Bella Vista Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $3,298,936 (2023)
• Total Assets: approximately $68 million
• Grant Range: Not publicly specified
• Number of Grants: 99 awards (2022)
• Geographic Focus: Pre-3 Support programme serves Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties; GGS Early Literacy and GGS Youth Mental Health programmes serve Marin and San Francisco counties; Watershed Restoration serves specific watersheds in California and Oregon
• Application Method: Invitation-only

Contact Details

Address: 1660 Bush Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94109
Phone: 415-561-6540
Website: www.bellavistafoundation.org
Email: info@pfs-llc.net

Pre-3 Support Programme Contact: Araceli Ayala, Grants Manager, aayala@pfs-llc.net

Note: The foundation is administered by Pacific Foundation Services

Overview

The Bella Vista Foundation was founded in 1999 by Jean Gerlinger Kirkwood, initially as the Kirkwood Family Foundation. The foundation represents the legacy of sisters Georgiana Gerlinger Stevens and Jean Gerlinger Kirkwood, who gave generously throughout their lives in the Bay Area and beyond. In 2019, the boards of directors of both the Bella Vista Foundation and the GGS Foundation (started by Georgiana in 1992) decided to merge under the Bella Vista name. With approximately $68 million in assets, the foundation grants approximately $3.3 million annually to community-based nonprofit organisations. The foundation maintains a strategic focus on addressing fundamental causes of societal problems rather than remedying their effects, working through four distinct programme areas that support early childhood development, youth literacy and mental health, and environmental restoration.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

The foundation operates four distinct grant programmes:

Pre-3 Support: Focuses on building resiliency among families facing adversity or trauma by helping parents and caregivers cope with toxic stress. Serves pregnant women, mothers, fathers, and primary caregivers of children ages 0-3 from low-income communities in Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties.

GGS Early Literacy: Promotes children's reading, writing, and comprehension skills in Marin and San Francisco counties.

GGS Youth Mental Health: Supports culturally specific, trauma-informed youth mental health and substance use prevention interventions in Marin and San Francisco counties.

Watershed Restoration: Focuses on restoration and revitalisation of key watershed ecosystems in California (entire Klamath Watershed; in the Sierra Nevada, the Truckee River watershed, Yuba/Bear/American rivers, and the North Fork Feather River watershed) and Oregon (upper Deschutes Basin and upper John Day Basin). Priorities include promoting sustainable management of forest and agricultural land, revitalising streams, and restoring riparian areas.

Priority Areas

Pre-3 Support Programme Priorities:

• Programmes that help mothers, fathers, and caregivers of children (prenatal to age 3) cope with stresses that might result in depression
• Organisations with leadership and programme staff that reflect the communities they serve

Watershed Restoration Priorities:

• Projects that are part of a cluster of projects in a given watershed involving one or more organisations over time
• Projects that foster collaborative partnerships, even among groups with divergent interests
• Activities that governmental agencies do not normally fund
• Projects with broad-based community involvement (financial support, volunteer support, in-kind donations)

What They Don't Fund

• Grants to individuals
• Public or private schools or their affiliated foundations
• Endowments, events, concerts, annual appeals, videos or films, medical research, or capital campaigns
• Programmes that are solely virtual (including software applications)
• Only non-sectarian programmes are supported
• Land acquisition (for watershed restoration programme)

Governance and Leadership

The foundation is governed by a board of directors composed of family members of the founders. The foundation's administration is handled by Pacific Foundation Services, with Araceli Ayala serving as Grants Manager.

The foundation was established as the legacy of Jean Gerlinger Kirkwood and her sister Georgiana Gerlinger Stevens, reflecting their commitment to giving generously throughout their lives in the Bay Area and beyond.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The foundation's grantmaking operates on an invitation-only basis. The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals.

For organisations invited to apply, specific guidance and application materials will be shared individually when invitations are issued.

Pre-3 Support Programme Update: The Pre-3 Support Programme has paused acceptance of applications from new grantees to deepen existing partnerships and ensure strategic focus with limited budget. Current grantees who have received funding within the past year may submit applications for subsequent funding.

Eligibility

The Bella Vista Foundation awards grants to:

• Public charities operating under IRS 501(c)(3) status
• Fiscally sponsored projects of 501(c)(3) organisations
• Federally Recognised Tribes

Restrictions:

• Only one request from an organisation will be funded in a 12-month period
• If an organisation's last application was declined, they must contact the programme officer for their grantmaking area before applying again

Decision Timeline

Grants are awarded twice per calendar year across all programme areas. Specific review timelines are not publicly disclosed. Organisations should contact the foundation or Pacific Foundation Services for information about review timeframes.

Success Rates

Historical grant activity shows:

• 2022: 99 grants awarded
• 2021: 100 grants awarded
• 2020: 84 grants awarded
• 2019: 59 grants awarded
• 2018: 59 grants awarded

The total number of applications received is not publicly disclosed, so success rates cannot be calculated.

Reapplication Policy

Organisations whose applications were declined must contact the programme officer for their grantmaking area before applying again. Only one grant request per organisation will be funded in a 12-month period.

Application Success Factors

While specific advice from the foundation is limited in public materials, the following factors appear important based on available information:

For Pre-3 Support Programme:

• Leadership and programme staff that reflect the communities served
• Focus on addressing toxic stress and building family resiliency
• Service to low-income communities facing adversity or trauma in the five Bay Area counties

For Watershed Restoration Programme:

• Being part of collaborative, multi-stakeholder efforts
• Demonstrating broad-based community involvement and support
• Filling gaps in funding that governmental agencies don't typically cover
• Taking a watershed-scale, ecosystem-based approach
• Contacting the foundation to discuss work before applying

General Success Factors:

• Alignment with the foundation's philosophy of addressing fundamental causes of problems rather than just effects
• Clear demonstration of how the work serves the foundation's specific geographic priorities
• Relationship building with foundation staff through preliminary discussions

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Invitation-only model: The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications; organisations must be invited to apply
• Geographic specificity matters: Pre-3 Support programme serves five Bay Area counties (Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara); GGS Early Literacy and GGS Youth Mental Health programmes serve only Marin and San Francisco counties; Watershed Restoration serves specific watersheds in CA and OR
• One grant per year maximum: Organisations can only receive one grant from the foundation per 12-month period
• Relationship-driven approach: The foundation values preliminary discussions and relationship building before formal applications
• Community reflection is key: For Pre-3 programmes, having staff that reflect the communities served is a priority
• Collaborative projects favoured: For watershed work, being part of collaborative, multi-organisation efforts is strongly preferred
• Limited budget focus: The Pre-3 programme has paused accepting new grantees to focus resources on deepening existing partnerships

References

• Bella Vista Foundation official website (www.bellavistafoundation.org), accessed January 6, 2026
• Pacific Foundation Services - Bella Vista Foundation profile (https://pfs-llc.net/foundations/bella-vista-foundation/), accessed January 6, 2026
• Instrumentl 990 Report for Bella Vista Foundation (https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/bella-vista-foundation), accessed January 6, 2026
• Web search results for Bella Vista Foundation programme areas, eligibility, and funding priorities, accessed January 6, 2026
• Contact information: Araceli Ayala, Grants Manager, Pacific Foundation Services