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Gerson Bakar Foundation

Annual Giving
$254.9M
Grant Range
$0K - $10.0M

Gerson Bakar Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $254,931,561 (2023)
  • Number of Grants: 40 awards (2023)
  • Grant Range: $250 - $10,000,000
  • Geographic Focus: Bay Area (except Jewish giving which spans the U.S. but prioritizes the Bay)
  • Application Process: Invitation only - does not accept unsolicited proposals

Contact Details

Note: The foundation does not maintain a website.

  • Location: San Francisco, CA
  • EIN: 94-2949602

Overview

The Gerson Bakar Foundation was established in 1984 by the late real estate developer Gerson Bakar (1928-2017) and his wife, Barbara Bass Bakar. With annual giving of approximately $255 million in 2023, the foundation represents one of the Bay Area's most significant philanthropic forces. Barbara Bass Bakar continues to serve as President of the foundation. The foundation's philanthropic approach emphasizes long-term relationships with grantees, providing multi-year funding to most recipients. The foundation maintains a low profile, does not maintain a website, and operates primarily through trustee discretion in selecting charitable organizations to support. The Bakars received the UCSF Medal in 1999, and Gerson received the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business's Alumnus of the Year Award in 1991 in recognition of their inspiring philanthropic service.

Funding Priorities

Primary Focus Areas

Higher Education: More than half of grant funding supports the University of California campuses at Berkeley and San Francisco. Major grants typically exceed $1 million and support:

  • UC Berkeley's Bakar Fellows Program (supporting early-career faculty in innovative science and technology research)
  • UC Berkeley's Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics
  • UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business
  • UCSF's Bakar Cancer Hospital and Bakar Cancer Center
  • Gynecologic, urologic, and breast cancer research at UCSF
  • Cardiovascular health and neurosciences programs
  • Student scholarships
  • Mission Bay campus development

Bay Area Community Support: The foundation makes smaller grants (ranging from $250 to mid-range amounts) to a broad range of Bay Area organizations including:

  • San Francisco AIDS Foundation
  • San Francisco-Marin Food Bank
  • Chicana Foundation of Northern California
  • Youth Employment Services of Costa Mesa

Priority Areas

  • Higher education (UC Berkeley and UCSF as primary beneficiaries)
  • K-12 education
  • Jewish causes (U.S.-wide with Bay Area priority)
  • Arts and culture
  • Animal welfare
  • Bay Area community organizations

What They Don't Fund

The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. Organizations outside their existing portfolio of grantees should not expect to receive funding.

Governance and Leadership

Barbara Bass Bakar - President of the Gerson Bakar Foundation and Achieve Foundation

The foundation was co-founded by Barbara and her late husband, Gerson Bakar, who passed away on June 5, 2017, at age 89. Gerson Bakar earned a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley's business school in 1948 and built a successful career as a San Francisco-based real estate developer.

On their philanthropic legacy, Gerson Bakar stated: "My legacy reflects my good judgment in choosing a wonderful bride. I don't really need to be remembered, but I hope the organizations Barbara and I have been involved in will be of lasting quality, and that will be our legacy."

Mark Laret, CEO of UCSF Health, noted that "Gerson Bakar, along with Barbara, helped usher in a new era of health care and philanthropy in the Bay Area and beyond."

Stephen L. Hauser observed that "Gerson understood that philanthropy can provide scientists with a kind of freedom that leads to game-changing discoveries."

Specific details about current board members and trustees are not publicly available, as the foundation maintains a low profile.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The Gerson Bakar Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding. The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and tends to stick with its grantees over the long term, providing multi-year funding to most recipients.

Grants are awarded through trustee discretion, and the foundation does not maintain a website or published application guidelines.

Application Success Factors

Since the Gerson Bakar Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis with preselected organizations, the key factors for receiving support appear to be:

Long-Term Relationships: The foundation tends to stick with its grantees over the long term, providing multi-year funding to most recipients. Once in the foundation's portfolio, organizations can expect sustained support.

Alignment with Core Interests: The foundation demonstrates clear commitment to:

  • University of California campuses at Berkeley and San Francisco (receiving the majority of funding)
  • Bay Area community organizations addressing diverse needs
  • Jewish causes
  • K-12 education initiatives
  • Arts, culture, and animal welfare organizations

Mission Bay Campus Example: As a member of the Bay Area Life Sciences Alliance, Gerson Bakar partnered with civic leaders to secure the land, plan, and ultimately create UCSF's Mission Bay campus. The Bakars were among the first to donate to Mission Bay, demonstrating their interest in transformative, large-scale projects that advance education and healthcare.

Scientific Innovation: The creation of the Bakar Fellows Program in 2011 to support early-career faculty undertaking innovative science and technology research demonstrates the foundation's interest in providing scientists with freedom that leads to game-changing discoveries.

Multi-Year Impact: Grants like the landmark gift that helped create the 70-bed Bakar Cancer Hospital (opened February 2015) and the $25 million donation to UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business for executive education demonstrate commitment to substantial, long-term impact projects.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Not Accepting Applications: The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals and only supports preselected charitable organizations. Grant writers cannot apply directly to this funder.
  • Loyal to Existing Grantees: The foundation provides multi-year funding to most recipients and maintains long-term relationships with its grantees.
  • Major UC System Funder: More than half of funding goes to UC Berkeley and UCSF, with grants ranging up to $10 million for these institutions.
  • Bay Area Geographic Focus: All funding supports Bay Area organizations except for Jewish giving, which spans the U.S. but prioritizes the Bay Area.
  • No Public Presence: The foundation does not maintain a website or publish grant guidelines, maintaining a low profile in its operations.
  • Wide Range of Grant Sizes: While major gifts to universities can reach $10 million, the foundation also makes smaller community grants starting at $250, demonstrating interest in supporting organizations of varying sizes.
  • Scientific Freedom and Innovation: The foundation values providing scientists and early-career faculty with the freedom to pursue game-changing discoveries without restrictive constraints.

References

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