Program Aims
Fostering cross-cultural understanding, cooperation, and knowledge-sharing between America and Asia
The Henry Luce Foundation has been working to deepen understanding and strengthen relationships between Asia and the United States for more than 80 years. In keeping with our founder’s vision, we believe that a more peaceful and collaborative future can be forged by finding common ground across borders and cultures. With an emphasis on the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and ideas, we seek to promote trust and understanding among Americans and Asians and to increase awareness of Asian American experiences.
Recent Grants
Program Administrators
Helena Kolenda joined the Henry Luce Foundation’s Asia Program in 1998, serving as program officer prior to her appointment as Program Director in 2008. Ms. Kolenda holds a BA in Chinese Language and Literature from the University of California, Berkeley (1980) and a JD from the University of Texas School of Law (1989). Between 1981 and 1996, she spent a decade in China, working first as an English teacher with Volunteers in Asia and later as an attorney with the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. She is chair of the Harvard-Yenching Institute and a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the National Committee on United States-China Relations.
Yuting was born and raised in China, and holds a BA in International Studies and a MA in Comparative Politics from Peking University. In 2016 she received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Washington, Seattle. Her academic focus is the study of political economy and social welfare, especially public housing in China. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2017, Yuting devoted herself to women in philanthropy and early childhood education.
