Gerson Bakar Foundation
The Gerson Bakar Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1984 in California by real estate developer Gerson Bakar (1928-2017) and his wife, Barbara Bass Bakar. Based in San Francisco, the foundation represents one of the Bay Area's most significant philanthropic forces, maintaining a notably low profile with minimal public information about its operations and strategies.
Key facts about Gerson Bakar Foundation
- EIN
- 94-2949602
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $169,365,674
- Grants made (2024)
- 33
- Average grant
- $5,132,293
- Median grant
- $20,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (9 of 33, 2024)
- Total assets
- $2,547,826,871
- Primary geography
- California (88% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation operates on an invitation-only basis and does not accept unsolicited proposals. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Gerson Bakar Foundation funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Gerson Bakar Foundation's 33 itemized 2024 grants were California (88%), Massachusetts (6%) and New York (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (11 grants), New York, NY (4 grants) and Oakland, CA (3 grants). 100% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
Is Gerson Bakar Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 33 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $231K; repeat grants $7M. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $113K repeat.
- 58% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 31% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 135% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with Gerson Bakar Foundation
- How to evaluate Gerson Bakar Foundation as a funder
Our grant prospecting guide: read the 990-PF, check fit, and decide whether to apply.
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Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$2.5B
+3.8% YoY
Annual Giving
$169.4M
-33.7% YoY
Grant Count
33
-17.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$5.1M
-19.6% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gerson Bakar Foundation reported a distributable amount of $122.3M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation does not maintain a published mission statement. However, its grantmaking priorities include:
- Higher Education: More than half of grant funding supports the University of California campuses at Berkeley and San Francisco, with major grants typically exceeding $1 million. Support includes Mission Bay campus development, student scholarships, cardiovascular health and neurosciences programs, gynecologic, urologic, and breast cancer research at UCSF, and the Bakar Cancer Hospital and Bakar Cancer Center.
- K-12 Education
- Jewish Causes: Spans the United States but prioritizes the Bay Area
- Arts and Culture
- Animal Welfare
- Bay Area Communities
Grantmaking
Grant Range
$250 to $10,000,000
Average Grant
amount: $90 to $205,273,658
How to Apply
**
Ready to take the next step with Gerson Bakar Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation's grantmaking is concentrated in the Bay Area, with the exception of Jewish giving, which spans the United States but prioritizes the Bay Area.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 33 itemized 2024 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of Fiscal Year Ending December 2023:
- Total assets: $2,455,727,032 to $2,547,826,871
- Total giving: $161,524,674 to $254,931,561
- Total revenues: $86,151,243
- Total expenses: $282,264,283
- Investment income and dividends: $50,980,527
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $2,547,826,871 | $2,455,727,032 | $2,457,600,914 |
| Revenue | $198,287,464 | $86,151,243 | $445,447,374 |
| Expenses | $184,093,119 | $282,264,283 | $351,599,316 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $165,590,310 | $259,968,107 | $318,183,320 |
| Net Investment Income | $224,090,057 | $275,925,126 | $374,953,171 |
| Distributable Amount | $122,334,605 | $116,813,562 | $116,705,431 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
208 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Ucsf Foundation ($96,520,000), Ucb Foundation ($37,043,334), Smith College ($10,000,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| UCSF FOUNDATION San Francisco, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $96,520,000 |
| UCB FOUNDATION Berkeley, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $37,043,334 |
| SMITH COLLEGE Northhampton, MA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $10,000,000 |
| ADDISON LABS FOUNDATION San Francisco, NY | GENERAL SUPPORT | $7,841,000 |
| JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN SERVICES San Francisco, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $5,554,000 |
| SAN FRANCISCO GENERAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATION San Francisco, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $5,000,000 |
| CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES San Francisco, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $2,500,000 |
| BAPTIST HEALTH FOUNDATION Coral Gables, FL | GENERAL SUPPORT | $2,000,000 |
| AMERICAN JEWISH JOINT DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE INC New York, NY | GENERAL SUPPORT | $1,000,000 |
| SAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK San Francisco, CA | GENERAL SUPPORT | $1,000,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Barbara Bass Bakar serves as President of the foundation. The foundation employs 2 staff members.
Compensation Overview
From 2021 IRS filing
From 2024 IRS filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Bass Bakar | Chair/President/Director | 1 | — |
| Richard L Greene | Director | 1 | — |
| Anne Bakar | Director | 1 | — |
| Phyllis Cook | Director | 1 | — |
| Nanci Fredkin | Director | 1 | — |
| Kathleen McCormick | Director | 1 | — |
| Sharon Hasegawa | Secretary/Treasurer | 1 | — |
Contact Information
- Address: 201 Filbert Street, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94133-3238
- Telephone: 415-576-8100
- EIN: 94-2949602
- Website: The foundation does not maintain a website
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Gerson Bakar Foundation fund?
The foundation does not maintain a published mission statement. However, its grantmaking priorities include: • **Higher Education**: More than half of grant funding supports the University of California campuses at Berkeley and San Francisco, with major grants typically exceeding $1 million. Support includes Mission Bay campus development, student scholarships, cardiovascular health and neurosciences programs, gynecologic, urologic, and breast cancer research at UCSF, and the Bakar Cancer Hospi…
How do I apply for a grant from Gerson Bakar Foundation?
The foundation operates on an invitation-only basis and does not accept unsolicited proposals. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does Gerson Bakar Foundation make grants?
The foundation's grantmaking is concentrated in the Bay Area, with the exception of Jewish giving, which spans the United States but prioritizes the Bay Area.
What size grants does Gerson Bakar Foundation award?
In 2024, Gerson Bakar Foundation awarded 33 grants totaling $169.4M — an average of about $5.1M per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is Gerson Bakar Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Gerson Bakar Foundation reported a distributable amount of $122.3M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Gerson Bakar Foundation's EIN?
Gerson Bakar Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-2949602. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Gerson Bakar Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.