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Riley P. Bechtel

American billionaire heir and businessman

CaliforniaDiversified

AIProfile Summary

Riley P. Bechtel (born 1952) is an American businessman described as a billionaire heir, with an estimated net worth of ~$10.8B. Wikidata He is based in the United States. Wikidata

Philanthropy

Three related foundations reported 2023 filings: Bechtel Group Foundation (EIN 946078120, AZ), Riley & Susan Bechtel Foundation (EIN 942416417, CA), and Brendan & Helen Bechtel Foundation (EIN 862824870, DC). ProPublica 990 Across these filings, total foundation assets were $107,550,973 and total grants paid were reported as $0, with each foundation listing $0 in grants paid for the year. ProPublica 990 In 2023, the Bechtel Group Foundation reported $22,960,453 in assets, $1,300,332 in revenue, and $3,891,494 in expenses; the Riley & Susan Bechtel Foundation reported $63,452,853 in assets, $4,220,113 in revenue, and $2,970,993 in expenses; and the Brendan & Helen Bechtel Foundation reported $21,137,667 in assets, $463,327 in revenue, and $2,015,094 in expenses. ProPublica 990

Political Activity

Federal Election Commission data shows 75 contributions totaling $260,265 from 1981-01-29 to 2017-04-20. FEC The party breakdown reported is $130,300 to Republicans, $7,500 to Democrats, $3,200 to independents, and $119,265 to PACs/other recipients. FEC The largest listed recipients include the NRCC ($33,400), Bechtel Group, Inc Political Action Committee ($28,610), American Crossroads ($25,000), Golden State Congressional Victory Fund ($12,500), and Romney Victory Inc ($12,500). FEC

AI-generated summary from wikidata, fec, propublica_990 3/10/2026 (gpt-5.2). All claims are derived from the source data shown below.

USU.S. Presence

otherU.S. economic presence

990Philanthropy

$107.6MFoundation Assets
$8.8MGrants Paid
3Foundations
Bechtel Group FoundationGlendale, AZ
Assets: $23.0MRevenue: $1.3MGrants: $3.8MTax Year: 2023
Mission, purpose & full 990 filings → ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Riley & Susan Bechtel FoundationSan Francisco, CA
Assets: $63.5MRevenue: $4.2MGrants: $2.9MTax Year: 2023
Mission, purpose & full 990 filings → ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Brendan & Helen Bechtel FoundationWashington, DC
Private independent foundation (IRS NTEE T22)
Assets: $21.1MRevenue: $463KGrants: $2.0MTax Year: 2023
Mission, purpose & full 990 filings → ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Source: ProPublica (990) annual filing · latest on record (retrieved 3/9/2026) (proPublica_990)

FECPolitical Contributions

$260KTotal Contributed
75Contributions
1981–2017Date Range

By Party

REP
$130K
PAC/Other
$119K
DEM
$8K
IND
$3K

Top Recipients

NRCC$33K
BECHTEL GROUP, INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$29K
AMERICAN CROSSROADS$25K
GOLDEN STATE CONGRESSIONAL VICTORY FUND$13K
ROMNEY VICTORY INC$13K
Source: FEC contribution filings · latest on record (retrieved 3/9/2026) (fec)

PBSScore Breakdown

C
39.2
Public Benefit Score

The PBS is a weighted average of 2 components. The formula is open and versioned — the weight percentages below show how much each component contributes to the final score.

Philanthropy65% weight
20%

Evidenced charitable giving — built on what they actually give each year, not parked assets. Dominated by generosity (annual giving relative to net worth — the share of your fortune you give), plus the absolute scale of that giving, plus a small nudge for signing the Giving Pledge (a commitment, not a realized action).

Data: ProPublica 990 charitable disbursements, net worth, The Giving Pledge registry

Transparency35% weight
75%

How much sourced, public accountability data exists — net worth, political contributions, SEC filings, foundation 990s, news coverage, and a verified profile. More public disclosure scores higher.

Data: FEC, SEC EDGAR, ProPublica 990s, GDELT / NewsAPI, Wikidata

Formula (v2): PBS = 65% x Philanthropy + 35% x Transparency

Scored on 6/23/2026 on a 0–100 scale. The score uses only the signals we have populated data for. Goal Impact, Controversy, and Community Approval are deferred until that data exists — Phase 1 goal adoption, controversy detection, and community votes respectively.

All data is sourced from public records. Each section links to its original source. View on Wikidata

Riley P. Bechtel — Public Benefit Score C (39) | Billionaire Army