How much does The Bernard Osher Foundation give?

The Bernard Osher Foundation reported 132 grants totaling $3,622,500 in its FY2024 IRS filing. It funded between 3 and 154 organizations a year over FY2017 to FY2023.

What does The Bernard Osher Foundation fund?

By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2024, its largest causes are Education (55%), Arts & Culture (25%), Health (8%).

Who are The Bernard Osher Foundation's largest grantees?

By total granted over FY2017 to FY2024: Northwestern University ($5.9M), University of Miami ($2.1M), University of Washington ($2.1M).

Does The Bernard Osher Foundation fund new organizations?

In FY2023, 20% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.

Does The Bernard Osher Foundation accept unsolicited applications?

Its most recent filing reports that it accepts unsolicited grant applications.

Which funders back the same organizations as The Bernard Osher Foundation?

Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, The Sam Mazza Foundation.

Where is The Bernard Osher Foundation based?

The Bernard Osher Foundation is based in CA.

Foundation Dossiers

California · Private foundation

The Bernard Osher Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$3.6M
Granted FY2024(still arriving): 132
Grants FY2024: 142
Organizations funded FY2023: 20%
First-time grantees FY2023

Read the full brief

Median grant, FY2024: $15,000
Largest grant, FY2024: $119,000
Organizations funded a year: 3 to 154; FY2017 to FY2023
States reached, FY2024: 18
Total assets, FY2024: $28M
Applications: Takes unsolicited applications; Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2023, 20% of the organizations The Bernard Osher Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 16% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 84% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1.9M went to new ones.

RenewedFirst-time

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

Arts & CultureEducationEnvironmentRecreation & SportsFood & NutritionAnimalsOther

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.

The numbers by year

Fiscal year	Organizations funded	To those organizations	First-time grantees
FY2024still arriving	126	$3.6M	13%
FY2023	142	$12M	20%
FY2022	126	$8.1M	37%
FY2021	154	$24M	99%
FY2020	3	$7.1M	0%
FY2019	4	$8.4M	25%
FY2018	4	$12M	0%
FY2017	6	$4.1M	n/a

100% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$44MArts & Culture$20MHealth$6.7MRecreation & Sports$6.0MHuman Services$574kScience & Tech$557kFood & Nutrition$463kEnvironment$382kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2024, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

Grantee	Total granted	Years	Share of their budget
Northwestern University	$5,876,005	4	0%
University of Miami	$2,100,000	1	0%
University of Washington	$2,100,000	1	n/a
Vanderbilt University	$2,100,000	1	0%
Drake University	$1,175,000	3	0%
Clark Atlanta University Inc	$1,150,000	3	1%
University of Dayton	$1,100,000	2	0%
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art	$400,000	3	0%
Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums	$375,000	4	0%
San Francisco Symphony	$345,000	3	0%

Show all 149 grantees

All grantees of The Bernard Osher Foundation by total granted
Grantee	Total granted	Years	Share of their budget
Northwestern University	$5,876,005	4	0%
University of Miami	$2,100,000	1	0%
University of Washington	$2,100,000	1	n/a
Vanderbilt University	$2,100,000	1	0%
Drake University	$1,175,000	3	0%
Clark Atlanta University Inc	$1,150,000	3	1%
University of Dayton	$1,100,000	2	0%
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art	$400,000	3	0%
Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums	$375,000	4	0%
San Francisco Symphony	$345,000	3	0%
The Contemporary Jewish Museum	$325,000	4	3%
California Academy of Sciences	$300,000	3	0%
Kqed Inc	$300,000	3	0%
San Francisco Ballet Association	$300,000	3	0%
Oakland Museum of California	$300,000	4	0%
Human Rights Watch Inc	$275,000	5	0%
Summer Search	$255,000	2	1%
Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco	$250,000	3	0%
The Exploratorium	$200,000	2	0%
San Francisco Performances Inc	$191,250	4	4%
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale	$175,000	3	4%
Stern Grove Festival Association	$157,500	4	2%
Berkeley Repertory Theatre	$150,000	2	1%
San Francisco Food Bank	$150,000	3	0%
American Conservatory Theatre Foundation	$150,000	2	0%
Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund	$150,000	3	0%
California Film Institute	$150,000	3	1%
City Arts & Lectures Inc	$140,000	4	7%
Bread & Roses Presents	$137,500	5	4%
Bay Area Discovery Museum	$135,000	4	1%
The Commonwealth Club - World Affairs of California	$120,000	2	1%
San Francisco Jazz Organization	$112,500	4	0%
Shakespeare-San Francisco	$112,500	4	3%
Conservation Society of California	$112,500	4	0%
Merola Opera Program	$112,500	4	1%
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts	$105,000	3	0%
Ringling College of Art and Design Inc	$100,000	4	0%
University of California San Francisco Foundation	$100,000	1	0%
Magic Theatre Inc	$99,000	4	4%
EAST BAY PERFORMING ARTS dba OAKLAND SYMPHONY	$92,000	2	1%
Community Music Center	$90,000	4	0%
Smuin Ballet	$87,500	3	1%
Environmental Traveling Companions	$87,500	3	2%
Alonzo King Lines Ballet	$83,250	4	0%
Kala Art Institute	$81,000	4	2%
University of Texas at El Paso	$75,000	3	n/a
826 Valencia	$72,000	4	0%
Alameda Emergency Food DBA Alameda Food Bank	$72,000	4	0%
San Francisco Playhouse	$67,500	4	1%
San Francisco Girls Chorus Inc	$67,500	4	1%
The Marine Mammal Center	$67,500	4	0%
The San Francisco Particular Council of the Society of St Vincent de Paul	$66,500	2	0%
San Francisco Film Society	$58,500	4	0%
Headlands Center for the Arts	$58,500	4	1%
Curiodyssey	$57,250	4	0%
California Jazz Conservatory Inc	$56,250	4	1%
Marin Theatre Company	$52,500	3	1%
Colorado State University Foundation	$50,000	2	0%
Rochester Institute of Technology	$50,000	2	0%
University of North Texas Foundation Inc	$50,000	2	0%
University of Southern Mississippi	$50,000	2	n/a
University of the Pacific	$50,000	2	0%
Old First Concerts	$45,000	4	7%
Performing Arts Workshop Inc	$45,000	4	1%
Playground	$45,000	4	3%
Felton Institute	$45,000	3	0%
Odc	$45,000	2	0%
Seacology	$42,000	3	0%
Noe Valley Chamber Music	$40,500	4	7%
Pocket Opera Inc	$40,500	4	4%
San Francisco Boys Chorus	$38,250	4	1%
Mill Valley Philharmonic	$38,250	4	9%
San Francisco Contemporary Music Players	$36,000	4	5%
San Francisco Chanticleer Inc	$35,000	3	1%
San Francisco Chamber Orchestra	$35,000	2	4%
Threepenny Review	$33,750	4	6%
Young Audiences of Northern California	$33,000	3	1%
Yerba Buena Arts & Events dba Yerba Buena Gardens Festival	$33,000	3	1%
The Aurora Theatre Company	$30,000	2	1%
Kronos Performing Arts Association	$30,000	3	0%
Museo Italoamericano	$30,000	1	4%
Chamber Music San Francisco	$29,250	4	3%
Dancers Group	$28,500	4	0%
Pacific Chamber Orchestra	$27,500	3	6%
Narrative Magazine Inc	$27,000	4	1%
Piedmont Choirs dba Piedmont East Bay Childrens Choir	$27,000	4	1%
Sunset Youth Orchestra	$27,000	4	n/a
Other Minds	$26,250	3	2%
Regional Parks Foundation	$26,250	3	0%
Sierra College Foundation	$25,000	1	1%
Western Michigan University	$25,000	1	n/a
Widener University	$25,000	1	0%
Hampton University	$25,000	1	0%
California State University Channel Islands Foundation	$25,000	1	0%
Bismarck State College Foundation	$25,000	1	0%
The University of Connecticut Foundation Inc	$25,000	1	0%
California State University Fresno Foundation	$25,000	1	0%
Stagebridge	$25,000	2	4%
University of Alaska	$25,000	1	n/a
California State University San Marcos Corporation	$25,000	1	0%
Towson University Foundation Inc	$25,000	1	0%
University of California- Davis	$25,000	1	n/a
Iowa State University Foundation	$25,000	1	0%
West Virginia University Foundation Inc	$25,000	1	0%
Washington University	$25,000	1	0%
Shotgun Players	$24,750	3	1%
Cazadero Performing Arts Camp	$24,750	4	1%
West Edge Opera	$24,750	4	1%
Pierre Monteux Memorial Foundation	$24,000	3	2%
Outward Bound California	$24,000	3	0%
Berkeley Symphony Orchestra	$24,000	2	1%
The Z Space Studio	$22,500	4	1%
Playwrights Foundation Inc	$22,500	4	2%
New Conservatory Theatre Center	$22,500	3	0%
San Francisco Arts Education Project	$22,500	4	1%
California Bach Society Inc	$22,500	4	12%
Peninsula Youth Orchestra	$22,500	4	2%
San Francisco Botanical Garden Society at Strybing Arboretum	$22,500	3	0%
San Francisco Suicide Prevention	$22,500	1	n/a
Save The Bay	$22,500	4	0%
Earth Island Institute Inc	$22,500	4	0%
Joe Goode Performance Group	$22,500	3	2%
California Shakespeare Theater	$21,250	2	0%
Pickleberry Pie Inc	$21,000	3	9%
The Friends of the Oakland Public Library	$21,000	3	2%
New Century Chamber Orchestra	$20,000	2	1%
Museum of the African Diaspora (Moad)	$20,000	2	0%
The Litquake Foundation	$19,500	3	1%
San Francisco International Arts Festival Inc	$18,000	4	7%
Left Coast Chamber Ensemble Inc	$18,000	4	3%
Oakland Ballet Company	$16,500	3	1%
Groceries for Seniors	$16,000	2	1%
Crowded Fire Theater Company	$15,000	3	2%
Museum of Craft and Design	$13,500	3	0%
Children's Book Project	$13,000	2	2%
San Francisco Mime Troupe Inc	$13,000	2	2%
Laguna Honda Hospital Volunteers Inc	$12,000	1	7%
Volti	$12,000	3	2%
Golden Gate Opera	$11,250	1	n/a
World Arts West	$11,000	2	1%
Epiphany Dance Theater	$10,500	3	5%
City of Oakland OPRYD	$10,500	1	n/a
Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco	$10,000	2	2%
Point Reyes National Seashore Association	$10,000	2	0%
Pacific Edge Voices	$9,000	1	n/a
Dorothy Day House	$9,000	1	1%
Music In Schools Today	$8,750	3	2%
Aviva Arts	$6,750	1	6%
Central Works	$5,000	1	2%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 102 recipients with no EIN on record ($54M), not named here.

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget The Bernard Osher Foundation supplied at peak.

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured

Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 138.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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 William & Flora Hewlett FoundationCA73.4× affinity45 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation · The San Francisco Foundation · The Sam Mazza Foundation · Phyllis C Wattis Foundation · Marin Community Foundation · The Zellerbach Family Foundation · Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation · Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco the Peninsula Marin & Sonoma · Fleishhacker Foundation · Kenneth Rainin Foundation · McNabb Foundation · Koret Foundation

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.

Compare The Bernard Osher Foundation with peer funders

About The Bernard Osher Foundation

How much does The Bernard Osher Foundation give?: The Bernard Osher Foundation reported 132 grants totaling $3,622,500 in its FY2024 IRS filing. It funded between 3 and 154 organizations a year over FY2017 to FY2023.
What does The Bernard Osher Foundation fund?: By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2024, its largest causes are Education (55%), Arts & Culture (25%), Health (8%).
Who are The Bernard Osher Foundation's largest grantees?: By total granted over FY2017 to FY2024: Northwestern University ($5.9M), University of Miami ($2.1M), University of Washington ($2.1M).
Does The Bernard Osher Foundation fund new organizations?: In FY2023, 20% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does The Bernard Osher Foundation accept unsolicited applications?: Its most recent filing reports that it accepts unsolicited grant applications.
Which funders back the same organizations as The Bernard Osher Foundation?: Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, The Sam Mazza Foundation.
Where is The Bernard Osher Foundation based?: The Bernard Osher Foundation is based in CA.