About Island Foundation
Founded in 1979 by W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. and Mary H. Clark, the Island Foundation is a family foundation that provides leadership grants, responds to community needs, and supports creative, risk-taking solutions to motivate action and improve outcomes.
Focus Areas
community developmentleadershipinnovative solutions
Who They Fund
coastal communities and fisheries workersimmigrants and migrants (including agricultural workers)survivors of domestic violence and sex traffickingyouth (including at-risk youth, apprentices, and YouthBuild participants)farmers and food-system workerswomen and girls
Funding Style
general operating / unrestricted support
About Island Foundation
Island Foundation Inc’s recent grantmaking shows a clear pattern of leadership support for regional organizations working on community needs, coastal conservation, and services for vulnerable residents. Among its larger awards, $125,000 went to Save the Bay Inc for a Narragansett Bay freshwater habitats exhibit, and $100,000 supported Safe Voices for a domestic violence and sex trafficking resource center. The foundation also backed marine research and public education through $50,000 and $40,000 grants to the New England Aquarium for North Atlantic right whale research in U.S. and Canadian waters. Founded in 1979 by W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. and Mary H. Clark, the foundation operates as a family foundation and was established to make leadership grants, respond to community needs, and support creative, risk-taking solutions. Its public grantmaking reflects those origins. Environmental work appears alongside immigrant legal services, youth diversion and assistance, workforce-related support, food system and community development efforts, and capital projects for local institutions. Recurring support for organizations in southeastern Massachusetts sits alongside selected grants in Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Aruba/Bermuda-linked education and research programming.
What Island Foundation Funds
Marine and coastal work is a major thread in the foundation’s portfolio. It funded Save the Bay Inc for “Freshwater Habitats of Narragansett Bay Exhibit at the New Save the Bay Aquarium” and “Protect & Improve Narragansett Bay,” tying conservation to public education and watershed protection. The foundation also supports immigrant-serving organizations. Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island received support for “South and Central American Migrants,” while Catholic Social Services of Fall River was funded for “CSS Immigration Law Programs-ILEAP & IVRP.” For youth and community development, Island Foundation Inc backed Northstar Learning Centers for “Diversion and Assistance Program” and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater New Bedford for general support. Food-system and community infrastructure grants appear too, including The Family Pantry-damien’s Place for a capital campaign and New Bedford Whaling Museum for an expansion project.
How Island Foundation Gives
Island Foundation Inc gives in a fairly standardized range: the 25th percentile grant is $5,000, the median is $10,000, and the 75th percentile is $20,000. The recent list shows both one-time and repeated support, with several organizations appearing in multiple years, including New England Aquarium, The Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design, Save the Bay Inc, Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern MA, Boys & Girls Club of Greater New Bedford, Northstar Learning Centers, and New Bedford Light. That pattern fits a regular funder rather than a DAF or program-related-investment vehicle. The foundation also accepts unsolicited community grant requests through its community grantmaking program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.2M
Total Assets
$58.1M
Total Revenue
$2.8M
Total Expenses
$2.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $20K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$20K
Geographic Reach
Regional21 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Island Foundation Funds
Top 3 recipient countries by grant volume for Island Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 531 | $7M | 98.3% |
| 2 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 6 |
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