James S Bower Foundation
The James S Bower Foundation is a private foundation based in Santa Barbara, California, established in 1989. The foundation supports nonprofit organizations engaged in educational, scientific, religious, and charitable activities, with a particular emphasis on initiatives that create population-level change within communities, neighborhoods, and schools.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$89.0M
+3.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.2M
-4.3% YoY
Grant Count
60
+0.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$53K
-4.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation is most interested in efforts that strive to make change on a population level and backs the "collective impact" process, particularly for initiatives aimed at inducing change in communities, neighborhoods, or schools. The foundation encourages collaborations and groups within such efforts to achieve broader impacts.
Primary funding areas include:
- Early Years - Support for children from pre-birth to three years old
- Youth and Education - Support for educational and developmental processes for children
- Health Processes - Funding for health-related initiatives for individuals of all ages
- Environmental Conditions - Grants to improve and sustain environmental conditions
- Human Consciousness - Initiatives to advance social awareness and consciousness
Grantmaking
Ready to take the next step with James S Bower Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds initiatives in California, with additional grantmaking activity in Colorado, Washington D.C., Indiana, Maryland, and Washington. The foundation has a particular focus on the Santa Barbara area.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets: $86,066,816 (as of December 2023)
Annual Giving: $3,170,750 (based on most recent filing)
Total Revenues: $2,637,099 (fiscal year ending December 2023)
Total Expenses: $4,331,922 (fiscal year ending December 2023)
Investment Income: $992,949 (fiscal year ending December 2023)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $89,017,606 | $86,066,816 | $82,570,902 |
| Revenue | $2,747,828 | $2,637,099 | $7,056,112 |
| Expenses | $4,501,758 | $4,331,922 | $5,135,166 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $4,024,506 | $4,128,822 | $4,440,217 |
| Net Investment Income | $2,350,288 | $2,256,194 | $6,691,763 |
| Distributable Amount | $4,524,185 | $4,092,456 | $4,095,647 |
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
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from James S Bower Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Harvey Bottelsen - Chairman
- Jon Clark - President
- Christopher A Jacobs - Secretary
- David Alvarado - Treasurer
The foundation operates with 3 employees.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| HARVEY BOTTELSEN THRU 123124 | CHAIRMAN | 3 | $30,000 |
| CHRISTOPHER A JACOBS | SECRETARY | 3 | $30,000 |
| DAVID ALVARADO THRU 123124 | TREASURER | 3 | $30,000 |
| JON CLARK | PRESIDENT | 40 | $288,200 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation has made significant grants supporting healthcare workforce development in Mississippi, including:
MSU-Meridian earns health care grants from The Bower Foundation to boostA $10 million gift to the campaign for UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute at the University of Mississippi Medical Center
Bower Foundation makes $10M gift to campaign for UMMC Cancer Center and ResearchHealthcare grants to MSU-Meridian to boost student recruitment in nursing programs
MSU-Meridian earns health care grants from The Bower Foundation to boost$5.4 million in grants awarded to address Mississippi's growing demand for healthcare workers
THE BOWER FOUNDATION AWARDS $5.4MM IN GRANTS TO MEET MISSISSIPPI'S GROWINGSupport for nurse educator training programs through UMMC
Bower Foundation grant funds UMMC-trained nurse educators \u2013 Bower FoundationThe foundation maintains an active website at www.jsbowerfoundation.org.
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
What could you do with James S Bower Foundation on Grantable?
- Assess strategic fit with your organization
- Draft a tailored letter of inquiry
- Find open RFPs from this funder
- Monitor for new funding opportunities