The Bockus Brown Family Foundation
The Bockus Brown Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California. It reported making 21 grants totaling $360,200 in 2024 to organizations working in areas including land conservation, music education, Great Lakes protection, community services, and national and global security.
The Bockus Brown Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Bockus Brown Family Foundation gave $360K across 21 grants in 2024 (avg $17K), top state California. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $360,200
- -2.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 21
- -8.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $17,152
- +7.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $8,244,981
- +8.3% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- California (36% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Bockus Brown Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 352 Churchill Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: (650) 323-6727
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Bockus Brown Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Thousand Islands Land Trust ($105K). Together the top 10 received $326K.
Grant Size Distribution
71 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 71 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, reported grant dollars went to recipients in California (36%), New York (34%), Massachusetts (14%), Washington, DC (10%), and Illinois (7%). These are the recipient-state shares reported for that year.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
Cities
How The Bockus Brown Family Foundation gives
- 76% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−13%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 97% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $360K (2024) to $514K (2022). In 2024 it made 21 grants totaling $360K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Thousand Islands Land Trust Clayton, NY | Contribution to the donee to acquire, establish, and conserve wildlife habitats and natural land for public use | $105,000 |
| Berklee College of Music Boston, MA | Contribution to Donnee to Provide Musical Education | $50,000 |
| Alliance for the Great Lakes Chicago, IL | Contribution to the donee for cleaning and protecting the great lakes | $25,000 |
| American Red Cross San Francisco, CA | Contribution to the donee to prevent and alleviate human suffeering in the face of emergencies | $25,000 |
| Center for a New American Security Washington, DC | Contribution to the donee for developing national security and defense policies | $25,000 |
| Stanford University Stanford, CA | Contribution to Donee to Provide Education | $25,000 |
| Palo Alto Community Foundation Palo Alto, CA | Contribution to the donee for gifts to local organizations that positively impact quality of life for palo alto, east palo alto, and menlo park community members | $25,000 |
| Institute for Security and Technology Oakland, CA | Contribution to the donee to unite technology and policy leaders to create solutions | $25,000 |
| Kqed San Francisco, CA | Contribution to the donee to provide community-supported television, radio, digital media and educational services | $10,500 |
| Council on Foreign Relations New York, NY | Contribution to the donee to create better understanding of the world and the foreign policy choices facing the united states and other countries | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Bockus Brown Family 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 | $8,244,981 | $387,178 | $378,089 | $360,200 | 21 | $373,361 | $382,450 | $385,750 |
| 2023 | $7,609,908 | $441,771 | $388,286 | $367,500 | 23 | $380,366 | $433,851 | $348,345 |
| 2022 | $6,935,953 | $278,198 | $522,954 | $514,110 | 17 | $522,520 | $275,814 | $349,813 |
| 2021 | $8,444,223 | $371,466 | $423,859 | $415,000 | 6 | $423,635 | $371,242 | $10,722 |
| 2020 | $7,754,204 | $201,713 | $532,108 | $510,000 | 4 | — | $200,719 | $345,065 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Bockus Brown Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $386K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Thousand Islands Land Trust describes its mission as safeguarding the 1000 Islands landscape through conservation easements, property acquisition, and accessible areas for public enjoyment. Berklee College of Music says it works to foster and teach music and related arts. Alliance for the Great Lakes says it works to protect, conserve, and restore the Great Lakes.
Other 2024 recipients include organizations whose stated missions concern national security policy, emerging security threats, reducing catastrophic risks, and public-interest media. These are the recipients’ missions, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 21 grants totaling $360,200. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $105,000, with a median grant of $10,000.
The largest reported grants included $105,000 to Thousand Islands Land Trust for land and wildlife habitat conservation, and $50,000 to Berklee College of Music for musical education. The foundation also gave $25,000 each to Alliance for the Great Lakes, American Red Cross, Center for a New American Security, Stanford University, Palo Alto Community Foundation, and Institute for Security and Technology. Other listed grants included $10,500 to KQED and $10,000 each to Council on Foreign Relations and Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Michael Brown as chairman and Susan Bockus as president.
The Bockus Brown Family Foundation is led by Susan Bockus, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Susan Bockus
President
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Brown
Chairman
On filings since 2020
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 Bockus Brown Family Foundation
How much does The Bockus Brown Family Foundation give each year?
The Bockus Brown Family Foundation gave $360K across 21 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $368K across 23 grants.
What is The Bockus Brown Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Bockus Brown Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $17,152, across 21 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Bockus Brown Family Foundation give grants?
The Bockus Brown Family Foundation's top state is California, with 36% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (34%) and Massachusetts (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Palo Alto, CA (5 grants), San Francisco, CA (4 grants), Clayton, NY (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does The Bockus Brown Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on The Bockus Brown Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Bockus Brown Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Bockus Brown Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Thousand Islands Land Trust ($105,000), Berklee College of Music ($50,000) and Alliance for the Great Lakes ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 50% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Bockus Brown Family Foundation?
The Bockus Brown Family Foundation reported $8.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $373K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $386K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Bockus Brown Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Bockus Brown Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Bockus Brown Family Foundation's EIN?
The Bockus Brown Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1539629. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Bockus Brown Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, 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 Bockus Brown Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-bockus-brown-family-foundation-morg_84a6d961a4f14cbd980a8fc9fe848446
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_261539629_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Bockus Brown Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-bockus-brown-family-foundation-morg_84a6d961a4f14cbd980a8fc9fe848446},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Bockus Brown Family 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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