About

The A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation was established to invest in the communities and causes that its founders cared most about. Operating between 1987 and 2025 with a spend down in its final decade, it pursued an investment strategy that aimed to create lasting impact.

Meet Mr. Clark

A. James Clark was a builder.

Under Mr. Clark's decades-long leadership, Clark Construction Group transformed the landscape of Washington, DC. He did much more than build buildings—he built a reputation of trustworthiness and integrity. He built a loving family of three children and 10 grandchildren in partnership with his wife of 65 years, Alice. He built opportunity for the hundreds of thousands of people who have benefited from his vision and generosity.

A. James and Alice B. Clark attend an outdoor celebration at GWU. The Kennedy Center and the DC skyline are in the background.

Credit: George Washington University

In 1987, the Clark family established the Clark Charitable Foundation. Committed to giving back to the communities where they lived and worked, Mr. Clark and his daughter Courtney quietly supported community organizations, hospitals, schools, cultural institutions, and veterans groups.  

Before Mr. Clark passed away in March of 2015, he mandated that the vast majority of his estate be spent down within 10 years. From 2016 to 2025, the expanded A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation worked to honor his legacy of giving by investing in alignment with his core values.

The partnership that started it all

A black and white photograph of Jim and Alice Clark in their early twenties. They smile happily on the beach during their honeymoon.
A. James and Alice B. Clark attend a black tie gala. They are in their seventies and hold hands while they pose.

Alfred James Clark and Alice Bratton Clark met in high school, married right after Mr. Clark graduated from the University of Maryland in 1950, and raised a family together. Their lifetime of devotion to each other was evident to all who knew them and an inspiration to their children and grandchildren.

He didn't want to become famous for being a philanthropist, he wanted to make a difference.

Melanie Nussdorf
Philanthropist and close friend of the Clark family

Our Mission & Vision

Clark Foundation Board Chair Courtney Clark Pastrick listens intently to a grantee leader during the annual Veterans summit.

The A. James Clark & Alice B. Clark Foundation's mission was to ensure that our partner organizations have the resources they needed to grow and support their communities today and for years to come. Our support focused on educating future engineering leaders, improving the lives of post-9/11 veterans and their families, and providing members of the DC community the best opportunity to thrive.

Our vision was to make our communities a place where people with the dedication and persistence to succeed have access to the support and resources they need to reach their full potential and, in turn, enrich the neighborhoods where they live and work.

Our Values

The Foundation's values were shaped by the life and values of Mr. Clark.

Integrity

“He was just a man of character. I think people in this town would say, if Jim Clark said he going to do something, he's going to do something.”
Father John Enzler, Former President and CEO, Catholic Charities DC

Humility

“Jim Clark never wanted to actively promote his legacy, but to those of us fulfilling his life’s mission as stewards of the Clark Foundation’s resources, it has been the honor of our lives to do it for him.”
Courtney Clark Pastrick, Board Chair

Effort

“Rare is it to be associated with such selfless giving by an individual who worked tirelessly to be the best in his chosen field.”
Robert J. Flanagan, Board Director

Action

“Life’s not as much fun if you just do the same thing every day. Growth and change attract me, that’s all. And I can’t even explain it. We are always doing something different.”
A. James Clark

Accountability

“As any seasoned construction professional would know, particularly Mr. Clark, if you want to know how a project is doing, you don't ask management. You don't look at a bunch of reports, a bunch of numbers...You go out on the job site, you walk the job with the superintendent, and you will know exactly how the project is doing.”
Susan Williamson Ross, Executive Vice President, Clark Construction Group

Learn more

Our staff joined the Foundation knowing it would close in 2025. Learn more about how our small team helped make an outsized impact.
Our team
Ten members of the Clark Foundation staff stand in a row and smile at the camera. They are wearing business casual attire.