Comparison · 13 material differences
Bohemian Club vs The Battery
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026 Private club
Wikophile1 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Bohemian Club
Not publicly disclosed. The club publishes nothing about who it admits; its bylaws require that ten percent of the membership be accomplished artists -- composers, musicians…
Private club
The Battery
The club says it exists "to play host to bright minds with big ideas"; its own copy describes a clubhouse for the curious rather than a professional or income band
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining: Bohemian Club: No published maximum age at joining; The Battery: Under 30 membership is "available to applicants under 30 years old".
- Gender: Bohemian Club: Men only; The Battery: No published gender.
- Geographic restriction: Bohemian Club: No published geographic restriction; The Battery: Out of Town membership is "available to members who don't have a home within a 100 mile drive of the club".
- Annual dues: Bohemian Club: Not publicly disclosed. Figures circulate in secondary commentary but could not be traced to a reliable source.; The Battery: Not publicly disclosed. Separate rates exist for Member, Partner, Out of Town and Under 30, and the Battery Alliance upgrade is charged in addition, but no amounts are published..
Side by side
| Bohemian Club | The Battery | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Private club | Private club |
| Founded | 1872 (Founded in April 1872 by and for journalists who wanted a fraternal association among men who enjoyed the arts; the founding group first took a room on Sacramento Street in San Francisco.) | 2013 (Founded by Michael and Xochi Birch, the founders of the social network Bebo, in a converted building at 717 Battery Street in San Francisco.) |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | San Francisco, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Clubhouse at 624 Taylor Street on Nob Hill, San Francisco, plus the club's Bohemian Grove property in Sonoma County, California | A single clubhouse in San Francisco, with reciprocal access to more than 70 private clubs in 23 countries through the optional Battery Alliance |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Chapters | No chapters. Within the Bohemian Grove encampment members belong to camps, of which there were 118 as of 2007 according to Wikipedia. | 1 |
| Primary audience | Not publicly disclosed. The club publishes nothing about who it admits; its bylaws require that ten percent of the membership be accomplished artists -- composers, musicians, singers, actors, lighting artists, painters and authors -- and membership is restricted to men. | The club says it exists "to play host to bright minds with big ideas"; its own copy describes a clubhouse for the curious rather than a professional or income band |
| Typical member | Not publicly disclosed. Modern membership lists are private. Secondary accounts describe a club that began as a journalists' and artists' association and came to be dominated by business figures within its first decades, with a bylaw reserving a tenth of places for working artists. | The club publishes no occupational or wealth criteria. Its own materials emphasise conversation, cultural programming and collective giving through Battery Powered rather than industry or seniority. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | No published maximum age at joining | Under 30 membership is "available to applicants under 30 years old"verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Gender | Men onlyMembership remains restricted to men, per Wikipedia's article; the club itself publishes nothingverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published gender |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Out of Town membership is "available to members who don't have a home within a 100 mile drive of the club"Distance is expressed as a driving distance from the clubhouse.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | Not documented | No |
| Sponsor required | Not documented | Yes |
| Application process | Not publicly disclosed. The club's website consists of a member login, a privacy policy and an employment link; there is no membership page, application form, contact address or telephone number for prospective members. | The club sets out four steps: complete the online application form; obtain a nomination; attend an open house, described as "an afternoon at the club and a chance to meet both members and our team"; and then, on approval, receive a membership kit. The club states that "Membership is by introduction, and it begins with a conversation." Applicants choose between Member, Partner, Out of Town and Under 30 types, with The Battery Alliance available as an upgrade. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Membership lists are private and the club does not publish acceptance figures or a waiting list. | Not publicly disclosed. The club publishes no acceptance rate, waitlist size or member count. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed. Figures circulate in secondary commentary but could not be traced to a reliable source.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. Separate rates exist for Member, Partner, Out of Town and Under 30, and the Battery Alliance upgrade is charged in addition, but no amounts are published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed. Figures circulate in secondary commentary but could not be traced to a reliable source.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. The club's apply page lists membership types without prices and no figure appears in its Charter.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Not documented | The Charter contains sections on Membership Duration and Membership Renewal; specific terms are not published, and Lifetime Membership classes exist alongside renewable membership |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Year-round clubhouse use plus an annual two-week summer encampment at Bohemian Grove spanning three weekends, attended by roughly 2,500 people | The clubhouse operates daily, with a member events calendar covering talks, tastings, music and social nights |
| Peer forums | Within the Grove encampment members belong to camps; 118 camps were counted as of 2007 and they function as the main social units of the gathering | Not documented |
| Confidentiality | Membership lists are private and the club maintains no public web presence; the club motto "Weaving Spiders Come Not Here" is understood as a rule against conducting business at its formal gatherings | House rules ask members not to take, post or tag people in photos, and to put phones and laptops away in public areas during social hours |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Clubhouse premises, Event-focused | Clubhouse premises, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | No | No |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | No | No |
| Online community | No | Not documented |
| Member directory | Not documented | Not documented |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Not documented | Yes |
| Leadership development | No | No |
| Retreats | Yes | No |
| Travel | Not documented | Yes |
| Family programming | Not documented | Partial |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | Yes |
| Next-generation programming | Not documented | No |
| Investment discussions | Not documented | Not documented |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Not documented | Yes |
| Networking emphasis | Not documented | Medium |
| Social emphasis | High | High |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Bohemian Club · The Battery