The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation supports organizations that help young people, ages 9 to 24, from low-income backgrounds become independent, productive adults in three ways:

• Improving their educational skills and achievement;
• Preparing them for the world of work so they can find and hold jobs and achieve economic self-sufficiency; and
  
• Helping them avoid high-risk behaviors such as teen pregnancy, substance abuse and illegal activities.
  

We believe that an effective and efficient way to meet the urgent needs of these youth is to make large, long-term investments in nonprofit organizations whose programs have been proven to produce positive outcomes and that have the potential for growth. Our funding consists largely of support for business planning, capacity building and program evaluation, so that grantees can expand while maintaining the quality of their programs, make an impact on the life trajectories of more young people, and eventually become organizationally, programmatically and financially sustainable. Our goal is to help develop a growing pool of organizations that serve thousands more youth each year with proven programs.

Although the Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, we invite organizations that think they may qualify for support after reviewing our Selection Criteria to complete the Foundation’s online Youth Organizations Survey Form.

For more information about how the Foundation works, please consult the following pages:

Our Theory of Change

The Foundation has developed a theory of change to achieve the outcomes it seeks for low-income youth and the organizations that serve them.

Selection Criteria & Due Diligence

The Foundation uses six criteria to assess a candidate for investment during an intensive examination of a potential grantee.

Our Investment Approach 

The Foundation works with a grantee to structure an investment that will best serve the organization’s needs and advance the Foundation’s goals.

Growth Capital Aggregation Pilot

The Foundation is testing a new approach to helping youth-serving organizations with great promise and proven efficacy reach significant, sustainable scale. The Growth Capital Aggregation Pilot has raised up-front from 19 co-investors and three organizations’ boards of directors all the capital these organizations need to implement ambitious plans to expand.

Sharing Knowledge

The Foundation is committed to sharing the lessons learned from its successes and failures.