The Nancy & Joachim Bechtle Foundation prioritizes major cultural institutions and community services in the San Francisco Bay Area, providing sizeable general support to museums, performing arts organizations, and local health and emergency-response nonprofits. While the foundation occasionally funds national humanitarian groups, its giving pattern signals a strong preference for sustaining flagship Bay Area arts institutions and local safety-net services. Grants are typically unrestricted 'general' support, suggesting a focus on core operating needs rather than project-specific funding.
The Nancy & Joachim Bechtle Foundation’s largest recent grants are concentrated in San Francisco’s cultural core: $100,000 to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, $95,000 to San Francisco Symphony, and $75,000 to San Francisco Opera, all for general support in 2025. That pattern points to a funder that sustains major institutions rather than narrow, project-only work. The same grantmaking list also reaches a wider circle of Bay Area public-serving organizations, including health, food access, emergency response, and conservation groups, again usually with unrestricted support. In the arts, the foundation backs museum, visual arts, music, and performance organizations; in community services, it supports clinics, food banks, and family-service providers. The mix of grants suggests a preference for established organizations with recurring operating needs and a strong presence in San Francisco and nearby California communities. A smaller number of awards extend to national humanitarian groups, but the center of gravity remains local and institution-based.
Arts and culture make up a large share of the foundation’s recent giving. In 2025, it gave $35,000 to California College of the Arts for general support, $20,000 to Fine Arts Museum for general support, and $20,000 to San Francisco Ballet for general support. It also supported San Francisco Conservatory of Music with $15,000 and American Conservatory Theater with $10,000, reinforcing a pattern of backing established arts institutions across multiple disciplines. The foundation also funds health and safety-net services. Recent examples include $20,000 to Ucsf Foundation for general support, $20,000 to San Francisco Free Clinic for general support, and $10,000 to St Anthony's Foundation - Season of Hope for general support. Family and food-security work appears as well through $10,000 to San Francisco Marin Food Bank and $7,500 to Compass Family Services. Its community and public-safety grants include $50,000 to Stinson Beach Fire Protection Distric for general support and $10,000 to Donner Summit Avalance Dogs for general support, alongside conservation support such as $27,500 to Trust for Public Land.
The recent grant sizes cluster around mid-sized general-support awards rather than a few very large operating gifts: the 25th percentile is about $10,000, the median is $15,000, and the 75th percentile is $20,000 based on the listed recent grants. Most awards are one-time entries in the 2025 file, with a strong emphasis on unrestricted support. The foundation is a private foundation and a regular Funder, and it makes no program-related investments. Its giving profile is local, and all listed recipient grants in the country distribution are in the United States.
$796K
$1.9M
$658K
$800K
About 4% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Concentrated support in the San Francisco Bay Area with several large flagship grants ($75k–$100k) to cultural institutions plus a wider set of smaller general-support gifts ($10k–$35k) to health, emergency, and conservation nonprofits; mostly one-off unrestricted operating support rather than long-term multi-year pledges.
Notable grantees: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Trust for Public Land, San Francisco Free Clinic
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly California-centered, especially San Francisco. Recipients in the recent list include San Francisco, Stinson Beach, Soda Springs, Norden, Berkeley, and Los Angeles, with San Francisco appearing most often by far. The recipient-country distribution shows all listed grants in the United States. New York appears only in a small number of grants, including Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and Doctors Without Borders, but the foundation’s overall pattern is dominated by Bay Area institutions and California-based community organizations.
The recent grants show support for arts and culture, health and social services, public safety, and conservation. Examples include museums, symphony and opera organizations, clinics, food access groups, fire protection, avalanche rescue, and land conservation nonprofits, usually through general support awards.
Recent grants are commonly in the $10,000 to $20,000 range. In the listed file, the median grant is $15,000, with the 25th percentile at about $10,000 and the 75th percentile at about $20,000. Larger awards also appear, including $100,000, $95,000, and $75,000 grants.
Yes. Its geographic scope is local, and the recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based. The grant list is heavily centered on San Francisco and nearby California communities, with additional California recipients in Stinson Beach, Soda Springs, Norden, Berkeley, and Los Angeles.
They are mostly general support. The recent grants list labels nearly every award as GENERAL, including major gifts to arts institutions, community service providers, and public-safety organizations. That suggests a strong emphasis on core operating support.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $95,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SAN FRANCISCO OPERA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $75,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| ROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPHY ADVISORS | NEW YORK, NY | $66,667 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| STINSON BEACH FIRE PROTECTION DISTRIC | STINSON BEACH, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $35,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $27,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SAN FRANCISCO FREE CLINIC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CHRONICLE SEASON OF SHARING FUND | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| UCSF FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORY ART | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| FINE ARTS MUSEUM | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SAN FRANCISCO BALLET | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| FOR-SITE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SUGAR BOWL SKI TEAM FOUNDATION | NORDEN, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CONGREGATION EMANU-EL | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| DONNER SUMMIT AVALANCE DOGS | SODA SPRINGS, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| ST ANTHONY'S FOUNDATION - SEASON OF HOPE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| TIPPING POINT COMMUNITY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SALVATION ARMY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY | BERKELEY, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SAN FRANCISCO MARIN FOOD BANK | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| EXPLORATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATER | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| COMPASS FAMILY SERVICES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $7,500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SIERRA WATCH | NEVADA CITY, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| PRADER WILLIS HOMES OF CALIFORNIA | MILL VALLEY, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| PACIFIC CREST TRAIL ASSOCIATION | SACRAMENTO, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| HEADLANDS FOR THE ARTS | SAUSALITO, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| MARIN AGRICULTURE LAND TRUST | POINT REYES STA, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SWORDS TO PLOWSHERS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SAN FRANCISCO HOST COMMITTEE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| THE GRABHORN INSTITUTE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| CONGREGATION KOL EMETH | PALO ALTO, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| ODC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| LA COCINA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| FRIENDS OF BOLINAS STINSON BEACH LIBRARIES | STINSON BEACH, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| TRUCKEE DONNER LAND TRUST | TRUCKEE, CA | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| LITQUAKE FOUNDATION | SACRAMENTO, CA | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| 500 CAPP STREET FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| BOLINAS MUSEUM | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL |
| SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $190,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $115,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SAN FRANCISCO OPERA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $75,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
$75,000GENERAL
ROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPHY ADVISORS
$66,667GENERAL
STINSON BEACH FIRE PROTECTION DISTRIC
$50,000GENERAL
GENERAL
TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND
$27,500GENERAL
UCSF FOUNDATION
$20,000GENERAL
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
$20,000GENERAL
FOR-SITE
$15,000GENERAL
CONGREGATION EMANU-EL
$10,000GENERAL
DONNER SUMMIT AVALANCE DOGS
$10,000GENERAL
ST ANTHONY'S FOUNDATION - SEASON OF HOPE
$10,000GENERAL
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$10,000GENERAL
SALVATION ARMY
$10,000GENERAL
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY
$10,000GENERAL
SAN FRANCISCO MARIN FOOD BANK
$10,000GENERAL
YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY
$10,000GENERAL
EXPLORATION
$10,000GENERAL
AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATER
$10,000GENERAL
CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
$10,000GENERAL
MARIN AGRICULTURE LAND TRUST
$5,000GENERAL
SAN FRANCISCO HOST COMMITTEE
$5,000GENERAL
CONGREGATION KOL EMETH
$1,000GENERAL
ODC
$1,000GENERAL
FRIENDS OF BOLINAS STINSON BEACH LIBRARIES
$1,000GENERAL
500 CAPP STREET FOUNDATION
$500GENERAL
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
$75,000GENERAL