Robert Hung Ngai Ho, Sr, founder of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global, has died.
The foundation and the Buddhist world at large — the uncountable organizations, institutions, and individuals that have been direct or indirect beneficiaries of his generosity — mourn and remember him.
“Inspired and informed by interconnectedness,” reads the foundation’s vision statement, “The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global supports programs in arts and culture and Buddhism, and funds initiatives that enhance the wellbeing of humanity and the environment.”
https://www.rhfamilyfoundationglobal.org/ has posted an obituary, which reads, in part:
Mr. Robert Hung Ngai Ho, C.M., O.B.C., philanthropist, patron of contemporary Buddhism, newspaper journalist and editor, son of General Ho Shai Lai and grandson of Sir Robert Ho Tung, passed away peacefully in Vancouver, Canada on November 30, 2025, at the age of 93.
Mr. Ho was born in Hong Kong. His early years were interrupted by the war and he spent several years in south western China. After the war, Mr. Ho returned to Hong Kong to complete his secondary school education at Lingnan College. He then furthered his studies at Colgate University and at Columbia University Journalism School. Mr. Ho returned to Hong Kong to be involved in various businesses. However, his callings were in journalism and serving society. As a journalist he led the Kung Sheung Daily and Evening Newspapers and served as Chairman of the Newspaper Society of Hong Kong, with an agenda for global exchange and social responsibility in journalism. During this time he was also Chairman of the Hong Kong Community Chest and Tung Lin Kok Yuen Hong Kong and a trustee of Lingnan College. Later on in life he established Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada, the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, and the online journal Buddhistdoor Global.
Continuing the legacy of his family’s philanthropy and guided by one of his mottos, ”Before you can receive, you must learn to give,’ Mr. Ho’s philanthropic work through his Foundation focused on two areas; Buddhism and cultural heritage. With Buddhism it was to make relevant Buddhist wisdom and practice to contemporary society and life, supporting Buddhist studies at various universities in Hong Kong and North America. On the cultural side, it was bringing Chinese Arts to the western audiences, sponsoring exhibitions and cultural events worldwide.
In 2013, the foundation chose the American Council of Learned Societies to administer The Robert. H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies to, as ACLS president Joy Connolly, writes in an ACLS email marking Ho’s passing, “promote the study and dissemination of knowledge of Buddhist traditions, foster global scholarly networks, and host annual symposia for early-career scholars.” Connolly further explains that the program “provided seed funding to establish 13 new professorships in Buddhist studies at universities in Asia, Europe, Mexico, and the United States,” and that the foundation-supported ACLS Buddhism Public Scholars program “began placing recent PhDs in professional positions at museums, libraries, and publications to lend their skills in helping those institutions present and interpret knowledge of Buddhist traditions.”
Lion’s Roar joins our friends and colleagues across the world in reflecting with gratitude upon the life and work of Robert H. N. Ho.
