William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation

OVERVIEW: William K. Bowes, Jr. is a San Francisco-based venture capitalist. His foundation prioritizes medical research and higher education, with an emphasis on California. It also supports the arts and cultural institutions in San Francisco and beyond.

IP TAKE:  The Bowes Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals and letters of inquiry. Bowes himself oversees grantmaking with a small staff. This is not the most accessible funder, which makes sense given its limited staff. While the foundation’s grantmaking has no stated geographical restrictions, it tends to prioritize those based in the San Francisco Bay Area. This funder is particularly good for science funding, which it prioritizes; however, the foundation is not transparent about grantmaking strategies, so it’s unclear how supportive or easy to work with this funder may be.

PROFILE: William “Bill” Bowes, Jr., is one of the United States’ richest men. William K. Bowes Foundation recently declared almost $350 million in assets and gave nearly $40 million in grants in a recent year. Unfortunately, the foundation lacks transparency restricting public information about its grantmaking guidelines and strategies. Its one-page website offers little information, stating only that it "supports nonprofit organizations in several areas including (but not exclusively) medical research, access to college, the arts and higher education."

Grants for Diseases, Brain and Cell, and Science Research

Bowes has supported work in a few different specific types of cancer including ovarian and myeloma. However, the majority of its related grants have gone toward cancer research at large medical institutions such as Damon Runyon and cancer focused nonprofits such as the Clearity and Canary foundations. Apart from cancer research Bowes’ disease funding tends to go toward the support of research and drug discovery for neurodegenerative disorders, mainly Alzheimer’s. Two key areas of interest include stem cell research for the cure and treatment of deadly diseases—especially cancer. This work has prioritized California research universities. Past grantees include Stanford University's Bio-X fellowship, which received about $1.5 million on a regular basis. Grantees also include the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, UC Berkeley (site of the Bowes Research Fellows Program), UC Santa Barbara, and the California Institute of Technology. While support for universities beyond California is less common, the foundation supports some stem cell research beyond the state. The University of Colorado Boulder, for example, recently received $500,000 to support endowed chairs at its Biofrontiers Institute. Harvard’s Stem Cell Institute has also received significant support. 

Grants for Higher Education

While the Bowes Foundation does not provide detailed information on its grantmaking priorities, it has a stated interest in “access to college” and “higher education.” The foundation also sometimes supports higher education initiatives outside of the key areas mentioned above. For example, the foundation recently gave $400,000 to Harvard University’s Art Museums for museum construction and $200,000 to Sonoma State University for a “Green Music Center.” In addition to direct donations to universities, it also supports nonprofits dedicated to college access and success, such as College Track, CollegeSpring, EducationSuperHighway, and Learning Accelerator.

Grants for Arts and Culture

Although the foundation's primary focus areas are higher education and medical research, its yearly grantmaking budget is rounded out with donations to the arts. William Bowes has served on boards and committees for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Exploratorium, Grace Cathedral, the UCSF Foundation and the Asian Art Museum. Most of Bowes’s grants go toward annual campaigns, building renovations, capital campaigns, general operating support and scholarship funds. The foundation does not make grants to individuals. Other grantees include Berkeley Music Group, San Francisco Boys Chorus, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and DIA Center for the Arts.

Important Grant Details:

This funder made over $24.5 million in grants in a recent year. Grants generally range from $100,000 to $500,000, but a select few groups may receive multi-million dollar grants. While the foundation’s grantmaking has no stated geographical restrictions, it tends to prioritize those based in the San Francisco Bay Area. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings, which are posted on its webpage.

The Bowes Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals, and there are no published guidelines for grantseekers. Direct general questions to the foundation staff at 415-561-6540 or to Executive Director Derek Aspacher at daspacher@pfs-llc.net. 

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