The Bengier Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on experiential youth education and development, with sizable, repeated investments in hands-on science learning and out‑of‑classroom leadership pathways. They favor a small number of recurring, sizable grants to organizations that deliver immersive learning experiences (museum education, gap‑year programs, and intensive youth mentoring/college‑access services), primarily in the Bay Area and nationally visible youth programs.
Concentrated giving: few (9) total grants with large dollar amounts and multiple repeat grants to a small set of core grantees; emphasis on multi‑year or follow‑on support rather than many one‑off small gifts.
The Bengier Foundation’s giving is built around experiential youth education: large unrestricted grants for hands-on science learning, global citizenship programs, and intensive mentoring for students on the path to college. Across the recent grant record, three organizations appear year after year at the top of the list. The Exploratorium received $250,000 in 2025 after $200,000 grants in both 2023 and 2024, while Global Citizen Year and Summer Search also show repeated support across three years. That pattern points to a foundation that backs organizations with ongoing program needs rather than one-time projects. The foundation’s recent grants also show a preference for flexible support. Many awards are marked unrestricted, including grants to university-affiliated, school-based, and youth-development nonprofits. Its mission language emphasizes bright, hard-working young people, educational opportunity, scholarships, and increasing American educational capital, and the recent grants reflect that broad youth-centered lens. Bay Area institutions are especially prominent, but the portfolio also includes a smaller number of nationally visible education and science organizations. A few awards extend beyond the core youth-development circle, yet the strongest throughline is immersive learning for young people, especially where exposure, mentorship, and college access overlap.
In interactive science and museum education, The Bengier Foundation gave $250,000 in 2025 to The Exploratorium in San Francisco, following $200,000 grants in 2023 and 2024. That repeated support makes museum-based learning one of the clearest themes in the record. For gap-year and global citizenship leadership, they awarded $125,000 in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025 to Global Citizen Year in Oakland. The same multi-year pattern appears in college access and youth mentoring: Summer Search in San Francisco received $100,000 in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025. Other education-related grants broaden the picture. The University Corporation San Francisco State received $60,000 in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Mercy High School Burlingame received $20,000 in 2023 and 2024, followed by $15,000 in 2025.
Typical grants cluster in the middle range, with a p25 of $11,250, a median of $20,000, and a p75 of $60,000. The recent record also includes larger recurring awards at $100,000, $125,000, $200,000, and $250,000, suggesting a small number of anchor grantees alongside a broader set of smaller education grants. The pattern is strongly recurring: several grantees appear in multiple consecutive years, including The Exploratorium, Global Citizen Year, Summer Search, The University Corporation San Francisco State, and Mercy High School Burlingame. Grants are described as unrestricted or unrestricted support across the list. The foundation is a regular funder, funds only 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, does not fund individuals, and accepts unsolicited ideas by email for board consideration.
$695K
$7.8M
$404K
$773K
Most grants fall between $11K and $60K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$11K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$60K
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Notable grantees: The Exploratorium, Global Citizen Year, Summer Search
The grant record is overwhelmingly California-based, with 88% of grants going to recipients in CA. San Francisco appears repeatedly, including The Exploratorium, Summer Search, The University Corporation San Francisco State, UCSF Medical Center Auxiliary, SMART Program, AIM High, and Bay Scholars. Oakland and Emeryville also recur through Global Citizen Year and Global Glimpse. Outside California, the record includes Santa Fe, NM, and Centralia, MO. All recorded recipient grants are in the United States.
The foundation accepts unsolicited ideas by email for board consideration. Its active grant programs say it provides limited direct funding to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and funds a small number of ideas each year.
The Bengier Foundation funds 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and does not fund individuals. Its active programs emphasize education, youth development, scholarships, college access, and related capacity-building work.
Typical grants are centered at $20,000, with a p25 of $11,250 and a p75 of $60,000. The recent list also shows larger repeat awards of $100,000, $125,000, $200,000, and $250,000 to a small set of recurring partners.
The record points to experiential youth education, interactive science and museum education, gap-year and global citizenship leadership programs, and college access plus intensive youth mentoring. Mission language also highlights scholarships and increasing American educational capital.
The recent grant list shows multi-year support for The Exploratorium, Global Citizen Year, Summer Search, The University Corporation San Francisco State, Mercy High School Burlingame, Global Glimpse, AIM High, and SMART Program. Several of those grantees appear across 2023, 2024, and 2025.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Bengier Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Applicants must be 501(c)(3) qualified nonprofit organizations. The foundation does not fund individuals and only considers ideas that strongly align with its mission.
Who can apply: Applicants must be 501(c)(3) qualified nonprofit organizations. The Foundation funds only a small number of ideas each year and considers new ideas only when they are especially compelling and closely aligned with its mission. It does not fund individuals.
Who can apply: Only 501(c)(3) qualified nonprofit organizations are eligible. The foundation does not fund individuals. Proposed ideas must be precisely in agreement with the foundation's mission and especially compelling relative to other ideas.
Deadline: No formal deadline stated; ideas may be submitted by email for consideration.
Who can apply: Only 501(c)(3) qualified nonprofit organizations are eligible; the foundation does not fund individuals. New ideas must be especially compelling and in agreement with the foundation's mission.
Who can apply: The foundation does not fund individuals; it only funds 501(c)(3) qualified nonprofit organizations. New ideas are considered only if they are especially compelling and in agreement with the foundation's mission.
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Exploratorium | San Francisco, CA | $250,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Global Citizen Year | OAKLAND, CA | $125,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Summer Search | San Francisco, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| The University Corporation San Francisco State | San Francisco, CA | $60,000 | 2025 | unrestricted |
| Santa Fe Institute | Santa Fe, NM | $50,000 | 2025 | unrestricted |
| UCSF MEDICAL CENTER AUXILIARY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | unrestricted |
| Global Glimpse | EMERYVILLE, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Mercy High School Burlingame | Burlingame, CA | $15,000 | 2025 | unrestricted |
| AIM High | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $15,000 | 2025 | unrestricted |
| SMART Program | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $15,000 | 2025 | unrestricted |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Bay Scholars | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | unrestricted |
| The Exploratorium | San Francisco, CA | $200,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Global Citizen Year | OAKLAND, CA | $125,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Summer Search | San Francisco, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| The University Corporation San Francisco State | San Francisco, CA | $60,000 | 2024 | unrestricted |
| Santa Fe Institute | Santa Fe, NM | $50,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UCSF MEDICAL CENTER AUXILIARY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | unrestricted |
| SMART Program | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | unrestricted |
| Mercy High School Burlingame | Burlingame, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | unrestricted |
| Global Glimpse | EMERYVILLE, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AIM High | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | unrestricted |
| Bay Scholars | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | unrestricted |
| The Bay School of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| The Exploratorium | San Francisco, CA | $200,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Global Citizen Year | OAKLAND, CA | $125,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Summer Search | San Francisco, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| The University Corporation San Francisco State | San Francisco, CA | $60,000 | 2023 | unrestricted |
| Santa Fe Institute | Santa Fe, NM | $50,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| Mercy High School Burlingame | Burlingame, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | unrestricted |
| Global Glimpse | OAKLAND, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SMART Program | Centralia, MO | $15,000 | 2023 | unrestricted |
| AIM High | Walnut Creek, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | unrestricted |
| Bay Scholars | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | unrestricted |
| Genesys Works Bay Area | Oakland, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | unrestricted |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| The Bay School of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
The Exploratorium
$250,000UNRESTRICTED
Global Citizen Year
$125,000UNRESTRICTED
Summer Search
$100,000UNRESTRICTED
UCSF MEDICAL CENTER AUXILIARY
$25,000unrestricted
Mercy High School Burlingame
$15,000unrestricted
AIM High
$15,000unrestricted
SMART Program
$15,000unrestricted
The Exploratorium
$200,000UNRESTRICTED
Global Citizen Year
$125,000UNRESTRICTED
UCSF MEDICAL CENTER AUXILIARY
$25,000unrestricted
SMART Program
$20,000unrestricted
Mercy High School Burlingame
$20,000unrestricted
AIM High
$15,000unrestricted
The Exploratorium
$200,000UNRESTRICTED
Global Citizen Year
$125,000UNRESTRICTED
Mercy High School Burlingame
$20,000unrestricted
SMART Program
$15,000unrestricted
AIM High
$15,000unrestricted
Genesys Works Bay Area
$10,000unrestricted
