David Bohnett Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The David Bohnett Foundation’s grantmaking focuses on distinct issue areas including LGBTQ equality, technology access, gun violence prevention, the arts (particularly in the Los Angeles area), animal welfare and research, and municipal leadership.
IP TAKE: Bohnett’s grantmaking is prolific and supports local, state-based, and national organizations. While it’s a mid-sized foundation, Bohnett’s support of its signature funding areas make this an important funder to know about for nonprofits working in the LGBTQ space, as well as violence prevention organizations and Los Angeles arts organizations. In 2018, the foundation shifted to invitation-only grantmaking. The rationale behind this decision is described in an eloquent letter from David Bohnett, which you can access here.
The foundation is a GUTC signatory and tends to prioritize organizations that serve the LGBTQ community, most often in SoCal. This is a transparent funder with a well-organized website that includes a comprehensive grants database.
PROFILE: : Established in 1999, the David Bohnett Foundation seeks to “improv[e] society through social activism.” The foundation is named for its founder, David Bohnett, a tech entrepreneur who co-developed GeoCities in 1994, went public with it in 1998, and sold it to Yahoo! This funder runs six distinct grantmaking programs:
Municipal Leadership Intiative
Grants for LGBTQ Rights
Bohnett conducts LGBTQ grantmaking through its LGBT community program, which Executive Director Michael Fleming referred to in the Washington Blade as "the most important work" the foundation conducts. The program supports "groups and organizations that strive to provide equal rights and protections for all LGBT people," but it doesn’t name more specific grantmaking strategies here. Grantees include Lambda Literary Foundation, Drag Queen Story Hour, Los Angeles LGBT Center, and Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.
Bohnett also conducts LGBTQ-related grantmaking through its CyberCenters program, which offers free computer and internet access to LGBTQ individuals who may not have regular access. The first CyberCenter was installed in the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center in 1998, and the program has since expanded to community centers across the country.
Grants for Violence Prevention
Bohnett’s Gun Violence Prevention Program program is committed to “ending the scourge of gun violence through research, advocacy and community empowerment.” Grants through this program can range anywhere from $1,000 to over $500,000, but most awards fall in the $25,000 to $150,000 range. Past grantees in this space include John Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, Amnesty International, Campus Alliance to End Gun Violence, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, as well as The Fund for a Safer Future.
Grants for Animals and Science Research
While its grantmaking interests are eclectic, the foundation typically awards two to three larger grants through its Animal program, which is committed to “the health and well being of all of our animal friends,” as well as to “better appreciating and understanding great apes and chimps” by funding research into animal language. While the foundation’s larger grants go to academic, scientific, and research-focused programs, it also supports animal welfare nonprofits, such as ASPCA, Big Cat Rescue, Animal Grantmakers, Conservation International, and Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind.
Other
The Bohnett Foundation’s Fund for Los Angeles broadly supports “those who make our city a cultural and creative place to live, learn and thrive,” including the arts, cultural institutions, universities, parks, and health and human services. Grantees include Project Angel Food, Debbie Allen Dance, Los Angeles Parks Foundation, Venice Family Clinic, UCLA, and USC.
Additionally, Bohnett’s Leadership Initiatives fund a variety of fellowships to develop “the next generation of municipal leaders.” These fellowships give students and aspiring public servants access to unique programs at schools of public policy at universities across the country, such as USC, UCLA, NYU, Michigan, and Harvard.
Important Grant Details:
The David Bohnett Foundation made $11 million in grants in a recent year. Grants range from as little as $500 to nearly $200,000. The Bohnett Foundation widely distributes its grantmaking across local, state-based, and national organizations. Grantees may review the foundation’s Grants Database for more information on the kinds of organizations it supports.
Since 2018, the David Bohnett Foundation conducts its grantmaking by invitation only and no longer accepts unsolicited requests for funding.
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