Pham Foundation | Education, Community, Stewardship

Our Purpose

A multi-generational
educational philanthropy foundation.

Focused on helping students reach the highest levels of learning, achievement, and stewardship — built from a Vietnamese-American family story of immigration, education, and service.

The Foundation exists to turn those values into practical support for students, families, schools, and community institutions. The approach is steady and deliberate: give thoughtfully, manage responsibly, keep clear records, and build charitable traditions that can continue for generations.

Pham Foundation is a California private family foundation. It is governed by the family that built it, guided by the experiences that shaped them, and designed to be carried forward by the generation that follows.

A tradition of service

Education as a pathway to opportunity

Quiet generosity without recognition rules

Long-term commitment to families and communities

Deep respect for students, teachers, and institutions

Teaching the next generation that stewardship is an obligation

Current Focus Areas

Focused giving
with a long horizon.

Supporting education, opportunity, scientific curiosity, and family stewardship through practical, long-term charitable giving.

Scholarships

Education & Opportunity

Supporting students through scholarship programs, with attention to academic achievement, perseverance, and future promise.

STEM

Engineering & Science

Encouraging students who show academic strength, leadership, and professional promise in engineering and related disciplines.

Discovery

Science & Nature

Supporting institutions that make science, nature, and hands-on learning visible and accessible to families and students.

Legacy

Family Stewardship

Teaching the next generation that responsible giving, careful recordkeeping, and caring for others is an obligation — not an option.

Scholarship Programs

Scholarships built on
personal connection.

The Foundation awards scholarships through direct institutional partnerships — selecting schools and universities where the family has a personal connection, then committing for the long term.

Active Established March 2026

SJSU Engineering Scholarship

Inaugural $5,000 scholarship grant through San José State University supporting a promising engineering student selected through the university process.

View SJSU Program

In Development Launching 2026

Quảng Ngãi Scholarship

A five-year program at Trần Quốc Tuấn High School honoring academic excellence, perseverance, and distinguished teaching.

View Program Tiếng Việt

Planned Target 2027

UC Berkeley Engineering

A planned expansion of the Foundation's university partnership work, with Tammy T. Duong as the lead alumni point of contact.

View All Scholarships

Science & Discovery Support

Four institutions.
A promise made in 2021.

The Pham Foundation has supported the California Academy of Sciences, Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Gardens of Golden Gate Park, and the Exploratorium since its founding — a commitment made before any other program was in place.

These four Bay Area institutions shaped how our family learned together. Saturday mornings at the Academy. Quiet walks through the gardens. Our daughters watching engineers at the Exploratorium and marine biologists at the Aquarium — science and nature not as subjects, but as experiences worth returning to.

Their work makes curiosity visible, keeps the natural world present in public life, and gives families access to learning that lasts. The Foundation's support is permanent — not project by project, but as a standing commitment.

California Academy of Sciences

Natural history, planetarium science, public education, and conservation awareness.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Marine education, ocean conservation, and the responsibility to protect the natural world.

The Gardens of Golden Gate Park

Botanical education, public access to nature, and environmental learning.

The Exploratorium

Hands-on experimentation, engineering curiosity, and family discovery.

Public Information & Transparency

Clear records.
Responsible oversight.

The Foundation maintains full public disclosure of its IRS filings, grantmaking activity, and financial records. Pham Foundation is a private family foundation and does not accept unsolicited grant applications.

View Public Filings & Grant Records

Building a lasting familytradition of giving.

A multi-generationaleducational philanthropy foundation.