Xin Liu

Xin Liu says she invests in young people because she’s in the business of hope. Her Enlight Foundation focuses on education equality and youth empowerment, and has expanded its mission to include mental health and climate change—all through the lens of the next generation of changemakers.

Liu, a former reporter and photojournalist, co-founded Enlight with her then-husband, Chinese-American billionaire Duan Yongping, who stepped away from the foundation after the couple divorced. In 2025, Enlight kicked off two new collaborative giving initiatives. The Youth Mental Wellbeing Co-Lab is directing more than $112 million toward organizations addressing depression and anxiety in youth around the world, with Enlight providing $100 million over five years. And the Enlight Foundation and The Patchwork Collective launched the Emerging Climate Champions Award for youth-led organizations engaged in climate solutions, offering 25 grants of $1 million each.

Liu is also the founder and director of the Xinhe Foundation in China, which supports education programs for young children and developing youth leaders. She signed the Giving Pledge in 2025 and was honored by the China Institute of America with an Outstanding Asian American Women Who Dared Award. With more giving on the way, Liu remains focused on the future; she describes youth as stewards of the health of our planet and its people, and says we’re in good hands.