
The Foundation currently invests in 25 organizations to help them serve more young people, achieve greater organizational effectiveness, and, ultimately, become models and leaders in youth development. Each organization has undergone a comprehensive due diligence process that rigorously examines every aspect of its programs, operations, and finances.
Although the Foundation does not currently accept unsolicited applications, we invite youth-serving organizations that think they may qualify for support to complete our online Youth Organizations Survey.
Detailed information is provided about each of the Foundation’s 18 grantees, including their programs and plans for growth.
This section provides an overview of the two principal kinds of organizations in the Foundation’s grantee portfolio, and explains how a grantee’s stage of organizational development (based on its organizational type) influences the goals of EMCF’s investment in it.
To help organizations serve youth more effectively, the Foundation makes a limited number of grants to organizations that provide specialized training and expertise in the areas of evaluation and performance tracking; strategy development and refinement; talent recruitment, retention, and development; communications; board development; and fundraising. More information can be found in the section Other Supports.
The Foundation also makes a few grants through its Venture Fund to support projects or make investments in organizations that fall outside its current youth development strategy but help advance EMCF’s overall mission.
The Foundation has previously given these organizations support to develop comprehensive business plans, and made long-term investments to help them carry out their growth plans.
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation is investing up to $42 million over three years in nine organizations whose evidence-based programs promise to transform the life trajectories of thousands of low-income youth. In support of these grantees, the Foundation is establishing the True North Fund to leverage public money from the SIF and private money from the EMCF and institutional and individual philanthropic partners to effectively capitalize and expand programs that can serve more vulnerable young people.
(Youth Villages) The New York Times, February 21, 2011
(Nurse-Family Partnership) Huffington Post, March 14, 2011
(Citizen Schools) NBC Nightly News, October 15, 2010