OVERVIEW: The Bengier Foundation supports K-12 education and youth, mainly in the San Francisco Bay Area.
IP TAKE: The Bengier Foundation makes a dozen or fewer grants a year and, admittedly, “will only fund new ideas if they are especially compelling when compared to our mission.” Decisions are made by the board, which comprises several members of the Bengier family. Without a personal connection, it could be tough to gain this funder’s attention. If you believe your organization’s work is “precisely in agreement” with this funder’s vision, send them an email at the address provided below.
PROFILE: Established in 2004, the Bengier Foundation is a private family foundation based in Redwood City, California. This is the foundation of Gary and Cynthia Bengier, who were able to retire at an early age and devote more of their lives to giving back to their community. Gary F. Bengier received a B.B.A. in computer science and operations research from Kent State University, an MBA from Harvard Business School and an M.A. in philosophy from San Francisco State University. Bengier was a corporate controller at Compass Design Automation. He held senior financial positions at Qume Corporation and Bio-Rad Laboratories. Gary Bengier worked for various Silicon Valley tech companies and was the CFO of Ebay, from 1997 to 2001. Cynthia Bengier retired from the banking industry after serving in roles for Mondex USA and Wells Fargo Bank and is now involved with San Francisco-area nonprofits.
The foundation’s mission is to “provide educational experiences that motivate, broaden and qualify bright, hardworking young people who have limited means and limited opportunities to enlarge their expectations of what they can accomplish in life.” With very few exceptions, Bengier supports education and youth in the Bay Area of California.
Grants for K-12 Education and Youth
Bengier does not name specific goals or priorities for its work beyond its commitment to “unlock the potential of so many young people.” Most of its grants focus on education and opportunity for children and teens in the Bay Area.
- San Francisco’s Exploratorium, which provides hands on science learning experiences for K-12 students, has received ongoing support.
- Other education grantees include Oakland’s Summer Search mentoring program, San Francisco’s Aim High for High School, Bay Scholars and Tilting Futures, an Oakland-based group that “help[s] young people worldwide to create meaningful impact on global issues” through gap year experiences.
Important Grant Details:
The Bengier Foundation’s grantmaking approached $700,000 in a recent year, with grants ranging from $10,000 to $200,000. The average grant size was about $50,000. Note that this funder only makes a dozen or fewer grants per year.
- Giving focuses on innovative and impactful programs for education and youth development in the Bay Area.
- For additional information about past grants, see the projects page.
- This funder does not accept proposals, but granseekers who believe that their programs are “precisely in agreement with our mission” may email their ideas to ideas@bengierfoundation.org.
- The foundation’s phone number is listed as (650) 365-4646.
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