Clowes Fund
/OVERVIEW: The Clowes Fund supports social services, arts, education, workforce development and immigrants and refugees in Indiana and New England.
IP TAKE: The Clowes Fund says that it is “committed to making multi-year operating grants the norm rather than exception.” This is good news for arts and education grantseekers in Indiana and parts of New England, because funding in these areas is only accessible to returning grantees. Clowes is both transparent and accessible with financial records posted on its website and a clear application process. It is also open to being contacted, so this is a particularly good funder to know.
PROFILE: Established in 1952, the Clowes Fund is a family foundation based in Indianapolis, Indiana. This is the foundation of Dr. George Henry Alexander Clowes, his wife, Edith, and their sons, Allen W. and Dr. George H.A. Clowes, Jr. The founding patriarch was the director of research at Eli Lilly and Company. Clowes family members of the third and fourth generations govern the foundation today. The foundation aims to "seeks to enhance the common good by encouraging organizations and projects that help to build a just and equitable society, create opportunities for initiative, foster creativity and the growth of knowledge and promote appreciation of the natural environment.” Its grantmaking is divided into two geographic regions, each with its own priorities: Indianapolis, Indiana, which supports immigrant services and workforce development, and New England, which supports K-12 and arts education, in addition to immigrant services and workforce development.
Grants for Immigrants and Refugees, and Work and Economic Development
The Clowes Fund has specific interests in Indianapolis, Indiana and in parts of New England related to immigrant services (Clowes’ largest funding area) and workforce development. Immigrant Services grants address the legal, economical, language and psychological hurdles these people experience locally. Workforce Development grants fund efforts to better access jobs, skills training, keep youth ages 15 to 25 in school and to help dropout students reenter school and achieve economic self-sufficiency.
Grants for K-12 Education and Arts Education
Grants in education and the arts are typically limited to the New England area and are made through the fund’s New England program, which focuses on four geographic regions, including parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, and the State of Vermont. Arts Education grants work to help develop critical thinking skills and foster creativity. K-12 Education grants support professional development for teachers and programs that help improve classroom instruction.
Neither of these grant areas is eligible for Introductory Grants and can only be accessed through Continuation Grants.
Important Grant Details
Grants range between about $10,000 and $150,000; however, the average grant size is closer to $20,000. Clowes provides Introductory Grants of $40,000 over two years for new grantees and Continuation Grants of up to $150,000 over three years for returning grantees applying for additional funding.
Introductory grants only support the fund’s immigrant services and workforce development areas.
Continuation grants cover all four funding areas.
Clowes prioritizes diversity in their grantees—both with regard to leadership and communities served—and equity in their funding. Grantmaking focuses on Indianapolis and New England.
The fund provides a list of what it does not fund, as well as a helpful funding timeline so grantseekers know when to expect a response. To get a better sense of the types of groups Clowes supports, new grantseekers can look over the fund’s Grantee Spotlight page. Direct general questions to the staff at staff@clowesfund.org or 317-833-0144.
PEOPLE:
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