Charity Groups Vying for Buck’s $438-Million Fund

Charitable organizations began vying Monday for a chunk of the $438-million fund left by the late Beryle Buck, who decreed in her will that the money should be spent to benefit “all humankind.”

A week of hearings on the distribution of the funds began in Marin County Superior Court before visiting Judge Homer B. Thompson of Santa Clara.

Thompson is expected to rule Friday on which of the 21 proposals before him would most likely benefit “all humankind.” The judge may choose from one to three major projects, court observers said.

The decision will effectively put the lid on a case that began three years ago, when the San Francisco Foundation sought to change Buck’s will.

Buck, who owned a good chunk of the Beldridge Oil Co., died in 1975 at age 79, leaving a trust estimated at $8 million to $10 million. Thanks mainly to a timely oil company merger, the amount skyrocketed and the trust generates at least $30 million a year.

Buck’s will stated that she wanted her money spent in Marin County for charitable, religious or educational purposes. The San Francisco Foundation wanted the money to be made available for charities in less affluent areas of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Last July, the Marin-only clause in Buck’s will was upheld after a long and complex court battle, and the Marin Community Foundation was created to oversee the fund.

The settlement mandated that 20% to 25% of the money must fund one to three permanent major projects that are based in Marin County and are operated for the benefit of “all humankind.”

The 21 groups that hope to persuade Thompson to name them as Buck beneficiaries include the Institute for Peace Development, which seeks $2 million annually to work toward world peace, and the National Center for Urban Estuaries, which is asking for $2.7 million a year to improve the quality of San Francisco Bay.