OVERVIEW: The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation aims to expand access to career opportunities, high quality health care and the “transformative power of the arts.”
IP TAKE: According to a recent letter from its founders, the Sheri and Les Biller Foundation strives to “invest in bold ideas that inspire collective action in order to achieve powerful results.” Across its giving areas for economic opportunity, health and the arts, grants focus on expanding access for people who might typically face exclusion. This funder is also willing to take risks on new ideas that may be scalable in the future. Unfortunately, Biller does not accept applications. Network with staff members or past grantees to gain an introduction.
PROFILE: Established in 2001, the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation was founded by banker Les Biller and his wife, Sheri. Les retired as vice chairman and COO of Wells Fargo Bank in 2002. The Biller Family Foundation’s mission is to expand “access to systems and solutions that expand economic opportunity, supportive care for life-threatening illnesses, and the transformative power of the arts.” Across all giving areas, the foundation practices “active philanthropy, aligning with grantees, nonprofits, and philanthropic partners to generate open dialogues, develop models, and replicate successful solutions.” Giving is national in scope, with more than half of all grants serving organizations in California and Washington.
Grants for Education, Work and Opportunity
Biller’s economic opportunity giving area focuses on “advanc[ing] solutions that expand equitable access to economic opportunity through a focus on workforce development programs and career technical education.”
In Seattle, the foundation has supported Careerworks, a program run by YWCA organizations that “connects young adults from under-resourced communities to lasting, stable careers through free training.”
Other grantees include the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, vocational education programs run by Washington Educational Service Districts 105 and 112, and JVS SoCal, which “helps people find jobs, change careers and access training and mentoring.”
Grants for Public Health and Diseases
The foundation’s health-related giving targets “work to expand access to care programs that specialize in addressing the psychosocial, clinical, and spiritual needs of patients and their loved ones facing cancer and other life-threatening diseases.”
The foundation has made multiple grants to City of Hope in Duarte, California, which is the “main campus of a global cancer and diabetes treatment and research center” and home to the Biller Family Resource Center.
Grants have also gone to Cure Cervical Cancer, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Healthpoint of Renton, Washington.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Biller Family Foundation names Social Impact Theatre as an area of focus. Grants stemming from this program “recognize organizations that are intentional and innovative in engaging with their audiences” and “that are igniting positive changes in their communities through the programming they bring to life on stage.” Funding prioritizes but is not strictly limited to “Western states.”
Theater grantees in Western states include Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre, the Pasadena Playhouse, the La Jolla Playhouse, the Village Theatre of Issaquah, Washington, and the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.
Elsewhere, the foundation has supported the Theatre Communications Group in New York and the Actors Theatre of Louisville, Kentucky.
A few grants support other types of arts and culture organizations. Recipients include the Palm Springs Philharmonic, Seattle’s Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas and the Northwest Girl Choir.
Grants for Mental Health and Violence Prevention
Although the foundation does not name mental health and gender-based violence as areas of grantmaking interest, some grants do support organizations working in these areas. Grants have gone to the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, the Rape Foundation in Santa Monica, Amanecer Community Counseling in Los Angeles and Real Escape from the Sex Trade.
Grants for Food and Nutrition
It is worth mentioning that the Biller Family Foundation makes dozens of modest grants to food banks and distribution programs acorss the country. Among its many grantees in this area are Albuquerque’s Roadrunner Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans, Northwest Harvest, Meals on Wheels America and Feeding South Florida.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range from $1,000 to about $921,000, with most grants staying below the $25,000 mark.
This funder makes dozens of grants each year to organizations of every size.
While Washington, California and other Western states are prioritized, giving is national in scope.
This funder does not accept unsolicited grant requests.
For additional information about Biller’s past giving, see its tax filings.
Sumbit general inquiries to this foundation via email at inquiries@billerfamilyfoundation.org. The foundation’s phone number is (206) 535-7543.
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