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Bowden Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Bowden Family Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$25k
Granted FY2024still arriving
1
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$25k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0190% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$256kEducation$80kEnvironment$76kRecreation & Sports$66kReligion$20kFood & Nutrition$13kHuman Services$10kInternational$10kOther$0
02FY2024 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$25,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ARCS FOUNDATION INC$25,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%DAVID BROWER CENTER: $5k → 10%TOMPKINS CONSERVATION: $30k → 10%ST JAMES BY THE SEA EPISCOPAL CHURCH: $10k → 11%MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO FOUNDATION: $5k → 12%AW1U AMERICAN WOMEN FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING: $10k → 14%BERKELEY PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDS: $30k → 10%TOMPKINS CONSERVATION: $5k → 10%ATHENAEUM MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY: $8k → 11%BERKELEY PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDS: $30k → 10%TOMPKINS CONSERVATION: $4k → 10%TORREY PINES CHURCH: $8k → 11%BERKELEY PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDS: $10k → 10%BOOK CLUB OF CALIFORNIA: $8k → 10%ATHENAEUM MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY: $3k → 11%BIRCH AQUARIUM: $3k → 11%SALVATION ARMY: $6k → 11%LA JOLLA HIGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION: $2k → 11%RADY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: $5k → 11%ST JAMES BY THE SEA EPISCOPAL CHURCH: $2k → 11%ARCS FOUNDATION INC: $25k → 11%ARCS FOUNDATION INC: $25k → 11%ARCS FOUNDATION INC: $11k → 11%ARCS FOUNDATION INC: $5k → 11%ARCS FOUNDATION INC: $3k → 11%ARCS FOUNDATION INC: $3k → 11%WEDNESDAY CLUB: $5k → 11%KPBS: $3k → 11%YOUTH TENNIS OF SAN DIEGO: $23k → 11%YOUTH TENNIS OF SAN DIEGO: $11k → 11%YOUTH TENNIS OF SAN DIEGO: $10k → 11%YOUTH TENNIS OF SAN DIEGO: $9k → 11%YOUTH TENNIS OF SAN DIEGO: $6k → 11%BARNES CENTER: $5k → 11%LIVING COAST DISCOVERY CENTER: $3k → 11%YOUTH TENNIS OF SAN DIEGO: $5k → 11%SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY: $5k → 11%SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER: $110k → 11%MINGEI INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM: $26k → 11%MINGEI INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM: $25k → 11%SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF MAN: $10k → 11%SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER: $10k → 11%MAMA'S KITCHEN: $5k → 11%SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF MAN: $5k → 11%SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF MAN: $5k → 11%MINGEI INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM: $4k → 11%MAMA'S KITCHEN: $8k → 11%ATHENAEUM ART MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY: $15k → 11%MONARCH SCHOOL: $3k → 11%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

80%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$496k · 14 repeat orgs$123k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +70% since the first grant, against +18% for those funded once.

14 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2024, 13 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

14
28

Total granted

$496k
$123k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+70%
+18%

Still filing today

57%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’24
Arts & CultureEducationAnimalsEnvironmentPhilanthropyHealthOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • SD
    SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
    2× · 2021–2022 · $120k · revenue +502%
  • YT
    YOUTH TENNIS SAN DIEGO
    6× · 2017–2022 · $64k · revenue +349%
  • LA
    LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF LA JOLLA
    4× · 2017–2020 · $13k · revenue +17%

Funded once

  • REWILD
    one grant, 2022 · $30k · revenue +18%
  • AA
    ATHENAEUM ART MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY
    one grant, 2022 · $15k
  • AW
    AMERICAN WOMEN FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDINGgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $10k · revenue +66%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
San Diego Society of Natural History

Conserving nature through science and discovery.

Arts & Culture
2
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

The museum of contemporary art san diego invites all audiences to experience our world, our region, and ourselves through the prism of contemporary art.

Arts & Culture
3
Zoological Society of San Diego

San diego zoo wildlife alliance is committed to saving species worldwide by uniting our expertise in wildlife care and conservation science with our dedication to inspiring passion for nature.

Animals
4
California Academy of Sciences

The academy is a renowned scientific and educational institution with a mission to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. based in san francisco's golden gate park, it is home to a world-class aquarium,…

Arts & Culture
5
Museo De Las Americas

The Museo De Las Americas is dedicated to educating our community through collecting preserving interpreting and exhibiting the diverse arts and cultures of the Americas from ancient to contemporary through innovative exhibitions and…

Arts & Culture
6
Balboa Park Conservancy

Balboa Park Conservancy (the Conservancy) was organized on November 3, 1923. The Conservancy is the City of San Diegos (the City) partner and advocated for the greater good of Balboa Park (the Park). The Conservancy collaborated with and…

—
7
Quail Botanical Gardens Foundation

The mission of san diego botanic garden: we garden to create, share, and apply plant wisdom in our world. the organization's diverse topography and wide variety of microclimates provides visitors with the varied sensations of strolling…

Environment
8
La Jolla Historical Society

La Jolla Historical Society celebrates the history and culture of this region along the waters edge through interdisciplinary programs, exhibitions, and research that challenge expectations. It balances contemporary and historic…

—
9
American Museum of Natural History

The museum's mission statement is: "to discover, interpret, and disseminate - through scientific research and education - knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."

Arts & Culture
10
The San Diego Foundation

The san diego foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region.

Philanthropy
11
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Rancho santa ana botanic gardens promotes botany, conservation, and horticulture to inspire, inform and educate the public and scientific community about california's native flora. the garden is devoted to the collection, cultivation,…

Environment
12
San Diego Habitat Conservancy

Acquire, manage and protect land in perpetuity that supports sensitive habitats and species, and to educate and inspire people and communities as stewards and advocates of their natural environment.

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is San Diego Museum of Man Dba Museum of Us; the most unlike its peers is Point Loma Rotary Endowment Fund Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

22 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 22 of the 42 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
22/22
Grantees still filing
17/22
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $120,000 · OtherSAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETYARCS FOUNDATION INC: $71,000 · OtherARCS FOUNDATION INCBERKELEY PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDS: $69,500 · OtherBERKELEY PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDSYOUTH TENNIS SAN DIEGO: $63,500 · OtherYOUTH TENNIS SAN DIEGOMINGEI INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM: $55,517 · OtherMINGEI INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM+23 more: $80,216 · Other+23 moreTOMPKINS CONSERVATION: $38,500 · EnvironmentDAVID BROWER CENTER: $5,000 · EnvironmentLIVING COAST DISCOVERY CENTER: $2,500 · EnvironmentREWILD: $30,000 · AnimalsSAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY AND SPCA: $5,000 · Animals+1 more: $350 · AnimalsSAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF MAN DBA MUSEUM OF US: $20,000 · Arts & CultureTHE BOOK CLUB OF CALIFORNIA: $8,000 · Arts & CultureMUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO FOUNDATION: $6,650 · Arts & CultureLIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF LA JOLLA: $13,400 · EducationBerkeley High School Development Group: $5,000 · EducationMONARCH SCHOOL PROJECT: $2,500 · EducationMAMA'S KITCHEN: $12,500 · Food & NutritionAMERICAN WOMEN FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING: $10,000 · International
Other$459,733Environment$46,000Animals$35,350Arts & Culture$34,650Education$20,900Food & Nutrition$12,500International$10,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetSAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $120,000 over 2y, 7.1% of budgetYOUTH TENNIS SAN DIEGO: $63,500 over 6y, 1.7% of budgetTOMPKINS CONSERVATION: $38,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetREWILD: $30,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF MAN DBA MUSEUM OF US: $20,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetLIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF LA JOLLA: $13,400 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetMAMA'S KITCHEN: $12,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetAMERICAN WOMEN FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING: $10,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetTHE BOOK CLUB OF CALIFORNIA: $8,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetMUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO FOUNDATION: $6,650 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY AND SPCA: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDAVID BROWER CENTER: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetThe Wednesday Club: $5,000 over 1y, 5.3% of budgetBerkeley High School Development Group: $5,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetLIVING COAST DISCOVERY CENTER: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMONARCH SCHOOL PROJECT: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPATRONS OF THE PRADO: $2,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetPoint Loma Rotary Endowment Fund Inc: $1,500 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetBurn Institute: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLAS PATRONAS: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTEXAS SCOTTISH RITE HOSPITAL FOR CRIPPLED CHILDREN: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHELEN WOODWARD ANIMAL CENTER: $350 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds YOUTH TENNIS SAN DIEGO ↗
  • Who funds TOMPKINS CONSERVATION ↗
  • Who funds REWILD ↗
  • Who funds SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF MAN DBA MUSEUM OF US ↗
  • Who funds LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF LA JOLLA ↗
  • Who funds MAMA'S KITCHEN ↗
  • Who funds AMERICAN WOMEN FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING ↗
  • Who funds THE BOOK CLUB OF CALIFORNIA ↗
  • Who funds MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY AND SPCA ↗
  • Who funds DAVID BROWER CENTER ↗
  • Who funds The Wednesday Club ↗
  • Who funds Berkeley High School Development Group ↗
  • Who funds LIVING COAST DISCOVERY CENTER ↗
  • Who funds MONARCH SCHOOL PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds PATRONS OF THE PRADO ↗
  • Who funds Point Loma Rotary Endowment Fund Inc ↗
  • Who funds Burn Institute ↗
  • Who funds LAS PATRONAS ↗
  • Who funds TEXAS SCOTTISH RITE HOSPITAL FOR CRIPPLED CHILDREN ↗

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The San Diego Foundat…Jewish Community Foun…Dr Seuss FoundationThe Conrad Prebys Fou…Sempra FoundationHeller Foundation of …Price Philanthropies …Morgan Stanley Global…American Online Givin…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…
The San Diego FoundationCA22.7× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The San Diego Foundation · Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego · Dr Seuss Foundation · The Conrad Prebys Foundation · Sempra Foundation · Heller Foundation of San Diego · Price Philanthropies Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Bowden Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Bowden Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 42 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Bowden Family’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home