What Clara Lionel Foundation does

Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) is a Brooklyn-headquartered 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation established in 2012 by Robyn Rihanna Fenty in honor of her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite. The foundation operates exclusively as a grantmaker, distributing capital and providing hands-on project management and technical assistance to community-led organizations rather than developing or commercializing technology products of its own. CLF organizes its work across five pillars — Climate Solutions, Women's Entrepreneurship, Arts & Culture, Health Access & Equity, and Future Generations — and since founding has disbursed over $100 million in grants across 35 countries/territories, primarily in the Caribbean, East Africa, and the U.S. South, with 100% of its 35 active grantee organizations being community-led.

CLF's grant portfolio spans disaster response and recovery (e.g., post-Hurricane Maria school reconstruction in Dominica, post-Dorian Bahamas relief, the 2025 'Rebuild & Reimagine Fund' for Hurricane Melissa), climate-resilient infrastructure (solar-powered mobile health clinics in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, school hardening against Category 5 storms), health system support (Queen Elizabeth Hospital oncology equipment in Barbados, Haiti Air Ambulance), women-led enterprise (the Kenya-based Gather Initiative investing in ventures like Giraffe Bioenergy), arts and culture (the Mellon Foundation 'Ripple Effect' partnership), and education (the Barbados Scholarship Program covering up to 85% of undergraduate tuition). CLF cites a 100% completion rate on renewable energy infrastructure projects (vs. an industry benchmark of 10%) as evidence of its differentiated hands-on project management model.

CLF's revenue model is entirely donation-based, drawing on individual donors, corporate and institutional foundation grants (Rockefeller, Mellon, Open Society, ELMA, Panta Rhea, #StartSmall, Stadler Family Charitable Foundation), and cause-marketing proceeds — most notably the Fenty Beauty 'Gloss Bomb Candy Soda' collaboration, which donates 35% of each $23 unit sale (approximately $8.05 per unit) to CLF. Distribution runs through the foundation's own website (claralionelfoundation.org) for direct donations and through Fenty Beauty's retail and e-commerce channels for the cause-marketing stream. CLF maintains a lean operational team of 11-50 employees overseen by a board chaired by Tamara Larsen and guided by a Global Advisory Board.

Name

Clara Lionel Foundation

Legal name

Clara Lionel Foundation

Website

https://claralionelfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clara Lionel Foundation is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit founded in 2012 by Robyn Rihanna Fenty that disburses grants across five pillars — climate solutions, women's entrepreneurship, arts and culture, health access, and future generations — to community-led organizations in the Caribbean, East Africa, and the U.S. South.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation and Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Community-led funding
• Climate resilience programs
• Women's economic empowerment
• Disaster response grants

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Grants: CLF generates revenue entirely through voluntary charitable contributions from individuals, corporate donors, and institutional foundations. Donations are processed via third-party payment providers (e.g., Give Lively) and treated as charitable gifts. The foundation also receives proceeds from cause-marketing campaigns (e.g., Fenty Beauty 'Gloss Bomb Candy Soda' donates 35% per purchase to CLF).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Clara Lionel Foundation is a nonprofit foundation that funds and supports community-led organizations through unrestricted grants across five pillars: Climate Solutions, Women's Entrepreneurship, Arts & Culture, Health Access & Equity, and Future Generations. It deploys philanthropic capital plus hands-on project management and technical assistance to grantees in the Caribbean, East Africa, and U.S. South, and has distributed over $100 million in grants since 2012.

Product overview

Clara Lionel Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by Robyn 'Rihanna' Fenty in 2012 that operates as a grant-making foundation rather than a traditional product company. The foundation's core 'offerings' are its strategic pillar initiatives—Climate Solutions, Women's Entrepreneurship, Arts & Culture, Health Access & Equity, and Future Generations—along with specific programs including the Rebuild & Reimagine Fund (disaster recovery), Gather Initiative (women's economic empowerment in Africa), Barbados Scholarship Program, and Solar-Powered Mobile Health Clinics. These programs function as grant-funded initiatives rather than commercial products, distributing over $100 million in grants since 2012 to community-led organizations across the Caribbean, East Africa, and the U.S. South.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rebuild & Reimagine Fund A disaster recovery and resilience grantmaking fund supporting Caribbean communities affected by Hurricane Melissa, with focus areas including health access, water security, and resilient education infrastructure. Targeted at community-led organizations in affected Caribbean countries.
• Gather Initiative A strategic investment initiative that invests in ventures at the intersection of climate resilience and asset creation for women and girls in agriculture, construction, technology, and education sectors, launched in Kenya in 2021. Targeted at women-led enterprises in East Africa and similar underserved regions.
• Solar-Powered Mobile Health Clinic The Caribbean's first solar-powered mobile health clinic, deployed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to deliver reproductive and primary care, health education, and preventive services to underserved and remote communities. Targeted at community health organizations and underserved populations in the Caribbean.
• Barbados Scholarship Program Undergraduate scholarships launched in 2015 for students in Barbados, covering up to 85% of tuition for studies in areas aligned with CLF's pillars of work. Targeted at Barbadian students pursuing higher education.
• Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Projects Emergency preparedness projects upgrading schools and health clinics across the Caribbean to serve as safe, resilient hubs equipped to protect families during hurricanes and maintain education and healthcare services. Targeted at community-led organizations in hurricane-prone Caribbean countries.
• The Ripple Effect (with Mellon Foundation) A signature partnership with the Mellon Foundation supporting artist-led projects that position Barbadian art as a vital force in global conversations while driving innovation and cultural resilience. Cornerstone of CLF's Arts & Culture pillar. Targeted at Barbadian artists and cultural organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of renewable energy projects reach completion under CLF's support model (vs. industry average of 10%)
• +5 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Give LivelycoreTechnology or IntegrationGive Lively is CLF's third-party donation processing partner. Online donations to CLF are processed by Give Lively, which handles payment collection and initial donor data capture on behalf of CLF.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Rockefeller Foundation: Large established philanthropy with deep climate resilience and Caribbean programming. CLF lists Rockefeller as an anchor donor; comparable mission overlap on climate justice and global resilience, but at vastly greater scale.
• Open Society Foundations: Global grantmaker focused on social justice, climate justice, and equity. Listed CLF donor and partner with overlapping portfolio in BIPOC-led climate and movement-building work; operates at a much larger asset scale.
• Mellon Foundation: Major arts and culture grantmaker. Co-funds CLF's Ripple Effect arts partnership; directly comparable on the Arts & Culture pillar but broader portfolio across U.S. humanities writ large.
• Ford Foundation: Large global social-justice philanthropy with climate, gender, and equity programs. Overlaps with CLF on BIPOC-led climate and women's economic empowerment; operates at a multibillion-dollar scale.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Major climate and public-health funder with Caribbean and global programs. Comparable for climate resilience and health access focus; similar celebrity-adjacent brand profile but vastly larger.
• MacArthur Foundation: Large U.S. foundation funding climate solutions and creative arts. Comparable to CLF's Climate Solutions and Arts & Culture pillars; significantly larger endowment and grantmaking capacity.
• Mastercard Foundation: Africa-focused foundation with deep programs in youth employment, agriculture, and women's economic empowerment. Comparable to CLF's Gather Initiative and Future Generations work; comparable mission, larger scale.

Direct peers

• ELMA Caribbean Foundation: Caribbean-focused foundation funding children, education, and climate resilience. Most direct comparable to CLF by geography and program mix; both deploy anchor-donor capital to Caribbean community organizations.
• Panta Rhea Foundation: Climate and social-justice grantmaker supporting movement infrastructure and Caribbean work. Listed CLF donor; comparable in program thematic focus and funder size.

Emerging players

• Girls Who Code: Nonprofit building pathways for women and girls in technology. Partial overlap with CLF's women-led empowerment and education pillars, though operating model is direct program delivery rather than grantmaking.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2tGVucwt5ltkYi170r-KMQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ClaraLionelFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clara-lionel-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/claralionelfdn
• Xx.com/claralionelfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Clara Lionel Foundation