About William K Bowes Jr Foundation
The William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation concentrates major gifts in biomedical research and higher education while also investing in cultural institutions and select K–12 education initiatives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Grants skew toward large, multi-year or multi-grant commitments to a small set of repeat organizations, and the foundation shows a pattern of naming or endowed programs (fellowships, centers) as well as general operating support. There is also a recurrent support for local arts and science institutions and some faith-based capital giving.
Focus Areas
Biomedical research fellowships and investigator programs at Bay Area universities (e.g., UCSF, Gladstone Institutes)University research and interdisciplinary STEM initiatives (Stanford Bio-X fellows, campus labs/collections)Regional performing arts infrastructure and music education (San Francisco Conservatory of Music capital and operating support)Informal science education for underserved students (Exploratorium field-trip programs for Title I schools)Targeted K–12 charter school expansion in the Bay Area (KIPP Bay Area)Episcopal Church capital/campaign support in the Diocese of California
About William K Bowes Jr Foundation
William K Bowes Jr Foundation’s largest recent commitments are long-running biomedical research packages at UCSF, where annual grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025 funded the William K. Bowes, Jr. Biomedical Investigator Program alongside UCSF Discovery Fellows, the Osher Center Research Support, the Neural Code of Speech, and the Cardiology Council. That pattern shows a foundation that favors sustained support for named research programs rather than isolated one-off awards. The same approach appears in its university giving, with repeated support for Stanford Bio-X Bowes Fellows and related library and humanities investments through the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. The foundation also backs institutions outside research, including the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where gifts supported the Bowes Center for Performing Arts and the President’s Fund. Across the recent grants list, the William K Bowes Jr Foundation combines major biomedical funding, faculty and fellow support, and institutional gifts tied to specific programs, centers, and campaigns.
What William K Bowes Jr Foundation Funds
Biomedical research is a core theme. The William K Bowes Jr Foundation gave $6,183,333 in 2024 to UCSF Foundation for the William K. Bowes, Jr. Biomedical Investigator Program, UCSF Osher Center Research Support, The Neural Code of Speech, Cardiology Council, and UCSF Discovery Fellows. In another research stream, it gave $2,000,000 in 2025 to J David Gladstone Institutes for general support at the discretion of the president. Higher education support is also direct and named: the foundation gave $850,000 in 2025 to the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University for Stanford Bio-X Bowes Fellows and library and art-history support. In student aid, it gave $583,333 in 2024 to UC Berkeley Foundation for Bowes Faculty Fellows and UC Berkeley Fiat Lux Scholarships. Vision-related work appears through a $500,000 grant in 2024 to UC Santa Barbara Foundation for The Garland Initiative for Vision.
How William K Bowes Jr Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster at the upper end of the scale: p25 is $50,000, median grant size is $200,000, and p75 is $500,000. Recent awards also show repeated commitments to the same organizations across multiple years, including UCSF Foundation, J David Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Stanford, The Exploratorium, and the Episcopal Diocese of California. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, not a DAF and not a funder of individuals. The recent grant list also shows a mix of program-specific support, general operating support, and campaign or capital-style gifts.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$9.5M
Total Assets
$236.8M
Total Revenue
$15.5M
Total Expenses
$11.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $50K and $500K, with a median of $200K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$200K
75th Percentile
$500K
Geographic Reach
Regional9 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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