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EN VI
Pham Foundation · Est. 2021

A family that governs itself.

The Foundation is not run by a board. It is carried by the people who built it — and by the daughters who will carry it forward.

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From the Founders

Why we govern
this way.

We did not build this Foundation to be managed by institutions, overseen by committees, or handed to strangers when we are gone. We built it to be carried by family — with the same care, the same values, and the same sense of responsibility that guided every decision we made together.

A family foundation is only as strong as the people who run it. That means every member of this family has a role. Not a passive one. An active one. Understanding how the Foundation works, what it stands for, and what it expects of the people who govern it is not optional — it is the price of stewardship.

We wrote these principles not as a description of what we have built, but as instructions for what comes next. The Foundation does not belong to any one generation. It belongs to the mission — and to whoever is willing to carry it forward with integrity.

That is the standard. We hold ourselves to it. We expect every member of this family to hold themselves to it too.

Scott H. Pham & Tammy T. Duong Founders · Pham Foundation · Est. 2021
"This Foundation is not intended to create a complicated long-term control system for its own sake. It is intended to protect the mission, preserve continuity, and ensure that the next generation is prepared to carry forward our commitment — before a crisis, not after one."
— Pham Family Founding Documents, 2026
The Governing Family

Four members.
One shared obligation.

Every member of this family carries a defined responsibility to the Foundation. Not as a title — as an obligation. The Foundation rises or falls on the quality of the people who govern it.

The Pham Family — Scott, Tammy, and their two daughters
The Pham Family · San Ramon, California
Scott H. Pham
Founder · President
Tier 1 · Governance · Operations · Strategy

Founder and President of the Pham Foundation. Responsible for overall governance, technology infrastructure, financial oversight, legal compliance, and strategic direction. Holds permanent Tier 1 sovereign authority as established in the Foundation's Restated Articles of Incorporation.

Tammy T. Duong, Ph.D.
Co-Founder · Treasurer · Program Director
tammy@phamfoundation.org
Tier 1 · Programs · Relationships · Financial Oversight

Co-Founder and Treasurer of the Pham Foundation. Responsible for scholarship program development, partner relationships, financial record-keeping, and the Foundation's cultural integrity. An alumna of Trần Quốc Tuấn High School — the school the Foundation's first Vietnam scholarship serves. Holds permanent Tier 1 sovereign authority.

Our Eldest Daughter
Junior Member · Tier 1 in Preparation
Stewardship Pathway · Invitation 2027

Formally designated as a Junior Member of the Pham Foundation — a recognized family member with a defined pathway to full Tier 1 sovereign authority. In 2027, she reaches the first milestone on the stewardship pathway and is invited to begin her transition. She is the first of the next generation to carry this Foundation forward.

Our Youngest Daughter
Junior Member · Tier 1 in Preparation
Stewardship Pathway · In Time

Formally designated as a Junior Member of the Pham Foundation. She follows the same stewardship pathway as her sister — the same sovereign birthright, the same obligations, the same opportunity. The timing is different only because she was born later. Her role in this Foundation is no less important than anyone else's.

Guiding Instructions

What we ask of
every member.

These are not suggestions. They are the principles that have guided every decision we have made — and the standard we expect every person who governs this Foundation to uphold.

I

Know what you are governing before you govern it.

Before you make any decision on behalf of this Foundation, understand what it does, how it works, and why it was built this way. Coming to the work unprepared is itself a failure of stewardship. Every member of this family is expected to learn the Foundation's structure, its programs, its finances, and its obligations to the people it serves.

II

Grow the Foundation. Then give from strength.

A foundation that does not grow cannot fulfill a growing mission. Our obligation is twofold: to contribute from family resources over time, and to invest what we hold with discipline and care — so that the Foundation's capacity expands steadily, year after year. We have made a commitment to grow the Foundation's assets substantially over the next ten years — through ongoing family contributions and, in time, through the transfer of business assets we have spent our lives building. This is not a gesture. It is a plan — one we made deliberately, and one we hope the next generation will understand and carry forward. We are seeding this Foundation for generations we will not live to see. Every member of this family who governs the Foundation carries the responsibility to protect and grow what has been entrusted to them. The people who will depend on these assets long after we are gone deserve careful stewardship — and that responsibility belongs to everyone who governs this Foundation.

III

Hold your authority with humility. Earn the right to use it well.

As a Tier 1 family member, you hold sovereign authority over this Foundation by birthright. That right cannot be taken from you. But authority is not the same as wisdom — and the right to govern is not the same as readiness to govern well. Birthright gives you the seat. Preparation earns you the judgment to fill it. The stewardship pathway exists not to delay your authority but to ensure that when you exercise it, you do so with the understanding, the care, and the long view the Foundation deserves.

IV

Protect the people and institutions the Foundation serves — always.

The Foundation exists to support students, teachers, and educational institutions. Over time, leadership may change, priorities may shift, and partnerships may need to find a new path forward. In those moments, the Foundation’s responsibility is to remain steady, thoughtful, and focused on the good the work was created to serve. Students, teachers, and institutions that have already been recognized should never be placed in uncertainty because of organizational transition. Once a grant or award has been announced, it becomes a commitment that should be honored with dignity, fairness, and care. This principle keeps the mission above any transition and ensures that the Foundation’s work remains grounded in trust, responsibility, and the common good.

V

Preserve what has been built. Build for those not yet born.

The Foundation was not designed for one generation. It was designed to be handed forward — intact, funded, and understood — to each generation that follows. Treat the Foundation's assets as borrowed from your children, not inherited from your parents. The standard is long-term preservation, not short-term convenience.

VI

Grow quietly. Let the work speak.

This Foundation does not advertise. It does not seek recognition. It does not solicit donations from strangers. Growth comes through the quality of the work and the trust of the people who have seen it. When someone asks how they can help, that is when we invite them in — not before.

VII

When you disagree — pause. Do not force.

The Foundation's Bylaws encode a principle drawn directly from our own marriage and family life: when two Tier 1 members disagree on a decision, the founder who proposed it bears the responsibility to explain and persuade. The other listens with genuine openness. If consensus is not reached, no action is taken. Inaction is always safer than a decision neither person fully believes in. There are no forced votes, no deadlines, and no tiebreakers between the founders. This principle — the Pause Principle — extends to every generation that governs this Foundation. A decision you cannot agree on is a signal to slow down, not to push through.

To Our Daughters

This is what
we expect of you.

You are not required to serve this Foundation. But if you choose to, this is the pathway — and the standard it carries.

Every milestone on this path is an invitation, not a deadline. What matters is that when you step into real responsibility, you are genuinely ready for it.

18
The Invitation

At 18, you are invited to begin. The transition is accompanied by a formal stewardship conversation with all active Tier 1 members, a complete review of the Foundation's governing documents, mission, and financial position, and a signed acknowledgment of fiduciary responsibility. You do not yet govern alone — but your authority is real, your seat is yours, and your preparation begins in earnest. Participation is invited, not compelled. But if you choose to step in, you step in fully.

18–24
Learning in Real Time

This is not a waiting period. It is a formation period. You will learn by doing — reviewing reports, participating in decisions, taking on bounded responsibilities. We expect you to show up, ask hard questions, and begin forming your own judgment about what this Foundation should be.

25–29
Real Responsibility

By 25, we expect you to carry real operating authority — not observation. You will co-manage programs, oversee entities, and participate in strategic decisions. This is when the transition from learning to leading begins in earnest.

30
Full Governance

At 30 — if we are still actively involved — you become eligible for full governing authority. If we are gone before you reach 30, that milestone does not apply. The Foundation will need you earlier, and we trust that the preparation will have been enough.

The Structure

Three entities.
One governing purpose.

The Foundation, the real estate holdings, and the family governance framework are not separate concerns. They form a single integrated structure — each part sustaining the others, all of it serving the mission.

01
Pham Foundation
EIN 86-1609883 · Est. 2021

The charitable engine. A California private family foundation funding education scholarships in the United States and Vietnam. The terminal destination of the family structure — and the keeper of the mission regardless of what the future holds.

02
Pham Family Enterprises
Pham Properties LLC · Marsh Holding LLC

The economic foundation. Real estate holdings across California generate the financial capacity that sustains both the family and the Foundation's grantmaking. The portfolio is held within the family governance structure and is not to be liquidated for short-term convenience.

03
Family Governance
Established May 2026

The governing framework that holds the entities, defines the stewardship pathway, and positions the Foundation as the ultimate mission keeper. Designed to operate without improvisation — so that when difficult moments come, the structure is already in place.

Governance Architecture

How the Foundation
governs itself.

In June 2026, the Foundation restated its governing documents — Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws — for the first time since its founding. The restatement formalized a four-tier governance architecture designed to keep the Foundation under family control in perpetuity, with institutional safeguards in place for every scenario.

Tier 1 — Family Sovereign Authority. The founders and their lineal descendants hold all decision-making authority. This authority is held by birthright and cannot be overruled by any board, advisor, or outside party. It extends perpetually — to grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and every generation of the Pham family that follows.

Tier 2 — Family Extended Authority. Spouses and adopted children of Tier 1 descendants hold meaningful governance authority through board membership and advisory roles. They are full members of the Foundation family.

Tier 3 — Board Stewardship. Non-family board members provide governance support and advisory perspective. During active family governance, Tier 3 serves in a supporting capacity. If the family is temporarily unable to govern, Tier 3 maintains operations under a locked mission-preservation framework — meaning the private foundation status cannot be changed, all active scholarship programs continue, assets are managed conservatively, and the board actively seeks to identify any available family successor. Tier 3 cannot deviate from these constraints under any circumstances during an emergency period.

Tier 4 — Institutional Continuity. A designated institutional steward serves as the backstop of last resort — ensuring the Foundation can never be extinguished by the absence of a human steward. Any family member can reclaim governance at any time by written notice.

The full governance framework is described on the Foundation's Governance page.

Carry it forward.
Intact.

We did not build this to last one generation. We built it to be handed forward — understood, funded, and faithfully governed — by every person in this family who chooses to carry it.

The Foundation's work is quiet. The giving is steady. The records are clear. The standards are high. That is what we leave you — not just assets, but a way of doing things that is worth preserving.

Take it seriously. It was built with everything we had.

— Scott & Tammy
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