Pilara Family Foundation
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About Pilara Family Foundation
The Pilara Family Foundation is a patron of major visual arts institutions, making large, multi-thousand-dollar gifts to prominent museums nationwide while maintaining a San Francisco Bay Area anchoring. Alongside robust museum support, the foundation also funds higher education, a Catholic secondary school, and selective health and biomedical research/hospital causes. Their portfolio blends high-profile cultural philanthropy with targeted local education and health investments.
Focus Areas
Major art museums and visual arts institutions (national and regional)Contemporary art and museum capital/operating support (e.g., SFMOMA, LACMA)Catholic secondary education in the Bay Area (e.g., Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep)Higher education and college funding in California (e.g., Saint Mary’s College)Health and biomedical research / hospital support (e.g., UCSF Foundation, North Hawaii Community Hospital)
Who They Fund
major national museums and cultural institutionsregional and city visual arts institutions
About Pilara Family Foundation
A $1,824,770 grant to The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest recent award on file for Pilara Family Foundation, and it captures the scale of a portfolio that favors major visual arts institutions. The foundation backs museums and art organizations at both national and regional levels, with recurring support for San Francisco anchors and selective gifts to institutions in other parts of the country. Its recent grants also show a second thread: education and health-related institutions in California, including a Catholic secondary school, a college, and biomedical or hospital beneficiaries. The foundation’s arts giving is not limited to one city. It has supported large museum institutions in New York, Atlanta, Houston, Reno, Detroit, Milwaukee, Washington, Boston, and Los Angeles, while keeping substantial activity in San Francisco. In California, grants have gone to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Asian Art Museum of SF, the Fine Arts Museums Foundation, the Oakland Museum of California, and the Crocker Art Museum. Outside the arts, the foundation has made targeted gifts to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, Saint Mary’s College of California, UCSF Foundation, North Hawaii Community Hospital, Ellison Institute Research Foundation, and Stone Research Foundation.
What Pilara Family Foundation Funds
The clearest theme in the portfolio is support for museums and contemporary art institutions. In 2025, Pilara Family Foundation gave $916,227 to the High Museum of Art, $641,043 to The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and $411,038 to Nevada Museum of Art. San Francisco remains a central site for arts and education support. The foundation awarded $406,815 to Asian Art Museum of SF, $275,437 to The Fine Arts Museums Foundation, and $300,000 to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory. Its higher-education and health-related giving is narrower but consistent. Recent grants include $200,000 to UCSF Foundation and $200,000 to North Hawaii Community Hospital, along with $100,000 to Saint Mary's College of California and $100,000 to Stone Research Foundation.
How Pilara Family Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster around a median of $30,000, with a lower quartile of $10,000 and an upper quartile of $150,000. That spread shows a mix of smaller awards and larger institutional gifts. The recent record also shows repeat support for some organizations across multiple years, including UCSF Foundation, Ellison Institute Research Foundation, Saint Mary's College of California, and Whitney Museum of American Art. The foundation makes program-related investments, and it funds an annual Larry Sultan Photography Award at $10,000. Unsolicited applications are not accepted for that award.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$6.1M
Total Assets
$20M
Total Revenue
$246K
Total Expenses
$9.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $150K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$150K
Geographic Reach
Regional11 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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