Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation’s grantmaking prioritizes leadership development related to social, racial and economic justice and equity. Funding emphasizes, but is not limited to New York City.
IP TAKE: The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation configures leadership development as a central component of movements for social justice and equity in the U.S. and engages in trust-based philanthropy for “individuals and the organizations that develop them.” In addition to grantmaking, this funder works to advance the field of leadership development through in-house evaluations and research, in which many of its grantees participate.
While a majority of grants serve organizations based in New York City, recent funding has moved farther afield, targeting innovative leadership development models in other parts of the U.S. Most grants offer unrestricted, multi-year support, in keeping with the trust-based model. Start the application process at any time via the foundation’s online portal, but response will be delayed until July 2024.
PROFILE: The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation (RSCF) was created in 1952 by the late Robert Sterling Clark and his wife, Francine Clark. Robert Sterling Clark’s father, Edward, was a businessman who is best known for helping to popularize Singer sewing machines in the late 1800s. Robert and Francine were noted art collectors and founded the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation represented the couple’s interest in “broader philanthropic causes outside the realm of the arts” and was not established to pursue a specific mission; Clark acknowledged “evolving philanthropic needs” and left his philanthropy “free to adapt and prioritize projects and areas of grantmaking focus.”
The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation is “dedicated to helping create a stronger, healthier New York City,” and its current work centers on leadership development across related areas of social, racial and economic justice, as well as education, community development and democracy. RSCF also pursues an evaluative process through which it aims to “generate evidence for the effectiveness of trust-based philanthropy approaches and leadership development as a strategy for achieving equity.” A two-tiered evaluation system created by the foundation involves a Check-In Analysis Tool (CHAT) and Convening Surveys which “examine whether grantees find our facilitated grantee gatherings meaningful for learning, building connections, and peer exchange.”
Grants for Racial Equity, Education, Economic Development, Community Development and Democracy
RSCV’s leadership development grants span several thematic issues related to social justice and equity. Two separate funding programs, Leadership for Equity and Field Building, take different approaches to the development of leadership talent in individuals.
The Leadership for Equity grantmaking program, the foundation’s “primary grantmaking stream,” supports organizations that help “individuals step into their leadership” with the overarching goal of “build[ing] a stronger New York City.”
Grantmaking prioritizes diversity, supporting “issue- or identity-focused programs” that present opportunities for people from a range of racial, ethnic, religious, political or other identities to convene and maintain “sustained contact.”
The foundation conceives of leadership as “a practice, rather than an identity” and offers support for organizations and programs that “identify, train, and support people and communities to grow their leadership abilities” over time.
One grantee of this program, the Association for Neighborhood an Housing Development, works to develop and support a city-wide “infrastructure” of neighborhood grassroots groups. Another grant supported Education Reform Now’s Leaders of Color Initiative, which “identifies, trains, and supports community-based Black and Brown civic leaders in New York” to promote educational equity as an integral element of racial justice.
RSCV’s Field Building grants are awarded nationally to support “nonprofits in the US that strengthen the field of leadership development for equity.” While this program seeks “grantees who philosophically embrace the values embedded in the criteria articulated for our New York City grantmaking program,” it also names interest in innovation and engaging grantees in its in-house evaluations, research and dissemination of information about best practices for leadership development.
In the state of Washington, the foundation has supported the Rainier Valley Corps, which “matches emerging leaders of color with grassroots, immigrant organizations in Seattle” for two-year leadership development fellowships.
Other recipients include Oakland’s Leadership Learning Community, the Center for Popular Democracy and Change Elemental.
Grants for Faith-based Giving
It is worth noting that a small portion of RSCV’s leadership development grantmaking has supported justice-oriented organizations with religious affiliations in New York.
This grantmaking does not appear to favor one specific faith group or orientation. Grantees include Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, the Interfaith Center of New York, the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and Lutheran Social Services of New York.
Important Grant Details:
RSCF’s grants range from $250 to $84,000, although most grants stay below the $55,000 mark.
This funder supports organizations of all sizes, and well over half of its grants stay in New York City, where the foundation is based.
All grantmaking addresses the practice of leadership development with the overarching goal of facilitating an equitable and just future for New York City and the U.S.
This funder adheres to principles associated with trust-based philanthropy and awards “unrestricted, multi-year grants whenever possible.”
RSCF grantees are generally expected to “share research, models, and practices” to advance foundation-generated knowledge about leadership development.
This funder accepts applications from organizations whose leadership development programs are “cohort based” and involve regular meetings over a sustained period of time. Further guidelines are provided at the bottom of the RSCF’s grants page.
Applications are accepted at any time via the foundation’s online application portal, but the foundation notes that it will not respond to these applications until July 2024.
For additional information about RSCF’s past grants, see its grants page.
Submit general inquiries via the foundation’s contact page or by telephone at 212-288-8900. Grantseekers may also wish to sign up for the foundation’s blog updates.
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