Riley & Susan Bechtel Foundation
The Riley & Susan Bechtel Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1977 and based in San Francisco, California. Founded by Riley P. Bechtel, Chairman and CEO of the Bechtel Corporation, the foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization with tax-exempt status since June 1977.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$67.6M
+6.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$6.7M
+130.3% YoY
Grant Count
7
+40.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$950K
+64.5% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation has not provided a formal mission statement on public records. However, based on its grantmaking activity, the foundation supports initiatives in education, philanthropy, voluntarism, and healthcare. The foundation does not specify particular subject areas of focus on its public records, indicating a broad approach to charitable giving.
Grantmaking
The foundation indicates it is "preselected only," meaning it makes contributions exclusively to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited applications.
Grant Range
$5,000 to $2,000,000
Average Grant
amount: $8,377
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation supports initiatives across multiple states, with primary focus areas including California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio. Specific cities where the foundation has supported work include Cambridge, Englewood, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (Most Recent Filing - 2024):
- Total assets: $67,645,218
- Total giving: $6,650,000
- Total revenue: $4.22 million (2023 filing)
- Total expenses: $2.97 million (2023 filing)
- Total liabilities: $0
Historical Assets:
- 2023: $63.5 million in total assets
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $67,645,218 | $63,452,853 | $62,218,181 |
| Revenue | $10,962,653 | $4,220,113 | $20,745,655 |
| Expenses | $6,798,051 | $2,970,993 | $1,416,446 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $6,701,270 | $2,938,459 | $1,151,624 |
| Net Investment Income | $6,962,653 | $2,340,593 | $18,984,434 |
| Distributable Amount | $3,444,366 | $3,402,051 | $2,898,875 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 7 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
24 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The foundation is led by a board of directors with no paid staff:
- Susan P. Bechtel — President & Director
- Riley P. Bechtel — Vice-President & Director
- Brendan P. Bechtel — Director
- Darren H. Bechtel — Director
- Katherine E. Thompson — Director
- Amy Dunphy — Secretary/Treasurer
None of the directors or officers receive compensation for their roles.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSAN P BECHTEL | PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR | — | — |
| RILEY P BECHTEL | VICE-PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR | — | — |
| AMY DUNPHY | SECRETARY/TREASURER | — | — |
| BRENDAN P BECHTEL | DIRECTOR | — | — |
| DARREN H BECHTEL | DIRECTOR | — | — |
| KATHERINE E THOMPSON | DIRECTOR | — | — |
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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