Bews Foundation

The Bews Foundation is a private trust established following the 2014-2016 deaths of Edward and Shirley Bews, a Boise couple who spent six decades developing residential and commercial communities throughout Idaho's Treasure Valley. That origin defines the foundation's personality: it is hyper-local, relationship-oriented, and most comfortable with organizations that have built visible institutional presence in the communities Ed and Shirley personally shaped — Boise, Meridian, and surrounding counties.

The trust funds ten defined program areas: health and medical research, education and scholarships, support for economically disadvantaged populations, environmental preservation, community programs and public spaces, arts and cultural development, historic preservation, youth development and rehabilitation, women and family support services, and civil liberties education. In practice, grant history shows education (scholarships, K-12 support, higher education) and capital campaigns as the dominant funding categories, followed by food and housing assistance, youth development, and arts programming.

The foundation strongly favors established organizations with demonstrated Treasure Valley roots. Multi-year relationships dominate the top grantee list: The Idaho Foodbank has received five grants totaling $100,000; Women's & Children's Alliance five grants totaling $110,000; Jesse Tree three grants for emergency rental assistance; the Boise Rescue Mission three grants for general operations. First-time applicants should not expect the foundation's upper grant range on an initial submission — entry relationships typically begin at $5,000-$25,000 before larger commitments follow.

The application structure is deliberately simple and two-tiered. For asks under $10,000, a letter request, the first page of the application form, and an IRS determination letter are sufficient. Larger requests require the full application form, submitted by email to Director Derek Pica. There is no publicly described LOI phase or mandatory site visit, making this one of the more accessible private trusts in Idaho for well-aligned organizations.

First-time applicants should treat geographic alignment as the first and non-negotiable filter. The seven qualifying counties — Payette, Gem, Boise, Canyon, Ada, Elmore, and Owyhee — define the fundable universe. Lead every proposal with clear local presence, reference specific community impact in the Boise-Meridian corridor, and wherever possible connect your organization's work to the founders' legacy of community infrastructure-building. The foundation is registered in Twin Falls but directs its grants across the broader Treasure Valley metro footprint.

The Bews Foundation has maintained consistent annual grantmaking between $876,500 and $1,065,000 in direct grants paid from FY2020 through FY2022, with FY2023 grants paid at $944,500 and total giving of $1,183,669. The anomalous FY2019 figure of $352,500 in grants likely reflects a startup ramp-up phase — that year the foundation received $2.44 million in founding contributions and was still building its grantmaking infrastructure. Since FY2020, the endowment has been closed to new contributions and operates entirely on investment income, which generated $796,502 in FY2023 and $963,801 in FY2022.

The foundation's own reported typical grant data (based on 23 grants) shows a median award of $10,000, an average of $39,879, and a range of $3,944 to $450,000. This bimodal distribution reflects two distinct grant tiers. The first tier — general operations support — runs $5,000 to $35,000, with most recurrent grantees clustered in the $10,000-$25,000 range per year. The second tier — capital campaigns and major partnerships — runs $50,000 to $500,000 and is reserved for established relationships with capital infrastructure needs.

Capital campaigns represent the largest individual commitments on record: Friends of Zoo Boise received two grants totaling $1,000,000 for an education center, the single largest grantee relationship in the database. Boys and Girls Clubs of Ada County received two grants totaling $200,000; Treasure Valley YMCA received $100,000 for the Boise Capital Campaign; West Ada Schools Education Foundation received $102,500; and Boise Contemporary Theater received $15,000 in January 2025 for facility upgrades.

Education is the second-largest category: Boise State University Foundation has received $325,000 across five grants and College of Idaho $275,000 across four — consistent annual scholarship support averaging $65,000 and $68,750 per grant, respectively.

Human services grants are steady and recurring in the $10,000-$50,000 tier: Women's & Children's Alliance ($110,000 total), The Idaho Foodbank ($100,000), Assistance League of Boise ($57,000), Big Brothers Big Sisters ($50,000), Jesse Tree ($45,000), and Wyakin Foundation veteran support ($45,000).

The $18.2 million asset base generates a giving rate of approximately 5.2-5.7% of assets annually — modestly above the private foundation 5% minimum — with no indication of plans to expand or contract this range.

The database identifies five asset-comparable peers in the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category, all holding assets in the $22.3-22.4 million range — approximately 20-23% larger than Bews Foundation's $18.2 million base. Annual giving estimates for peers are derived from a standard 5-6% private foundation payout ratio applied to reported assets.

The Bews Foundation is the smallest by asset base in this cohort but is distinctly the most accessible to eligible applicants. Its open, bi-annual application cycle with a two-tier submission process (letter for under $10,000; full form for larger asks) stands in contrast to most asset-comparable private trusts, which rarely publish open application processes. Bews is also notable for compensating five active directors ($19,800-$47,400 annually each), indicating a hands-on board that stays personally involved in grantmaking rather than delegating to program staff. For Treasure Valley-based nonprofits, Bews Foundation offers a rare combination of meaningful grant sizes and genuine application accessibility not typically available from comparable-sized trusts in other states.

The most recent publicly documented grant is the January 2025 award of $15,000 to Boise Contemporary Theater for the 'Setting the Stage' Capital Campaign. This grant supported facility renovations designed to extend BCT's operations for 25+ years, and BCT's managing director issued a public statement calling Bews Foundation 'a local collaborator in enhancing the Treasure Valley community through the arts.' This announcement confirms the foundation remains active in arts funding and continues to support capital projects in the $10,000-$50,000 range alongside its larger institutional commitments.

The FY2023 990 (the most recent with complete data) shows $944,500 in grants paid and $1,183,669 in total giving — a moderate decline from FY2022's peak of $1,065,000 in grants paid, reflecting lower net investment income ($796,502 in FY2023 versus $963,801 in FY2022). Total assets declined slightly from $18.69M in FY2022 to $18.41M in FY2023 and $18.22M in FY2024 (partial data), consistent with the spending-from-endowment model.

Board compensation data indicates stable leadership through the most recent filing period: Derek Pica and Larry D. Braga each received $47,400 in the most recent compensation year reported, up from $43,800 two years prior. Michael W. Sullivan, John Berg, and Lois K. Fletcher each received $23,400. No director departures or new appointments were identified in public filings or web research. The foundation does not appear to maintain an active social media presence or issue proactive press releases; the primary intelligence source on recent grantmaking is 990 filings and grant recipient announcements. The next application deadline is October 31, 2026.

The most important strategic insight for Bews Foundation applicants: this is a trust, not a foundation with program staff, and the five compensated directors make decisions based on personal knowledge of the Treasure Valley community and the founders' legacy. Proposals that read as templated submissions will underperform against concise letters that demonstrate genuine familiarity with the Bews family history and the specific communities of Boise and Meridian.

Start at the right tier. First-time applicants from organizations without prior Bews relationships should consider entering at the under-$10,000 tier. This requires only a grant request letter, page 1 of the application form, and an IRS determination letter — a low-friction entry point that establishes a relationship before a larger ask. Top grantees like The Idaho Foodbank and Women's & Children's Alliance built to $100,000+ totals through repeated modest grants over years.

Use capital campaign language when applicable. The foundation's largest single-relationship grants — $1,000,000 to Friends of Zoo Boise, $200,000 to Boys and Girls Clubs, $100,000 to Treasure Valley YMCA — were all capital investments. If your organization has a named campaign underway, frame your ask around community legacy, physical permanence, and enduring impact. Reference total campaign goal, amount raised to date, and naming opportunities. This resonates directly with a foundation established by real estate developers.

Align your narrative to the ten priority areas. The foundation publishes explicit funding categories including community programs and public spaces, youth development, women and family support services, historic preservation, and arts and cultural development. Map your programs explicitly to these in your proposal. Avoid vague mission language — be specific about which category you are addressing and why your work extends the Bews family vision.

Respect geographic boundaries absolutely. Any mention of programs serving communities outside Payette, Gem, Boise, Canyon, Ada, Elmore, or Owyhee counties will trigger rejection. If your organization has regional programming, confine the grant request explicitly to Treasure Valley-specific activities.

Timing and contact. Target submission at least two weeks before the April 30 (spring) or October 31 (fall) deadline. Email completed materials to Director Derek Pica. A brief introductory call before a first-time submission over $10,000 is worth pursuing — the board's active compensation structure suggests directors are reachable and engaged.