About Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation is a private foundation committed to helping create a vibrant New York City — one that is strong, healthy, livable, and just. We invest in leaders, the organizations that develop them, and the networks of which they are a part.
Focus Areas
Leadership developmentHuman capital investment for nonprofitsRace equity / racial equity leadershipNonprofit capacity buildingEconomic mobilityNew York City civic leadership
Funding Style
unrestricted supportgeneral operating supportcore funding
About Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
Robert Sterling Clark Foundation Inc. centers its grantmaking on leadership development tied to equity work in New York City, and its recent awards show that emphasis in practice. The foundation gives multi-year unrestricted support to organizations that develop leaders, strengthen nonprofit governance, and build sector-wide human capital. It also backs foundation-funded Exploring Leadership projects that test new approaches to board structures, intermediary capacity, and leadership transitions. Recent grants show a pattern of general support to organizations working across the city’s civic and nonprofit infrastructure. Coro New York Leadership Center and The Laundromat Project each received $82,500 in 2025, reflecting the foundation’s interest in leadership pipelines and community-based practice. Community Resource Exchange, Bend the Arc, and Just Leadership USA also appear among recent recipients, alongside fiscal sponsors and research partners tied to field-building work. Across these awards, the foundation supports organizations that develop leaders, study governance, and strengthen the systems around them rather than funding individuals.
What Robert Sterling Clark Foundation Funds
One core theme is leadership development. The foundation gave $82,500 to Coro New York Leadership Center in 2025 for general support, and it also backed Rockwood Leadership Institute with $82,500 in both 2023 and 2025. Another theme is nonprofit infrastructure. Institute for Nonprofit Practice received $82,500 in 2023 and again in 2025, while Community Resource Exchange received $82,500 in both years as well. A third area is governance and intermediary design. The Center for Justice at Columbia University received $110,000 in 2023 for general support, and the foundation’s Exploring Leadership projects focus on reimagining nonprofit governance and strengthening equitable intermediaries. Race equity is also explicit in the portfolio through organizations such as Just Leadership USA and Bend the Arc, both of which appear among recent general-support grants.
How Robert Sterling Clark Foundation Gives
Typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $18,000 at the median, and $50,000 at the 75th percentile, with larger general-support awards appearing in the recent grants list. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Several recipients appear in more than one year, including Community Resource Exchange, Institute for Nonprofit Practice, Rockwood Leadership Institute, Bend the Arc, and Coro New York Leadership Center, indicating repeat support rather than one-off giving. The active programs also show that some grants are unsolicited while others are limited to foundation-led projects.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$8M
Total Assets
$69.8M
Total Revenue
$6.5M
Total Expenses
$6.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $18K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$18K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
National11 states funded
About 71% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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