BACKGROUND
Jun Tsei Tai was born in Wuxi, China, near Shanghai in 1911. He began his career as an apprentice under his uncle at his antique shop in Shanghai. The Tai family moved to Hong Kong in 1949 and built their antique business into an internationally renowned collection of East Asian collectible art. He moved to New York in 1950 and in 1953 cemented his place in the international art world and became one of the foremost Chinese art collectors and dealers of the last half of the 20th century.
The J. T. Tai & Co Foundation was founded in New York in 1983 as the philanthropic arm of the J. T. Tai Company. Under Mr. Tai’s direction, the foundation began by donating scholarship grants to medical students and schools before widening its donations to include medical research, the American Red Cross, and other local and national charities.
Although J. T. Tai never returned to mainland China, the foundation has also forged relationships with Chinese universities and has made a number of donations to Peking University in Beijing and to SooChow University in Taiwan. Two record-breaking Sotheby’s auctions of 13 lots of Qing imperial porcelains in October 2010 and March 2011, which amounted to over USD 20 million (RMB 120 million) in sales, have allowed the foundation to continue to donate medical school scholarships and research grants to hundreds of medical students and numerous medical organizations.
J. T. Tai passed away in 1992 and entrusted the foundation to Y. C. Chen, Ming Chen Hsu, and Dr. F. Richard Hsu, who have all continued the foundation’s legacy of generous grants to medical students and schools. The trustees have served as directors of the foundation for almost 20 years and continue to direct the foundation’s grants and donations toward medical education in the United States.
MOTIVATION
The foundation has always had a special interest in supporting medical education in that Mr. Tai had always recognized the high costs associated with medical education and saw scholarships as an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young people hoping to pursue careers as physicians.” He also wanted to support the next generation of doctors as it would benefit everyone no matter if they are old or young, rich or poor.
In addition to supporting medical education, the foundation has also been a long-time supporter of the Asian American community. It has been supporting Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (NHPI), for over a decade to help stand up for the community in which Ming Chen Hsu, one of the directors of the foundation, has played a critical role.
Arriving in the United States and enrolling in George Washington University at the height of World War II, Ms. Hsu personally experienced and witnessed the prejudice and inequality suffered by Asian Americans: “It was very difficult at that time; there was no Asian or Chinese American organization.” Ming Chen Hsu forged her own path to success and rose to top executive positions at big corporations, but ironically she still “had to go to Ellis Island … for deportation hearings.” It took her 20 years to become an American citizen. Knowing the difficulties and challenges faced by the Asian American community in the United States, Ms. Hsu has led the J. T. Tai & Co Foundation in supporting Asian American community organizations to build a stronger voice for civil rights and social justice. In recognition of her and J. T. Tai & Co Foundation’s long-term support, she and the foundation were recently honored with the Philanthropy Partner Award at the 33rd Anniversary Dinner of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles.
IMPACT
Between 1989 and 2013, the foundation donated over USD 900,000 (RMB 5.5 million) to the Weill Medical School at Cornell University, which has assisted over 200 medical students in paying their way through medical school. Between 1996 and 2014, the J. T. Tai & Co Foundation gave USD 835,000 (RMB 5 million) in scholarships to the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University, which has assisted 155 medical students in completing medical school and pursuing their passions. Many of the students supported by the foundation go into practice in underserved communities, passing on the spirit of giving back to the community.256 The J. T. Tai & Co Foundation also donates directly to medical schools; in November 2008, the foundation donated USD 900,000 (RMB 5.5 million) to the University of Arizona Medical School for Valley Fever research. Most recently, the J. T. Tai & Co Foundation has been on the honor roll of top donors to the Peking University Education Foundation since 2008.257 The foundation’s focus on bridging educational opportunities between Chinese and U.S. universities has had far-reaching impact.