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
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, James S Bower Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.5M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
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
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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
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Community Environmental Council Inc ($400,000), Carpinteria Children's Project ($290,000), Hospice of Santa Barbara Inc ($222,500).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| AHA ATTITUDE HARMONY ACHIEVMENT SANTA BARBARA, CA | AHA! PEACE BUILDERS: LEADERSHIP AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING FOR TEENS | $15,000 |
| ALL SAINTS-BY-THE-SEA SANTA BARBARA, CA | JIM BOWER GOLF TOURNAMENT FORE COMMUNITY OUTREACH | $20,000 |
| AT STILL UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIEN KIRKSVILLE, MO | BACHELOR'S AND MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAMS IN SOCIAL WORK | $25,000 |
| BLUE SKY SUSTAINABLE LIVING CENTER NEW CUYAMA, CA | RESILIENT CUYAMA VALLEY | $30,000 |
| CARPINTERIA CHILDREN'S PROJECT CARPINTERIA, CA | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION & FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER | $290,000 |
| CENTER FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE AT FAI GOLETA, CA | PHASE 1 OF THE CAMPAIGN TO REDESIGN AND REBUILD FAIRVIEW GARDENS FARM | $100,000 |
| CHILD ABUSE LISTENING MEDIATION INC SANTA BARBARA, CA | COALITION CONSULTANT REGARDING PAYMENT REFORM; INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE & EXCELLENCE | $150,000 |
| COASTAL RANCHES CONSERVANCY GAVIOTA, CA | GAVIOTA COAST TASK FORCE PROJECT | $20,000 |
| COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL INC SANTA BARBARA, CA | CLIMATE CHANGE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN | $400,000 |
| COMMUNITY INITIATIVES OAKLAND, CA | CENTRAL COAST CLIMATE JUSTICE NETWORK | $30,000 |
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does James S Bower Foundation fund?
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 dev…
How do I apply for a grant from James S Bower Foundation?
**Grant Amounts:** Typical awards range from $5,000 to $415,000. **Recent Grant Activity:** The foundation made 52 grants in 2023, totaling $2,810,455. Notable recent grants include: • Community Environmental Council (CEC) - $415,000 for Central Coast Climate Justice Network • Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) - $262,500 for Advance Care Planning and Patient Care Services • Carpinteria Children's Project - $217,500 for Early Childhood Education & Resource Center
Where does James S Bower Foundation make 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.
What size grants does James S Bower Foundation award?
In 2024, James S Bower Foundation awarded 60 grants totaling $3.2M — an average of about $53K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is James S Bower Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, James S Bower Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.5M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is James S Bower Foundation's EIN?
James S Bower Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0229243. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in James S Bower Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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