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William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation

Annual Giving
$24.4M
Grant Range
$100K - $6.2M

William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $24,361,008 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation-only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $100,000 - $6,200,000
  • Median Grant: $200,000
  • Total Assets: $235 million
  • Geographic Focus: California (particularly San Francisco Bay Area)
  • Application Method: Invitation only

Contact Details

Address:
1660 Bush Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94109

Phone: 415-561-6540

Executive Director: Derek Aspacher
Email: daspacher@pfs-llc.net
Phone: 415.561.6540 ext. 249

Grants Manager: Tatiana Gordon
Email: tgordon@pfs-llc.net
Phone: 415.561.6540 ext. 280

Website: https://wkbowesjrfoundation.org/

Administrative Partner: Pacific Foundation Services

Overview

The William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation was established in 1991 by William K. Bowes, Jr., a pioneering venture capitalist who co-founded U.S. Venture Partners and served as founding shareholder and first Chairman of Amgen. The foundation, with assets of approximately $235 million, distributed $24.4 million through 48 grants in 2023. The foundation's strategic approach reflects Bill Bowes's venture capital philosophy of "venture philanthropy," which includes start-up investments, financing initiatives inside established institutions, and larger transformative investments in institutions at inflection points in their missions. In 2007, Mr. Bowes was named San Francisco Bay Area's Outstanding Philanthropist by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Golden Gate Chapter and Northern California Grantmakers. Though Mr. Bowes passed away in December 2016, his foundation continues his legacy of supporting medical research, higher education, and arts institutions, primarily in California.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal named grant programs with standardized application cycles. Instead, it makes strategic investments in select institutions and initiatives. Notable funding examples include:

Medical Research:

  • UCSF Bowes Biomedical Investigator Program: $6,200,000+ (signature program providing $1.25 million over five years to individual investigators)
  • UCSF Foundation: Support for the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, UCSF Discovery Fellows, and research into neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases
  • Focus on stem cell research, cancer research, and Alzheimer's disease research

Higher Education:

  • UC Berkeley: Bowes Research Fellows Program
  • UC Santa Barbara: Educational initiatives
  • California Institute of Technology: Research support
  • Stanford Bio-X: Bowes Fellows program supporting interdisciplinary biomedical research

Arts and Culture:

  • San Francisco Conservatory of Music: $3,900,000 to create the Bowes Center for Performing Arts (2022)
  • The Exploratorium: $2,000,000 for general operating support and events (2022)
  • Grace Cathedral: Support for arts programming
  • SF Jazz: Cultural programming
  • Creative Capital: Support for innovative artists

Priority Areas

Primary Focus:

  • Medical research (particularly cancer, Alzheimer's, neurodegenerative diseases, and stem cell research)
  • Higher education (with emphasis on California research universities)
  • Access to college and educational opportunity
  • Arts and cultural institutions (primarily in San Francisco)

Geographic Priority:

  • California, with strong preference for San Francisco Bay Area institutions
  • While the foundation has no stated geographical restrictions, the vast majority of funding supports California-based organizations

Program Characteristics:

  • Supports high-risk, high-reward research
  • Emphasizes transdisciplinary and unconventional approaches
  • Provides long-term, sustained support to select institutions
  • Makes transformative investments at institutional inflection points
  • Targets junior and mid-career researchers whose work crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries

What They Don't Fund

  • Grants to individuals
  • Unsolicited proposals from organizations
  • Organizations outside the foundation's pre-selected network

Governance and Leadership

Founder: William K. Bowes, Jr. (July 5, 1926 – December 28, 2016)

William K. Bowes, Jr. was a venture capitalist who, after twenty-five years of investment banking in San Francisco, founded U.S. Venture Partners in 1981 to help create, rather than merely finance, initiatives at their earliest stage. U.S. Venture Partners was an early "seed" investor in biotechnology firm Amgen and computer firm Sun Microsystems. Mr. Bowes served on numerous boards including UCSF Foundation, the Exploratorium, Grace Cathedral, Environmental Defense Fund, Stanford's Bio-X, Asian Art Museum, United Religions Initiative, Institute for Systems Biology, SF Jazz, Creative Capital, Harvard Business School Visiting Committee, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Current Leadership:

Executive Director: Derek Aspacher oversees the foundation's grantmaking with a small staff. The foundation operates with a streamlined governance structure typical of private family foundations.

Board of Trustees: The foundation maintains private governance with no publicly disclosed board members, consistent with its operation as a private family foundation.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process.

The foundation explicitly states: "The foundation does not accept unsolicited letters of interest or unsolicited proposals." The foundation operates on an invitation-only basis and makes contributions exclusively to preselected charitable organizations. Organizations cannot submit applications, letters of inquiry, or proposals without an invitation from the foundation.

How Grants Are Awarded:

Grants are awarded through trustee discretion based on the foundation's established relationships with institutions and its strategic priorities. The foundation proactively identifies organizations and initiatives that align with its mission rather than responding to requests. Major grants typically represent multi-year partnerships with institutions where the foundation has established relationships and where leadership (often Bill Bowes himself during his lifetime) served on boards or advisory councils.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation's grantmaking history reveals a clear pattern: the vast majority of grants go to institutions where William K. Bowes, Jr. served on the board or had significant involvement. Organizations that have received support typically had direct connections through:

  • Board Service: Mr. Bowes served on boards and advisory councils of UCSF Foundation, the Exploratorium, Grace Cathedral, Environmental Defense Fund, Stanford's Bio-X, Asian Art Museum, United Religions Initiative, Institute for Systems Biology, SF Jazz, Creative Capital, Harvard Business School Visiting Committee, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music—many of which have received substantial foundation grants.

  • Institutional Relationships: The foundation's largest grants support named programs (Bowes Biomedical Investigator Program at UCSF, Bowes Fellows at UC Berkeley and Stanford Bio-X, Bowes Center at SF Conservatory of Music), indicating deep, transformative partnerships rather than one-time gifts.

  • The Venture Philanthropy Model: Bill Bowes approached philanthropy as he did venture capital—identifying promising "investments" early and providing sustained support. Organizations were selected based on their potential for transformative impact rather than through competitive application processes.

Current Strategy: For organizations seeking support, the most realistic approach is building relationships with foundation leadership over time through sector connections, though even this provides no guarantee given the foundation's highly selective approach and existing commitments to established partners.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. Given the invitation-only model, traditional application timelines do not apply. The foundation appears to make strategic decisions based on its own assessment cycle rather than external deadlines.

Success Rates

Not applicable. The foundation does not accept applications from the general public. The foundation made 48 grants in 2023 from an annual budget of $24.4 million, all to preselected organizations.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional success factors do not apply. However, analysis of the foundation's grantmaking patterns reveals what characterizes organizations that receive support:

Characteristics of Funded Organizations:

  1. Transformative Potential: The foundation's approach reflects Bill Bowes's statement about "venture philanthropy" including "larger transformative investments in institutions at inflection points in their missions." Funded projects represent significant institutional advancement rather than incremental improvements.

  2. High-Risk, High-Reward Research: The Bowes Biomedical Investigator Program specifically emphasizes "transdisciplinary and unconventional approaches" and supports "junior and mid-career faculty members whose research interests do not fall within classic disciplinary lines." The foundation values innovation over safe bets.

  3. California Research Universities: UC San Francisco, UC Berkeley, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, and Caltech are recurring recipients, reflecting both geographic focus and confidence in these institutions' research excellence.

  4. Long-Term Partnership Orientation: Major grants often establish named programs (Bowes Biomedical Investigator Program, Bowes Fellows, Bowes Center) suggesting the foundation seeks lasting impact and institutional recognition rather than one-time support.

  5. Personal Connection to Leadership: The founder's extensive board service created direct relationships with recipient organizations, allowing for informed grantmaking based on deep institutional knowledge.

Examples of Funded Projects:

  • UCSF Bowes Biomedical Investigator Program: $50 million pledge to support young medical researchers pursuing unconventional, high-impact biomedical research. Recipients receive $1.25 million over five years.
  • San Francisco Conservatory of Music: $3.9 million to create the Bowes Center for Performing Arts, a transformative facility investment.
  • The Exploratorium: $2 million for general operating support, reflecting sustained partnership with a flagship SF cultural institution.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: This foundation cannot be approached through traditional grant applications. It operates exclusively on an invitation-only basis and does not accept unsolicited proposals or letters of interest.

  • Institutional Focus Over Project Focus: The foundation makes strategic investments in institutions rather than funding individual projects from diverse organizations. Major grants establish named programs reflecting long-term partnerships.

  • California Research Universities Are Priority: UCSF, UC Berkeley, Stanford, and other California research institutions receive the bulk of medical research and higher education funding, with UCSF as the single largest beneficiary.

  • Venture Philanthropy Philosophy: The foundation applies venture capital principles to philanthropy—making early-stage investments in promising initiatives, supporting unconventional approaches, and providing sustained funding for transformative potential.

  • San Francisco Bay Area Cultural Institutions: Arts funding concentrates on established San Francisco institutions (SF Conservatory of Music, Exploratorium, SF Jazz, Grace Cathedral) rather than individual artists or small arts organizations.

  • Direct Contact Is Possible for Questions: While the foundation doesn't accept proposals, foundation staff (Executive Director Derek Aspacher and Grants Manager Tatiana Gordon) can be reached at 415-561-6540 for general questions. However, inquiries will not lead to grant opportunities unless the foundation initiates an invitation.

  • Transparency Through 990-PF Filings: The foundation publishes its IRS Form 990-PF on its website and through public databases, providing transparency about its grantmaking even though it doesn't accept applications.

References

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