The Shippy Foundation concentrates on urban youth-focused education and leadership programs, repeatedly funding school networks, college-access initiatives, debate and civic-engagement organizations, and youth mentoring in cities like New York, Chicago and Boston. It also supports complementary services for vulnerable youth — including LGBTQ youth shelters and girls’ mentoring — and occasional policy and intermediary partners to scale or advocate for effective models. Grants are mostly mid-size and often given as repeat awards to the same organizations, indicating sustained program support rather than one-off gifts.
A defining feature of Shippy Foundation C/o the Clark Estates Inc is its repeated support for urban youth education and leadership organizations, with grants flowing to school networks, debate programs, college-access pipelines, and mentoring services. Recent awards include $87,086 to Urban Assembly Inc for general support and $81,300 to Student Leadership Network Inc, reflecting a pattern of sustained support for groups working with students in New York and beyond. The foundation also backs youth-serving organizations that sit closer to direct services, such as Ali Forney Center and Girls Educational & Mentoring Services Inc, alongside education intermediaries and charter-school affiliates. Its grantmaking shows a consistent interest in strengthening organizations that work with low-income urban students, especially through school-based and out-of-school programs. The recipient list also points to attention on Boston and Chicago institutions, with multiple grants to debate, charter, and college-access groups in those cities. Taken together, the foundation’s profile is centered on education, leadership development, and related services for young people in city-based settings.
In debate and speech programming, the foundation gave $100,000 to New York City Urban Debate League for general support and $50,000 to Boston Debate League for general support. In college access and scholarship pathways, it supported The Oliver Scholars Program Inc with $50,000 and Chicago Scholars Foundation with $50,000, both for general support. Charter and school-network funding appears as well: Boston Collegiate Charter School Foundation received $50,000 for general support, and Boston Education Development Foundation Inc received $55,000 for Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School. The foundation also makes room for direct youth services, including $60,000 to Ali Forney Center and $50,000 to Girls Educational & Mentoring Services Inc.
Grant sizes cluster in the mid-range, with a p25 of $3,000, a median of $25,000, and a p75 of $40,000. The recent record also shows repeated awards to the same organizations across 2023 and 2025, including Student Leadership Network Inc, Urban Assembly Inc, New York City Urban Debate League, The New York Opportunity Network Inc, Girls Educational & Mentoring Services Inc, Boston Collegiate Charter School Foundation, and Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School. That pattern suggests ongoing program support rather than isolated gifts. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$2M
$30M
$3.3M
$2.6M
Most grants fall between $3K and $40K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$40K
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Concentrated, mid‑sized grants with a strong tendency to make repeat awards to a stable set of core grantees; geographically focused on major US cities (NYC, Chicago, Boston) and emphasizing program support for scalable youth education and leadership initiatives rather than many small one‑off gifts.
Notable grantees: Student Leadership Network, New York City Urban Debate League, Ali Forney Center, Urban Assembly, Chicago Scholars Foundation
Giving is regional, but the recipient map is heavily city-centered. New York City organizations appear often, including New York, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, while Boston-area grantees in Boston, Dorchester, and Roxbury also recur. Chicago and Detroit are also present through recipients in those cities. All grants in the recipient distribution are in the United States, with 170 U.S. grants recorded. The foundation gives most often in Massachusetts, even though its headquarters are in New York, NY.
It repeatedly funds urban youth education and leadership groups, especially debate and speech programs, college-access and scholarship pipelines, charter and turnaround school networks, and direct youth services. Recent examples include New York City Urban Debate League, Student Leadership Network Inc, Urban Assembly Inc, and Ali Forney Center.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution centers on mid-sized awards: p25 is $3,000, median is $25,000, and p75 is $40,000. Recent grants also include several $50,000 awards, showing that the portfolio includes both smaller support grants and larger program commitments.
Yes. The recent grants list shows multiple organizations receiving support in more than one year, including Student Leadership Network Inc, Urban Assembly Inc, New York City Urban Debate League, The New York Opportunity Network Inc, Girls Educational & Mentoring Services Inc, Boston Collegiate Charter School Foundation, and Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School.
Its recipient base is regional, with a strong concentration in New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Massachusetts is the top state by grant count, while New York City-area recipients such as New York, Brooklyn, and the Bronx also appear frequently.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| URBAN ASSEMBLY INC | NEW YORK, NY | $87,086 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| STUDENT LEADERSHIP NETWORK INC | NEW YORK, NY | $81,300 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| TIDES FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $65,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ORCHARD GARDENS K-8 PILOT SCHOOL | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO WOMEN'S HEALTH CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BOSTON DAY AND EVENING ACADEMY | ROXBURY, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NEW YORK CITY URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BOSTON COLLEGIATE CHARTER SCHOOL FOUNDATION | DORCHESTER, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BROOKLYN NAVY YARD DEVELOPMENT CORP | BROOKLYN, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CYPRESS HILLS LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP | BROOKLYN, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE EAGLE ACADEMY FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GIRLS EDUCATIONAL & MENTORING SERVICES INC | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CUMMINGS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CBD NEW OPERATING | DORCHESTER, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO SCHOLARS FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BARD COLLEGE | ANNANDALEONHUDSON, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE NEW YORK OPPORTUNITY NETWORK INC | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| STREET LAB INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $45,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| YOUTH GUIDANCE | CHICAGO, IL | $45,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| STATE DEMOCRACY PROJECT | BROOKLYN, NY | $41,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LINK UNLIMITED SCHOLARS | CHICAGO, IL | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SAINT ANN'S SCHOOL | BROOKLYN, NY | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BREAKTIME UNITED INC | BOSTON, MA | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BOSTON ARTS ACADEMY FOUNDATION INC | BOSTON, MA | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| URBAN DOVE INC | LONG ISLAND CITY, NY | $35,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PUBLIC POLICY & EDUCATION FUND OF NEW YORK | ALBANY, NY | $35,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BEHIND THE BOOK | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BOSTON URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ALI FORNEY CENTER | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| IMAGINATION THEATER | DIAMOND SPRINGS, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LADIES OF VIRTUE | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SUMMER SEARCH | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| A CALL TO MEN | ROCKVILLE CENTER, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE CHICAGO DEBATE COMMISSION | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| URBAN ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OPENING ACT INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LEGAL OUTREACH INC | LONG ISLAND CITY, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MIKVA CHALLENGE GRANT FOUNDATION INC | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE OLIVER SCHOLARS PROGRAM INC | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GUITARS OVER GUNS | MIAM, FL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FRESH YOUTH INITIATIVES INC | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BANK STREET COLLEGE OF EDUCATION | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE WRITING REVOLUTION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MOTT HAVEN ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL | BRONX, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BOTTOM LINE | JAMAICA PLAIN, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PRAIZE PRODUCTIONS INC | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ROW NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK | BOSTON, MA | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PAYOMET PERFORMING ARTS CENTER | TURO, MA | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
ORCHARD GARDENS K-8 PILOT SCHOOL
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BOSTON DAY AND EVENING ACADEMY
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CBD NEW OPERATING
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
STREET LAB INC
$45,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BOSTON URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
IMAGINATION THEATER
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
A CALL TO MEN
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE CHICAGO DEBATE COMMISSION
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
URBAN ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PRAIZE PRODUCTIONS INC
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PAYOMET PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT