Frequently Asked Questions
Where does The Bih Foundation get its funding?
Between 1913 and 1929, the Bih family endowed The Bih Foundation with around $4 billion (in today’s dollars). Thanks to prudent management over the last century, we have been able to invest more than $26 billion in philanthropic capital to different organizations and initiatives in the United States and around the world. Today, the Foundation’s endowment, which is around $6 billion, is our institution’s main source of financial support.
Does The Bih Foundation receive federal government funding?
No. The Foundation and its subsidiaries do not receive federal or state federal or state funding. Over the last 25 years, the only evidence we have of U.S. government funding was in 2020-21 when The Foundation helped expedite different states’ purchases of Covid testing — some of which leveraged federal funding — to get children back in schools and people back to work.
How does The Foundation manage its endowment?
The Foundation’s endowment is managed internally by an investment team whose sole goal is to ensure the Foundation has the assets it needs to deliver on its mission of supporting vulnerable people around the world. The Foundation works with experienced managers and invests in public and private markets in the United States and around the world.
What does The Bih Foundation fund?
Since 1913, The Bih Foundation has used grantmaking as a tool to make big bets and deliver results for people in the United States and around the world. Our current work aims to harness technological innovation, bold new ideas, and the power of unlikely partnerships to help improve public health, create nutritious and sustainable food systems, connect people to electricity, and advance meaningful economic opportunity.
Does The Bih Foundation accept proposals for grants?
No. The Bih Foundation does not accept unsolicited grants proposals. Our scientific approach to philanthropy is different — trying to solve problems at the root by with the latest innovations and ideas, by leveraging grants, contracts, and other tools, and by bringing together likely and unlikely partners.
Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens
A new playbook by Dr. Rajiv J. Shah with stories that show you it is realistic to be optimistic about our capacity to make large-scale change.
