The Bengier Foundation
The Bengier Foundation is a private foundation based in Redwood City, California. It supports educational experiences intended to help bright, hardworking young people with limited means and opportunities broaden their horizons and prepare for college and life.
The Bengier Foundation at a glance
In short: The Bengier Foundation gave $695K across 12 grants in 2024 (avg $58K), mostly in California. 0% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $695,000
- +4.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 12
- -7.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $57,917
- +13.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $22,500
- Total assets
- $7,845,799
- -4.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 12, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (93% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Bengier Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests for ideas that fit its mission. It asks organizations to submit ideas by email; decisions are made by the Board of Directors. It funds only 501(c)(3) qualified nonprofit organizations and states that awards are restricted to charitable purposes. The filing lists Gary F. Bengier for contact and application materials.
- Review Cycle
- No specific deadline.
- Deadline
- No specific deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: Gary F Bengier
Mailing address: PO Box 590308, San Francisco, CA 94159-0308
Phone: (650) 365-4646
Website: http://www.bengierfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Bengier Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The Exploratorium ($250K). Together the top 10 received $675K.
Grant Size Distribution
66 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 47 grants of 66 (71%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 filing shows that 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 7% to recipients in New Mexico. The foundation’s website lists projects and partner organizations in additional locations, including Laos and Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Bengier Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 0 of 12 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. How we count
- 100% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 45% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 182% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $455K (2020) to $695K (2024). In 2024 it made 12 grants totaling $695K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Exploratorium San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted | $250,000 |
| Global Citizen Year Oakland, CA | Unrestricted | $125,000 |
| Summer Search San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| The University Corporation San Francisco State San Francisco, CA | unrestricted | $60,000 |
| Santa Fe Institute Santa Fe, NM | unrestricted | $50,000 |
| UCSF Medical Center Auxiliary San Francisco, CA | unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Global Glimpse Emeryville, CA | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| Mercy High School Burlingame Burlingame, CA | unrestricted | $15,000 |
| SMART Program San Francisco, CA | unrestricted | $15,000 |
| AIM High San Francisco, CA | unrestricted | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Bengier Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $7,845,799 | $404,210 | $772,728 | $695,000 | 12 | $700,775 | $320,707 | $384,342 |
| 2023 | $8,214,317 | $-33,464 | $748,416 | $665,000 | 13 | $675,917 | $53,720 | $365,679 |
| 2022 | $8,996,197 | $228,502 | $759,341 | $645,000 | 13 | $651,853 | $114,369 | $417,121 |
| 2021 | $7,754,325 | $424,021 | $527,233 | $480,000 | 14 | $483,200 | $988,251 | $516,208 |
| 2020 | $7,857,537 | $1,153,224 | $493,138 | $455,000 | 14 | — | $2,282,052 | $364,351 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Bengier Foundation reported a distributable amount of $384K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is “to provide educational experiences that motivate, broaden and qualify bright, hard working young people who have limited means and limited opportunities to enlarge their expectations of what they can accomplish in life.” It describes examples of potential activities as tools for excellent teachers, broadening travel experiences, special learning opportunities, and scholarships. Its website also lists projects involving science education, college preparation, leadership development, literacy, and youth support.
The grantees describe a range of work. The Exploratorium says it is a public learning laboratory exploring the world through science, art, and human perception. Bay Scholars says it helps promising low-income students access and flourish at college-preparatory Catholic high schools. Global Glimpse describes providing global education, leadership, and service-learning experiences, while Summer Search describes mentoring, summer experiences, college advising, and support for low-income high school students.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $695,000. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $250,000, with a median of $22,500. The largest grants included $250,000 to The Exploratorium, $125,000 to Global Citizen Year, $100,000 to Summer Search, $60,000 to The University Corporation San Francisco State, and $50,000 to the Santa Fe Institute. The filing lists the grants as unrestricted.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Gary F. Bengier as board chairman, Cynthia S. Bengier as president, Brooke N. Bengier as CFO, David Lydon as secretary, Blake Bengier as director, and Kelci Bengier as a board member.
The Bengier Foundation is led by Cynthia S. Bengier, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Cynthia S. Bengier
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gary F. Bengier
Board Chairman
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Blake Bengier
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brooke N. Bengier
CFO
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Lydon
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kelci Bengier
Board Member
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about The Bengier Foundation
How much does The Bengier Foundation give each year?
The Bengier Foundation gave $695K across 12 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $665K across 13 grants.
What is The Bengier Foundation's typical grant size?
The Bengier Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $22,500, and its average grant was $57,917, across 12 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Bengier Foundation give grants?
The Bengier Foundation gives mostly in California: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New Mexico (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (8 grants).
Does The Bengier Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Bengier Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (12 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Bengier Foundation's largest grantees?
The Bengier Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include The Exploratorium ($250,000), Global Citizen Year ($125,000) and Summer Search ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 68% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Bengier Foundation?
The Bengier Foundation reported $7.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $701K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $384K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Bengier Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is “to provide educational experiences that motivate, broaden and qualify bright, hard working young people who have limited means and limited opportunities to enlarge their expectations of what they can accomplish in life.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Bengier Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests for ideas that fit its mission. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Bengier Foundation's EIN?
The Bengier Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 11-3729246. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Bengier Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Bengier Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-bengier-foundation-morg_676edccce7a74aedba42f84478e12c95
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_113729246_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Bengier Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-bengier-foundation-morg_676edccce7a74aedba42f84478e12c95},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from The Bengier Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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