The Clausen Family Foundation concentrates nearly all of its giving on education-related initiatives with a strong, recurrent relationship to Hillsdale College—specifically funding the Barney Charter School initiative—and a secondary support stream to a local service provider (Providence Network). Grants are large and targeted rather than broad-based, indicating a preference for a few high-impact partners that align with the foundation’s educational and community-focused priorities.
Highly concentrated giving: few, large grants with multiple repeat payments to the same lead grantee (Hillsdale College) and secondary multi-year support to a single local nonprofit (Providence Network).
A defining feature of the Clausen Family Foundation is its repeated support for Hillsdale College, especially through scholarship and initiative funding tied to the Barney Charter School effort. Across the recent grants list, that relationship appears alongside a smaller but steady stream of unrestricted support for Providence Network in Denver, plus selective awards for scholarships, visual media infrastructure, and emergency aid. The foundation’s pattern is narrow rather than sprawling: a few organizations receive large commitments, while other grants are much smaller and more program-specific. The largest recent grant was $600,000 to Hillsdale College for the Clausen Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund, followed by a $100,000 grant for the Pat Sajak Visual Media Center and another $100,000 grant for the Barney Charter School initiative challenge. Providence Network also received multiple unrestricted grants, including $104,369 and $102,000 awards in consecutive years. Smaller gifts extend the portfolio to a memorial scholarship fund at Willamette University and emergency necessities for orphans in Ukraine through Heart for Orphans Inc. The foundation also accepts unsolicited requests through its general grant programs and funds organizations worldwide with an emphasis on education and measurable impact.
Education is the clearest throughline in the Clausen Family Foundation’s grantmaking. One major example is the $600,000 award to Hillsdale College for the Clausen Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund, paired with a $105,000 scholarship-fund grant the prior year. The foundation also gave $100,000 to Hillsdale College for the Pat Sajak Visual Media Center, showing support for educational infrastructure as well as student aid. Their giving also reaches charter-school development: Hillsdale College received $100,000 in 2023 for the benefit of the Barney Charter School initiative challenge. Outside higher education, the foundation has supported community services through $104,369 and $102,000 unrestricted grants to Providence Network in Denver. Smaller, mission-specific grants include $50,000 to Willamette University for the Hannah Albano Memorial Scholarship Fund and $2,000 to Heart for Orphans Inc for necessities for orphans in Ukraine.
$503K
$2.6M
$214K
$521K
Most grants fall between $2K and $101K, with a median of $6K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$6K
75th Percentile
$101K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in MI.
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Notable grantees: Hillsdale College, Providence Network, Barney Charter School initiative (via Hillsdale College)
The typical grant profile is polarized: p25 is $1,750, the median is $6,045, and p75 reaches $101,000. That spread matches a pattern of a few very large commitments alongside many smaller awards. Recent recipients recur across years, including Hillsdale College, Providence Network, Challenged Athletes Inc, American Transparency, and Judicial Watch Inc, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-time gifts. The foundation operates through general grants and education-focused grantmaking, and its listed programs accept unsolicited requests. It also funds individuals, and its grants are described as unrestricted in several cases, with some awards tied to scholarships, challenge campaigns, or specific projects.
Giving is national, and every recent grant in the dataset went to a U.S. recipient. The highest concentration of grants lands in Oregon, which is the top state by grant count, though the recent-grants table also shows repeated awards in Colorado, Michigan, California, Virginia, Illinois, and Washington, DC. By city, Denver appears multiple times through Providence Network, while Hillsdale, Michigan and San Diego, California also recur in the recipient list. Delaware is the headquarters state, but none of the recent grants went there.
Education is the strongest pattern, especially support for Hillsdale College, scholarship funds, charter-school development, and educational infrastructure. The foundation also funds community services, transitional housing, and projects with measurable outcomes through its general grant programs.
Yes. The listed general grant programs say they review unsolicited requests, with unrestricted grantmaking available for organizations and goal-oriented projects that align with the foundation’s mission.
The middle of the distribution is relatively modest: p25 is $1,750, the median is $6,045, and p75 is $101,000. That indicates a mix of small grants and a few very large awards.
Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Hillsdale College, Providence Network, Challenged Athletes Inc, American Transparency, and Judicial Watch Inc. That shows recurring relationships rather than a strictly one-time pattern.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Clausen Family Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organizations and initiatives worldwide that align with the foundation's mission of empowering others to become agents of their own uplift; grants are evaluated based on passion, worthy recipient, type of gift, measurability, and time horizon.
Deadline: Always open to new opportunities; no fixed deadline stated.
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HILLSDALE COLLEGE | HILLSDALE, MI | $250,000 | 2026 | To support the production of Hillsdale College's free online course on Homer's The Odyssey, including filming, editing, and distribution, advancing Hillsdale's mission to make classical education rooted in the Western tradition accessible worldwide |
| HILLSDALE COLLEGE | HILLSDALE, MI | $250,000 | 2026 | To support the production of Hillsdale College's free online course on Homer's The Iliad, including filming, editing, and distribution, advancing Hillsdale's mission to make classical education rooted in the Western tradition accessible worldwide |
| JUDICIAL WATCH INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| AMERICAN TRANSPARENCY | THE VILLAGES, FL | $1,500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| HILLSDALE COLLEGE | HILLSDALE, MI | $600,000 | 2025 | Clausen Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund |
| HILLSDALE COLLEGE | HILLSDALE, MI | $100,000 | 2025 | Pat Sajak Visual Media Center |
| PROVIDENCE NETWORK | DENVER, CO | $55,466 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY | SALEM, OR | $50,000 | 2025 | Hannah Albano Memorial Scholarship Fund |
| CHALLENGED ATHLETES INC | SAN DIEGO, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| HILLSDALE COLLEGE | HILLSDALE, MI | $105,000 | 2024 | Clausen Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship fund |
| PROVIDENCE NETWORK | DENVER, CO | $104,369 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| PROVIDENCE NETWORK | DENVER, CO | $102,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| CHALLENGED ATHLETES INC | SAN DIEGO, CA | $2,500 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| JUDICIAL WATCH INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,500 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| AMERICAN TRANSPARENCY | HINSDALE, IL | $1,500 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| HILLSDALE COLLEGE | HILLSDALE, MI | $1,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| PROVIDENCE NETWORK | DENVER, CO | $102,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| HILLSDALE COLLEGE | HILLSDALE, MI | $100,000 | 2023 | for the benefit of the Barney Charter School initiative challenge |
| CHALLENGED ATHLETES INC | SAN DIEGO, CA | $6,045 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| HILLSDALE COLLEGE | HILLSDALE, MI | $5,000 | 2023 | Giving Tuesday Matching Challenge |
| HEART FOR ORPHANS INC | WILLIAMSBURG, VA | $2,000 | 2023 | Necessities for orphans in Ukraine |
| AMERICAN TRANSPARENCY | HINSDALE, IL | $1,500 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| JUDICIAL WATCH INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,500 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
To support the production of Hillsdale College's free online course on Homer's The Odyssey, including filming, editing, and distribution, advancing Hillsdale's mission to make classical education rooted in the Western tradition accessible worldwide
To support the production of Hillsdale College's free online course on Homer's The Iliad, including filming, editing, and distribution, advancing Hillsdale's mission to make classical education rooted in the Western tradition accessible worldwide
Clausen Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund
WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY
$50,000Hannah Albano Memorial Scholarship Fund
for the benefit of the Barney Charter School initiative challenge
HEART FOR ORPHANS INC
$2,000Necessities for orphans in Ukraine