Mission & Values
Our mission is to connect our rich history with a vibrant future through beauty, nature, and shared stories.
Our vision is a time when all people honor nature, value unique experiences and appreciate beauty in everyday life.
Our core values are rooted in Integrity; we are accountable for our work, actions, and impact on our visitors, community, and environment.
Filoli’s leadership team is dedicated to implementing our vision and living our mission and core values every day.
Land Acknowledgement
Filoli sits on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Lamchin, an independent tribe of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples, the original inhabitants and stewards of the San Francisco Peninsula. The impacts of colonization are ongoing and adversely affect the Indigenous peoples of the Bay Area. As we use the land to gather, live, learn, and work, we are beneficiaries of those past injustices. Filoli is a sanctuary for healing and a place to build connections for all people. We commit to partnering with the Ramaytush peoples to share Indigenous stories and collaborate on land stewardship.
2019–2023
Strategic Plan
Goal Highlights
Filoli proudly accomplished the goals of the 2019-23 Strategic Plan and began the process for an ambitious 2024-28 Plan.
A Day in the Life of
Filoli’s Vegetable Garden
Filoli’s Vegetable Garden was recently renovated as a place to gather and share food traditions. Here is a glimpse of what happens there over the course of one spring day.
By the Numbers
Visitor Demographics
Filoli welcomes diverse visitors from the Bay Area and beyond. We strive to create an inclusive environment where people are inspired to come together and celebrate beauty, nature, and shared stories.
Access
Redesigned our membership program to include a guest at all levels and added a Family for All membership level for EBT cardholders
Provided 8,939 total free admissions through programs and partnerships from local communities in-need
Grew participation in Service Learning Volunteer Program to an increasingly diverse population, 1 in 3 of whom are first-time visitors to Filoli!
Visitation
Annual Attendance
Membership
End-Of-Year membership
A Walk with Filoli’s Natural Lands & Trails Manager
Ian Walsh is walking along the Spring Creek Trail in Filoli’s forested hills. As light filters in through the canopy, his tall frame and overalls make him easy to follow on the path. Every now and then, he bends to push aside a rogue branch blocking the way.
Financials
Statement of Financial Position
Year ended December 31
| Assets | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents | $7,252,899 | $4,804,455 |
| Board-designated cash | $3,869,830 | $3,163,586 |
| Receivables, net of discount | $233,314 | $131,002 |
| Prepaid expenses | $553,617 | $471,891 |
| Inventory | $359,468 | $274,955 |
| Investments | $538,640 | $473,455 |
| Board-designated investments | $8,122,880 | $9,802,094 |
| Property and equipment, net | $7,555,215 | $6,215,448 |
| Total Assets | $28,485,863 | $25,336,886 |
| Liabilities and Net Assets | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Total Liabilities | $3,142,416 | $2,059,347 |
| Net Assets | $25,343,447 | $23,277,539 |
| Total Liabilities and Net Assets | $28,485,863 | $25,336,886 |
Statement of Activities
Year ended December 31
| Revenue and Support | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions and grants | $1,529,450 | $1,991,545 |
| Memberships | $2,706,551 | $2,177,724 |
| Programs | $9,742,070 | $7,442,687 |
| Retail gift shop sales, net | $1,482,955 | $1,430,433 |
| Income from beneficial trust managed by NTHP | $631,141 | $618,766 |
| Other income | $601,126 | $147,725 |
| Total Revenue and Support | $16,693,293 | $13,808,880 |
| Expenses | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Program services | $11,689,528 | $9,173,782 |
| Management and general | $2,147,673 | $1,640,277 |
| Fundraising | $1,800,859 | $1,205,917 |
| Total Expenses | $15,638,060 | $12,019,976 |
| Other Changes in Net Assets | $1,010,675 | ($2,294,500) |
Revenue
Restoring the Bourn’s Vision of the House
On the first architectural plans for Filoli, the project is titled “A Residence for Mrs. Bourn.” Agnes Bourn pored over the drawings, supervising every small detail of the new home she and her husband William envisioned as “a place to grow young” in their twilight years.
Public Programs
Partnerships
Filoli partners with the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone (ARO) to co-create programming and interpretation related to Ramaytush Ohlone history, culture, and contemporary community. In 2023, Filoli and the ARO began work on the now completed Lamchin Interpretive Center.
Youth Programs
With the support of the June & Julian Foss Foundation, the Goldman Family Foundation, the Leiter Family Foundation and private donors, Filoli continued to expand preschool and teen programs, hosting 1,000 Bay Area children on multiple field trips to Filoli throughout the school year. The children discovered Filoli across the seasons and can now lead their own families on field trips to Filoli with free annual Community Family memberships.
Vegetable Garden
This edible landscape is a place to gather and share food traditions. The Garden reflects many Bay Area food cultures and hosts youth field trips and the community Partner Plots. The abundant harvest is donated to local food banks, incorporated into foods sold at the Clock Tower Shop, and enjoyed by staff, partners, and public program participants.
Pride
Filoli celebrated the LGBTQ+ community with a weekend of joyful, creative expression and experiences throughout the House and Garden. Opening with a night of Dragtopia glam, performances included Drag Queen Storytime, Queer Taiko, the Gay Freedom Band, a sound bath by Banyan Tree Women’s Collective, and colorful Mexican folk dancing.
Exhibits
The House bloomed with lush greenery and flower arrangements as the Bringing the Garden Indoors exhibit highlighted the Bourns’ nature-inspired design and decor. Outside, Yoko Kubrick’s abstract marble sculptures evoked classical mythology and echoed the organic forms of the Garden.
Summer Stage
Visitors relaxed in the Meadow at sunset while enjoying a series of live music and dance celebrating the Bay Area performing arts community.
Orchard Days
The harvest brought several weekends of celebration to Filoli. Hispanic Heritage Weekend included music and dance performances from Folclórico Colibrí and Cunamacué. Our community partners also helped us to celebrate the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot, the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival, and the Persian fall festival of Mehregan with beautiful and engaging displays.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Our partners at the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone and Pasifika Planting Group shared stories, songs, and poetry to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Summer Nights
Guests came in record numbers to enjoy summer evenings strolling the House and Garden. They listened to live music, lounged, and played lawn games as the sun set behind the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Stories in Bloom
This series of events brought artists of all kinds – from poets to novelists, musicians, and photographers – to Filoli showcasing storytelling to broaden the Filoli and local narratives.
Service Learning
In the second year of Service Learning, Filoli’s new model for volunteerism, 650 participants gave 2,400 hours of service. They cleared trails, prepared the Orchard for fall festivities, and helped care for the Garden.
Our Impact
Diversity & Inclusivity
- Added three multicultural harvest displays to Orchard Days
- Our partnership with the Ramaytush Ohlone included a moving Indigenous Peoples’ Day program for 250 attendees
- Convened an internal DEAI Task Force of cross-departmental team members to evaluate Filoli’s DEAI Action Plan and make tactical recommendations for the new five-year Strategic Plan
- Celebrated the LGBTQ+ community during Filoli Pride, including holding the first Dragtopia event, which was a sell-out success
Sustainability
- Hired new Natural Lands Manager to drive initiatives as part of Filoli’s ongoing commitment to sustainable land stewardship
- Completed tree work around key electrical infrastructure with support from PG&E and developed a grant project for wider wildfire mitigation with the support of FEMA
- Improved hiking trails and replaced the storm-damaged Spring Creek Bridge with the support of the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation
- Launched sustainability initiative with assessment by Filoli’s new Sustainability Coordinator, resulting in an action plan for 2024
- Shifted retail to support 60%+ of all our purchasing from California and local vendors
Preservation
- Refreshed the paint on the exterior windows and doors of the main House with support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation Historic Sites Fund
- Painted and restored Cloakrooms to their original historic color and furnishings
- Restored the Dutch masterpiece by Jan Weenix to its full glory and returned it to its place of honor in the Dining Room
- Redesigned and replaced all lighting in the House with energy efficient and color-appropriate bulbs
- Refinished the floors in the Ballroom, Dining Room, holding room, and Ballroom vestibule
- Made new acquisitions including sought-after items matching those that the Bourns owned – from furniture to prints and ceramic arts – which embrace Agnes Bourn’s original vision for the House as a relaxed space nodding to themes of nature and women. The painting “Verdant Landscape” by artist Betty Ecke, which was previously owned by the Roths and displayed at Filoli, was also restored to the collection.
Events
Holidays at Filoli
This year, Holidays at Filoli, presented by PG&E Corporation Foundation, welcomed a record-breaking 120,199 visitors – an increase of 47.8% over the previous year! Visitors wandered through the Garden illuminated by miles of lights and were dazzled by the dynamic colors of the 23,000 bulbs in the light tunnel. On the Woodland Terrace, visitors gathered around fire pits with loved ones and a warm drink and visited with Santa on the weekends. Inside, the House was resplendent with twinkling trees, and tables set in the Ballroom showcased cultural holiday celebrations from around the world.
Gala in the Garden
2023’s Gala in the Garden raised funds for nature programs at Filoli. The nearly 200 guests enjoyed dinner on the Bowling Green while hearing from honored guest Representative Jackie Speier.
Donors & Sponsors
Filoli’s community of supporters keeps Filoli open and accessible for guests to find beauty and inspiration in every season.