This paper examines the pivotal contributions of Chinese Columbianites—Hu Shi, Jiang Menglin, and Zhang Boling—and the broader impact of transnational intellectual collaborations through the China Foundation. Trained at Columbia University and Teachers College, these intellectuals were deeply influenced by American educators John Dewey, Paul Monroe, and William Kilpatrick. Upon returning to China, they implemented progressive educational reforms inspired by their studies and fostered significant intellectual exchanges between China and the United States. Their collaboration with Paul Monroe led to the establishment of the China Foundation for the Promotion of Culture and Education, a key institution in administering the second American remission of the Boxer Indemnity funds. The China Foundation's efforts to promote scientific research and education were instrumental in advancing China's modernization. Delving into the roles and contributions of these Columbia-trained Chinese intellectuals, the paper reveals the sustained academic exchanges between China and the US in the early twentieth century and explores how this network of scholars, and trustees on the China Foundation's board, reinforced funding priorities to certain organizations such as Nankai, Beida, and the China Society of Science.