A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation supports engineering education, veterans and community needs, primarily in the Washington DC area.
IP TAKE: This is not a very accessible funder; it does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding, so it will be a tough nut to crack. It also supports the same organizations year after year within its three priority areas making funding competitive here. However, once you’re a grantee, this funder is supportive and wants to see your work scale or deepen.
The biggest opportunity here is for local Washington D.C. organizations that manage to get on the foundation’s radar. Engineering and Veterans Initiative grants will likely be tied up in the same small handful of grantees for the foreseeable future. Network with staff to put your organization on their radar - if your work aligns closely with theirs.
PROFILE: Established in 1987, the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation is a private family foundation based in Bethesda, Maryland. Mr. Clark (1927-2015) led the Clark Construction Group and transformed the landscape of Washington, DC. He and his wife, Alice, were committed to philanthropy during their lifetimes through support for cultural institutions, veteran groups, schools, hospitals and other community organizations. The foundation aims to “expand opportunities for those who demonstrate the drive and determination to better themselves and their communities.” Grantmaking is focused on engineering education, the D.C. community and improving the lives of veterans and their families.
Grants for STEM and Higher Education
Engineering Initiatives supports engineering education, primarily at the University of Maryland, by “expanding access to students who could not otherwise afford a world-class engineering degree” and “improving facilities and recruiting the best faculty.” Most of this support is based upon the $219.5 million grant the foundation gave the school in 2017 to support the A. James Clark School of Engineering. It has also given $15 million to Virginia Tech, $20 million to Johns Hopkins University, and $8 million to George Washington University.
The A. James Clark Scholars Program is an engineering scholarship program that supports “students of need” at 11 colleges and universities with highly ranked engineering programs, including Duke University, Penn State, and Georgia Tech. Scholars specialize in engineering and are expected to take business classes and engage in community service. They are also connected with leaders in the discipline.
Grants for Washington, D.C.
The foundation prioritizes funding for Washington, D.C. and the surrounding region through its DC Initiatives program, which supports the region’s schools and “community anchors,” works to improve parent and child health, and seeks to enable D.C. students to attend college. It supports “community-based organizations […] by investing in the capacity and infrastructure of dozens of the region’s nonprofits providing health care, food access, youth development, and other essential services.” Previous grantees here include Community of Hope, DC Public Education Fund, Education Forward DC, Capital Area Food Bank, Memorial Hospital Foundation, and Friendship Place.
Grants for Military and Veterans
The Veterans Initiatives program makes grants to “help post-9/11 veterans navigate the transition from military to civilian life [by] investing in their health, education and future.” Funding from this initiative supports veterans’ families as well. Previous grantees in this area include Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, Operation Homefront, Warrior-Scholar Project, and Hire Heroes USA.
Other Grant Opportunities
In addition to its engineering, veterans and D.C. programs, the foundation also supports what it calls Legacy Initiatives, which are projects and groups “of historical significance to Foundation leadership and the Clark family.” These primarily consist of community-based organizations in Easton, Maryland, faith-based schools, and landmark cultural institutions that provide “educational and cultural programming for students and underserved communities.”
Important Grant Details:
Clark Foundation staff researches and identifies potential grantees with values that align closely with foundation’s; have the capacity to manage and leverage large grants, and can produce measurable results. The foundation is not currently accepting unsolicited requests for funding. Grant seekers may submit letters of inquiry (LOI)but the foundation warns that it has limited staff and does not have the capacity to respond to each LOI.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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