Bay Area Council Foundation
ActivePublic CharityHuman Services
About Bay Area Council Foundation
The Bay Area Council Foundation (BACF) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 2004 to fund, manage and implement initiatives that impact the Bay Area. Its mission is to support the Bay Area Council and invest philanthropic resources toward building stronger, more vibrant communities, a healthy economy, and a more innovative, globally competitive and sustainable Bay Area region.
Focus Areas
EducationWorkforce developmentHealthcareTransportation / MobilityHousingEnvironment & ClimateScience & TechnologyEconomic competitivenessRegional planning
Who They Fund
California communitiesadaptation practitioners and professionalsPolicymakers and local government staff
About Bay Area Council Foundation
Bay Area Council Foundation’s recent grantmaking is anchored by California resilience work, with awards ranging from a $195,500 grant to Tzicatl Community Development Corp in Los Angeles to a $200,000 grant to The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program in Azusa. The pattern shows a foundation using philanthropy to support organizations and public agencies working on climate, adaptation, and community resilience across California. It also backs convening and field-building efforts, including a $10,000 sponsorship for Civicwell’s 2023 California Adaptation Forum. The foundation’s portfolio also reaches into education and leadership development through BASIC fellowship and scholarship programming. Those initiatives sit within the Bay Area Council Foundation structure and support science, innovation, and student advancement in the Bay Area. In recent grants, the foundation has funded a mix of community organizations, environmental groups, tribal entities, and local government partners, including Climate Resolve, the City of San Leandro, and the Town of Paradise. That mix suggests a funder that uses direct grants to support both frontline implementation and broader regional planning work.
What Bay Area Council Foundation Funds
California resilience is the clearest theme in the recent grant list. Bay Area Council Foundation gave $180,408 to Western Klamath Restoration Partnership in Berkeley for California Resilience Challenge work, and another $180,408 to Cooperation Humboldt in Eureka for the same purpose. It also supported the Fernandeno Tataviam Band of Mission Indians in San Fernando and the County of Santa Barbara at $100,000 each under that challenge. The foundation also funds adaptation and climate-related community work in urban settings. It awarded $98,591 to Alliance for a Better Community in Los Angeles and $97,324 to Mycelium Youth Network in Oakland, both for California resilience efforts. In San Francisco, Greenbelt Alliance received $98,091 for the same general purpose. Beyond resilience, the grant list includes education and professional development programs. Bay Area Council Foundation has supported the Bay Area Council Scholarship Program and the Ross Program in Real Estate, showing an interest in building regional talent pipelines.
How Bay Area Council Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster tightly around six figures: the p25 is $85,591, the median is $100,000, and the p75 is $180,408. That distribution fits a funder that makes substantial project support rather than many small awards. The grant list also shows repeated support for California resilience work across 2023, 2024, and 2025, including multiple awards tied to the same challenge or grant-award structure. Bay Area Council Foundation is a public charity and a regular funder; it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The active programs data also shows a mix of fellowship, scholarship, and sponsorship support, with some opportunities marked as accepting unsolicited proposals and others not.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3.3M
Total Assets
$46.8M
Total Revenue
$3.8M
Total Expenses
$5.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $86K and $180K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$86K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$180K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
About 95% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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