David Bohnett Foundation

• The foundation is by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small nonprofit should not send a cold proposal.
• Look for a route to an introduction, and pursue it only if the work fits the planned giving areas: LGBT equal rights and protections, computer labs at LGBT community centres, reducing gun violence, developing municipal leaders, animal-language research, or Los Angeles culture.
• The foundation's geographic focus is national and Southern California, it funds only organisations in the US with a 501(c)(3) designation, and it does not fund individuals or film and video productions.
• About 8 in 10 of its grants fall between $500 and $50,000, and half of its 269 grants to organisations were $2,500 or less, so a modest request near that scale is typical, though its largest grant was $1,000,000 and that band is not a ceiling.
• In the filing, 81% of grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its earlier filing, which suggests that continuing relationships matter, so a first contact should aim to build a relationship rather than make a one-off ask.

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

• University of Southern California · David c. bohnett residential college in the usc village
  $1,000,0002023 tax year
• Los Angeles Philharmonic · David c. bohnett chief executive officer chair fund and david c. bohnett chief executive officer's discover and innovation fund
  $1,000,0002023 tax year
• Regents of the University of Michigan · David bohnett foundation leadership and public service fellowships
  $235,0302023 tax year
• Nyu Wagner · David bohnett public service fellowship
  $220,7352023 tax year
• University of Delaware Biden Hall · David bohnett conference room in biden hall
  $200,0002023 tax year
• LGBTQ Victory Institute · David bohnett leaders fellowship
  $166,3182023 tax year
• Regents of the University of California · David bohnett fellowships: los angeles city mayor's fellowship program at the ucla luskin school of public affairs
  $158,4342023 tax year
• UCLA Foundation · Rand schrader social justice fund
  $80,0002023 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.