked for Microsoft and went on to found Infospace, which helps web publishers, service providers, and app developers monetize through Internet search solutions. He has since gone on to launch a range of companies including Intelius, Viome, and Moon Express, which is developing a robotic lunar lander to explore and mine the moon for planetary resources.
Raised in Jerusalem, Anu Jain graduated with a B.A. in business administration and economics from SUNY Stony Brook and an MBA from Rutgers University. She is the co-Founder of InfoSpace and Lavish Life. She also serves as VP of of Community Relations at Viome, a company focused on disrupting healthcare.
The foundation does not maintain a website, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. According to tax filings, the Naveen and Anu Jain Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to global development and health, women’s and girls’ causes, housing, economic development and religious and cultural causes. The state of Washington is a focus for this funder’s U.S. giving. Globally, it prioritizes India.
Grants for Global Development and Health, Women and Girls
A significant portion of Jain’s giving addresses global causes, especially economic development initiatives that prioritize women and girls. The Jains are of Indian heritage, and India appears to be a geographic priority for their giving.
Grantees include the Acumen Fund, Women Moving Millions and Global G.L.O.W., which “mentors girls around the world to become powerful advocates and confident leaders.” The foundation also supports the U.S.-based Child Rights and You, which works to protect children’s human rights in India, and the Sankara Eye Foundation, which provides free eye care and surgeries in India.
Grants for Housing, Homelessness, Work and Opportunity
In the U.S., the Jain Family Foundation supports several organizations working to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families. Washington, where the couple currently resides, in a geographic focus. In Bellevue, the foundation has made grants to the Sophia Way, a women’s shelter, and Bellevue Lifespring, which works to “provide stability and self-sufficiency for Bellevue children and families.” Elsewhere in the U.S. the foundation has given to Nobility in Action, an Austin-based organization that “strives to empower children of all ages and backgrounds to unleash their full potential.”
It is worth mentioning that the Jains serve in board positions at the XPrize Foundation, which runs contests and awards programs for “entrepreneurial solutions to address the global challenges in health, education, poverty, agriculture, and clean water.” The couple launched a $1 million Anu & Naveen Jain Women’s Safety XPRIZE to incentivize innovators to design a technology-based solution that sets a new safety standard for women.
Grants for Religious Causes, Arts and Culture
The Jain Family Foundation makes grants to Indian cultural and religious organizations in Washington. Recipients include the Vedic Cultural Center of Sammamish, the Bellevue Hindu Temple and Cultural Center and
Important Grant Details
Grants range from $1,000 to $50,000. This funder’s giving prioritizes the state of Washington in the U.S., while India is a priority for its global grantmaking.
A significant portion of this funder’s grants support small- and medium-sized organizations.
The Jain Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals.
For information about past giving, see the foundation’s tax filings.
This foundation does not provide a direct avenue for getting in touch. The foundation’s phone numbers is listed as (425) 260-4543. A mailing address is provided below.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
CONTACT:
Naveen and Anu Jain Family Foundation
227 Bellevue Way N.E., Ste. 158
Bellevue, WA 98004
LINK: Naveen Jain Website
