SFMOMA Announces the Appointment of Peter Wilch as Chief Philanthropy Officer

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (November 6, 2025)—The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) today announced the appointment of Peter Wilch as the museum’s Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO). An invaluable position on the museum’s leadership team, the CPO leads SFMOMA’s ambitious and forward-thinking philanthropy program, ensuring the museum’s fundraising goals are achieved through a diverse portfolio of initiatives and donors including individuals, corporations and foundations. As CPO, Wilch will actively partner with the museum’s Executive Team, Board of Trustees and Philanthropy division as well as colleagues across the institution to ensure SFMOMA’s long-term financial sustainability. Wilch will start his new role on December 1, 2025.

Wilch joins SFMOMA at a critical time, as the museum celebrates 10 years of its landmark expansion, unveils an exceptional new season of its dynamic exhibition program and continues its steady recovery from the pandemic. As CPO, Wilch will oversee contributed revenue, the rental events program and the membership earned revenue program, cultivating compelling fundraising activities and campaigns, ensuring excellent stewardship and meeting or exceeding fundraising goals. Providing strategic advice to the museum director, Wilch will also offer important direction and mentorship to a highly effective Philanthropy division, among other responsibilities.

“I am delighted to welcome Peter Wilch to SFMOMA as our new Chief Philanthropy Officer, following an extensive national search. A remarkable fundraiser with impressive strategic foresight and proven mission-driven leadership, Peter is an excellent fit for this crucial role,” said Christopher Bedford, Helen and Charles Schwab Director of SFMOMA. “I greatly look forward to our partnership and to shaping SFMOMA’s future together.”

About Peter Wilch

Wilch joins SFMOMA with nearly 30 years of fundraising experience, including 19 years as a chief philanthropy officer. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President for University Advancement at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles. During his tenure, LMU experienced its three most successful fundraising years, increasing annual revenue by 50% and raising over $100 million for campus-wide scholarships. In this role, Wilch secured the largest non-estate gift in the university’s history and led its first comprehensive campaign in 15 years, securing 52 gifts of $1 million or more. Previously, he spent nearly a decade as Vice President for Development at the University of San Francisco (USF), where he designed and implemented the successful $300 million “Changing the World from Here” campaign. Wilch also served as Vice President for Alumni and College Advancement at Cornell College, where he led the “Extraordinary Opportunities” campaign, exceeding its $100 million goal. Throughout his career, Wilch has demonstrated a commitment to staff development, mentorship and building mission-aligned, resilient organizational structures. Eighteen former colleagues have ascended to chief advancement roles in organizations across the US under his guidance—a testament to his leadership philosophy of empowering teams to secure transformational gifts, foster meaningful donor engagement and create structures for sustained philanthropic revenue growth. An Iowa native, Wilch holds a BA in Philosophy and Politics from Cornell College.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

151 Third Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. Our remarkable collection of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design and media arts is housed in a LEED Gold-certified building designed by the global architects Snøhetta and Mario Botta. In addition to our seven gallery floors, SFMOMA now offers over 45,000 square feet of free, art-filled public space open to all.

Visit sfmoma.org or call 415.357.4000 for more information.

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Image credits:

SFMOMA, view from Yerba Buena Gardens; photo: Jon McNeal, © Snøhetta

Peter Wilch; photo courtesy Peter Wilch