Minneapolis, MN --Ms. Ming Tchou, a long-time Minneapolis resident active in Minnesota's Chinese community, has established the Chinese Heritage Foundation at The Minneapolis Foundation to preserve and promote the understanding of Chinese history, culture and heritage. The Chinese Heritage Foundation is an endowed fund, which will issue grants on the recommendation of an elected group of advisors. Ms. Tchou has provided the initial resources to launch the Fund, and has also created a Donor Advised Fund under the Chinese Heritage Foundation "umbrella"-the Dr. M. F. Tchou Memorial Fund-in honor of her late husband, Dr. James Tchou.

"As I look back on my 40 years in Minnesota, I know that I have been blessed with a wonderful life here and that it is time to give back to our community," says Ms. Tchou. "All of us are put on this Earth for a purpose - for me it is to take that first step to provide for a means to preserve and promote our Chinese heritage to all Minnesotans and create mutual understanding and lasting friendship between cultures."

Anyone may contribute in any amount to the Chinese Heritage Foundation Fund. Families and individuals may also create Donor Advised Funds under the umbrella of the Chinese Heritage Foundation.

The Minneapolis Foundation President and CEO Emmett D. Carson, expressed his confidence that the values of the Chinese Heritage Foundation would enrich our community for generations to come: "The Chinese community in Minnesota has made important contributions to our cultural, intellectual and economic life. Ming Tchou continues this tradition of generosity by ensuring that the heritage of China and its people will flourish in our community in perpetuity."