• Academic Philanthropic Studies Research
• History of Philanthropy in the U.S.


• Sitemap

Philanthropic Organizations

• A - F | G - M | N - Z

Philanthropy In the News

Doing philanthropy the Google way

Index of Global Philanthropy Shows Innovative Private Giving Transforming Aid to Developing Countries

GlobalGiving Launches Myanmar Disaster Relief Fund

Oprah provides ray of hope to Africa

Colin Powell urges corporate philanthropy

N - Z

Philanthropic Organizations

• The Omidyar Network
• Operation Family Fund
• The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
• The Robin Hood Foundation
• The Rockefeller Foundation
• Ronald McDonald House Charities
• The Ross Institute
• The Ruth Lilly Philanthropic Foundation
• The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fund
• The Saban Family Foundation
• The Larry and Jane Scheinfeld Foundation
• The Skoll Foundation
• The Smith Richardson Foundation
• The Soros Foundation Network
• Tomorrow's Hope Foundation
• United Nations Foundation
• The Waitt Family Foundation

The Bernard Osher Foundation

Founder: Bernard Osher

Bernard Osher carved his fortune in the investments and banking industries. In 1966, he and some members of his family bought Golden West, a small loan institution in California. Under his leadership, Golden West expanded and soon became the third largest saving and loaning company.

Aside from being a banker and finance investor, Bernard Osher is also a patron of the arts. He bought the Butterfield and Butterfield auction house in 1970 and developed the establishment. Prior to the establishment’s sale to eBay in 1999, Butterfield and Butterfield became the fourth largest auction house in the country.

Bernard Osher founded the San Francisco-based Bernard Osher Foundation in 1977, whose goals include improving quality of life by promoting higher education and encouraging participation in the arts.

Areas of Interest: Education and Arts

Notable Projects/Programs:

Several programs offered by the Bernard Osher Foundation are listed below:

• Osher Scholars and Fellows Program – the program provides financial support to students who show academic promise. The program is available to post-secondary students who reside in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and North California.
• Osher Reentry Program – students with potential for academic excellence but have taken protracted breaks in their studies are provided with financial aid to help them continue their degree. At present, there are 63 universities in 24 states who are actively supporting this program. The program is open for returning students aged 25 to 50.
• Osher Lifelong Learning Institute – adults who want to learn more are given the chance to do just that with this program. Available in 119 colleges across the United States, from Maine to Alaska to Hawaii, the program offers a wide array of courses.
• Local Arts and Educational Program – courses in arts are offered in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area and the State of Maine.

More about the Bernard Osher Foundation:

The Bob Osher Foundation has funded post-secondary scholarships across the United States. Aside form education, the foundation also supports programs in the field of medicine, funding integrative medicine centers in Harvard University, the University of California, San Francisco, and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

In recognition of his generous contributions in promoting education to students in the United States, the Bowdoin College awarded Bernard Osher with a Doctorate of Laws in 2000.