Bicket Family Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $320,000 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not available
• Decision Time: Not disclosed
• Grant Range: $20,000 (based on recent grants)
• Geographic Focus: San Francisco Bay Area

Contact Details

Address: 101A Clay St #105, San Francisco, CA 94111-2033

EIN: 92-1219558

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website or published contact information for grant inquiries.

Overview

The Bicket Family Foundation was established in 2023 as a private family foundation by John Bicket and Christine Dobson. John Bicket is the co-founder and CTO of Samsara, a San Francisco-based technology company, and previously co-founded Meraki, which was acquired by Cisco for $1.2 billion. The foundation has experienced significant growth since its inception, with total assets reaching $57.4 million by 2024, up from $1.86 million in 2022. Annual giving increased from zero in 2022 to $320,000 in 2024. The foundation appears to focus on educational and cultural institutions in the Bay Area, particularly those related to science, technology, and aviation education.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates through trustee-directed grantmaking without formal grant programs or published funding cycles. Based on available tax filings, recent grants include:

• CuriOdyssey (San Mateo): $20,000 for general support
• Hiller Aviation Institute (San Carlos): $20,000 for general support

Priority Areas

Based on recent grantmaking patterns, the foundation appears to support:

• Science education and museums
• Aviation education and history
• Youth-focused educational institutions
• Bay Area cultural and educational organizations

What They Don't Fund

As a private family foundation without published guidelines, specific exclusions are not documented. However, the foundation's early grantmaking suggests a focus on established educational institutions rather than individual grants, scholarships, or multi-year commitments.

Governance and Leadership

John Bicket - President and Secretary

• Co-founder and CTO of Samsara
• Previously co-founded Meraki and served as CTO and VP of Engineering before Cisco acquisition
• Holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Cornell University and an S.M. in Computer Science from MIT
• Led Meraki as Cisco's fastest-growing cloud product following acquisition

Christine Dobson - Vice President and Treasurer

• Co-founder of the foundation alongside John Bicket
• Background details not publicly available

The foundation operates with no paid staff or employees. Officers receive no compensation for their service.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The Bicket Family Foundation operates as a private family foundation with grantmaking decisions made at the discretion of the trustees, John Bicket and Christine Dobson. Grants are awarded without a formal application process, review committee, or published guidelines.

As is typical for private family foundations, grants are likely awarded to:

• Organizations with which the trustees have personal connections
• Institutions the trustees already know and support
• Organizations recommended by trusted advisors or peers
• Causes aligned with the trustees' personal interests in technology, science, and education

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are awarded at trustee discretion rather than through scheduled review cycles.

Success Rates

Not available - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, understanding the foundation's characteristics may be helpful:

Trustee Interests: John Bicket's background in technology and engineering, particularly his work building educational technology at MIT and scaling cloud-based infrastructure, suggests strong interest in:

• STEM education programs
• Hands-on learning and interactive exhibits
• Technology integration in education
• Programs serving youth and families

Grantmaking Pattern: The foundation's first grants went to two Bay Area institutions that share common characteristics:

• Both are hands-on educational museums focused on science and technology
• Both serve children and families
• Both are located in San Mateo County, near San Francisco
• Both combine education with experiential learning (CuriOdyssey with live animals and science exhibits; Hiller with aviation history and flight simulators)

Foundation Growth: The rapid asset growth (from $1.86M to $57.4M in two years) suggests the foundation is in an early phase and grantmaking may expand significantly in coming years.

General Support Grants: Both documented grants were for "general support" rather than specific projects, indicating the trustees may prefer supporting organizations broadly rather than restricting gifts to particular programs.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process exists - unsolicited proposals are not accepted through any formal channel
• Trustee-directed grantmaking - grants are awarded based on the personal interests and connections of John Bicket and Christine Dobson
• Bay Area focus - early grants target San Francisco Bay Area organizations, particularly in San Mateo County
• STEM education emphasis - both initial grants support science, technology, engineering, and hands-on learning for youth
• Established institutions - grants have supported well-known regional museums rather than startups or grassroots organizations
• Growing foundation - with assets growing from $1.86M to $57.4M in two years, grantmaking may expand substantially
• Relationship-based philanthropy - as with most private family foundations, personal connections and referrals are likely the pathway to funding

References

• Bicket Family Foundation, Form 990-PF filings (2022, 2023, 2024). ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/921219558 (Accessed January 2026)

• Bicket Family Foundation profile. Cause IQ. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/bicket-family-foundation,921219558/ (Accessed January 2026)

• John Bicket professional profile. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbicket (Accessed January 2026)

• John Bicket biography. Crunchbase. https://www.crunchbase.com/person/john-bicket (Accessed January 2026)

• CuriOdyssey official website. https://curiodyssey.org/ (Accessed January 2026)

• Hiller Aviation Museum official website. https://www.hiller.org/ (Accessed January 2026)

• National Center for Family Philanthropy. "Basic Rules for Governing a Family Foundation." https://www.ncfp.org/knowledge/basic-rules-for-governing-a-family-foundation/ (Accessed January 2026)