Our Investment Approach

The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation makes large, long-term investments in nonprofits with a potential for growth and compelling evidence that their programs work in order to help thousands more economically disadvantaged young people, ages 9-24, beat the odds by getting an education, holding a job, and staying out of trouble.

Our approach incorporates four major components:

GROWTH CAPITAL

Our multimillion-dollar investments consist of flexible growth capital that a nonprofit can use to strengthen its organizational capacity and the evidence of its program’s effectiveness as it pursues growth.

BUSINESS PLANNING

EMCF helps grantees, through a process of business planning, think strategically about their needs and develop sound plans to achieve their growth, evaluation and quality goals.

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT

We augment our financial resources with the strategic counsel of an experienced EMCF portfolio manager who can also provide access to technical assistance and additional support.

MEASURING PERFORMANCE

All our investments are structured so that payout depends on a grantee’s progress toward goals that are the terms of our investment. This progress is quantified by mutually agreed-upon performance measures that reflect the goals established during business planning.