2022 Year in Review • Portfolio Overview
Legacy Investments
The Clark Foundation’s legacy investments provide residents of the communities that were most important to Mr. Clark – Washington, DC, Easton, Maryland and Vero Beach, Florida – opportunities to thrive. Prior to 2016, when Mr. Clark passed, the Clark Charitable Foundation invested $60 million in nonprofit organizations and institutions in these regions. Since 2016, the Clark Foundation has provided strategic wind-down grants to these organizations to support long-term sustainability.
Expansion of Evans Scholars Program
at University of Maryland
In 1929, famed amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. asked the Western Golf Association (WGA) to help administer the fund he had established to send under-served caddies to college. As the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF) grew, WGA Directors realized the impact of Chick’s dream on the lives of young people with limited access to a college education. Today, the Evans Scholars Program awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to high-achieving golf caddies with financial need at 21 universities across 13 states. The Foundation’s investment in the Evans Scholars Program at UMD will help the program grow while supporting 35 UMD Evans Scholars over the program’s first five years.
Investing in Mr. Clark’s Treasured Home
– Easton, Maryland
The Clark Foundation is deeply committed to honoring Mr. Clark’s mission to “give where you live” by making investments in his treasured and longtime home of Easton, Maryland.
St. Michaels Community Center (SMCC) Rebuild
The SMCC was founded in 1990 by local community leaders in Easton, creating the only social services organization dedicated to bringing basic and emergency resources to Bay Hundred’s low-income residents. Despite the building’s considerable challenges, the dedicated staff has helped to meet the basic needs of 8,200 people annually. SMCC launched its capital campaign in 2021 and anticipates that attendance at the renovated Center will at least double when it reopens in 2023. SMCC also plans to expand its programming to offer community food program, educational spaces, a technology center and arts and cultural activities. The Clark Foundation was proud to invest in SMCC’s rebuild.
Land Acquisition for Pickering Creek Audubon Center
Pickering Creek Audubon Center conserves natural habitats on Maryland’s Eastern Shore by engaging and empowering the community through exploration, education and stewardship. The Center has been providing quality outdoor science learning experiences connected to school system curricula for over 30 years. Although the Eastern Shore has many natural areas, Pickering Creek is one of only a handful of areas open to the public free of charge, 365 days a year. The Clark Foundation’s investment helped Pickering Creek acquire 63 acres of adjacent woodland to add to its nearly 400 acres.
Giving Back to Mr. Clark’s Home Away From Home
— Vero Beach, Florida
The Foundation made final investments in a number of longtime grantees that provide a variety of services to the local community of Vero Beach, a neighborhood where Mr. Clark once had a home away from home.
Boys & Girls Club of Indian River County
The organization serves more than 1,200 children each year through its after-school and summer programming. Through programs that encourage education, leadership, responsibility and self-respect, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County works to decrease drug use, juvenile crime and instances of teenage pregnancy while increasing school attendance, grade point averages and job readiness.
Gifford Youth Achievement Center (GYAC)
GYAC has played a crucial role in increasing the graduation rate of Indian River County’s Black student population from 23% at its inception to over 90% today. The center has year-round educational programs for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, a vibrant adult and seniors program and a strong network of community partners.
John’s Island Foundation
The John’s Island Foundation provides grant funding for capital needs to nonprofit agencies that serve residents in Indian River County. Agencies eligible for funding serve those in need with programs that address issues related to food, shelter, disabilities, health, aging, abuse or children’s education.