What ROBERT STERLING CLARK FOUNDATION, INC. does

The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation (RSCF) is a private non-profit foundation incorporated in 1952 and endowed in 1955 upon the passing of founder Robert Sterling Clark (1877–1955), a member of the prominent New York business family whose wealth derived from the Singer Corporation. Headquartered at 135 East 64th Street in New York City, the foundation operates with a small team of approximately five staff members under President & CEO Philip Li and a board chaired by Diahann Billings-Burford. Its mandate, articulated as 'helping create a vibrant New York City', is executed through grantmaking to NYC-based 501(c)(3) organizations whose programs center on leadership development for equity, with particular emphasis on racial equity. The foundation operates within a sharply defined geographic perimeter — its primary Leadership for Equity grants are restricted to New York City — while a secondary Field Building stream extends to US-based organizations that strengthen the field of leadership development for equity.

RSCF's core 'products' are two grantmaking streams and a non-grantmaking learning initiative. The Leadership for Equity stream provides multi-year unrestricted funding to cohort-based, issue- or identity-focused leadership development programs, with each grantee receiving an additional professional development award on top of the grant. The Field Building stream funds US-based research, program-model design, and practice experimentation in leadership development. The 'Exploring Leadership' learning initiative sits outside the grantmaking function and hosts projects such as the Liberatory Leadership Partnership, Supporting BIPOC Leadership Transitions, Reimagining Nonprofit Governance, and the Equitable Intermediaries Project. Distribution is direct and relationship-driven: applications are accepted as existing grant proposals rather than custom submissions, processed through a Typeform intake, and supplemented with grantee convenings and peer learning.

The foundation's revenue model is endowment-based rather than commercial. RSCF is funded by the original 1955 endowment and is not a venture-backed, revenue-generating, or publicly traded entity. It practices trust-based philanthropy — defined in its materials as simplified applications, multi-year unrestricted funding, and 'support beyond the check' via convenings and capacity building — and replaces traditional site visits with an internal CHAT (Check-in Analysis Tool). Transparency is delivered through publication of 990 forms (2014–2016) and audited financial statements (2013–2015) on its website. Marketing is limited to thought leadership via blog, email newsletter, and published research reports. Grantmaking applications are currently closed, and the Sterling Network NYC — a 2017-launched ten-year investment in 50+ cross-sector leaders — was spun off to North Star Fund in 2023.

Name

ROBERT STERLING CLARK FOUNDATION, INC.

Legal name

Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://rsclark.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation is a private NYC foundation (incorporated 1952, endowed 1955) that makes multi-year unrestricted grants to 501(c)(3) organizations running cohort-based leadership development programs for equity, and supports a secondary Field Building stream and Exploring Leadership learning initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Foundation / Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Private foundation grants
• Trust-based philanthropy
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Leadership development funding
• Equity-focused giving

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

Grants, Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment & Grantmaking: As a private foundation, RSCF is funded by an endowment established in 1955 upon the passing of Robert Sterling Clark. The foundation makes grants to support leadership development and equity initiatives in New York City. Revenue is generated through investment returns on the endowment rather than traditional business revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation is a private foundation established in 1952 that provides multi-year unrestricted grants and trust-based philanthropic support primarily to nonprofit organizations working to create a vibrant New York City. The foundation operates programs focused on leadership development, equity, and field building, supporting civic and cultural organizations through flexible, long-term funding rather than project-restricted grants.

Product overview

Robert Sterling Clark Foundation is a private foundation established in 1952 that does not operate a technology product in the traditional sense. Its core offerings consist of grantmaking programs (Leadership for Equity and Field Building), the Exploring Leadership learning initiative, and published research reports. The foundation operates a grant application process and provides public access to financial documents. Key programs include the Liberatory Leadership Partnership, Supporting BIPOC Leadership Transitions, Reimagining Nonprofit Governance, and the Equitable Intermediaries Project. The foundation practices trust-based philanthropy with multi-year unrestricted grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leadership for Equity Grantmaking
• Field Building Grantmaking
• Exploring Leadership Initiative

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,500 alumni in Coro New York Leadership Center network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• North Star FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Star Fund is the new home for Sterling Network NYC, which began as a project of RSCF and has since spun off with greater self-governance. The network remains a diverse group of leaders working to increase economic mobility across NYC with racial equity as a central guiding value. RSCF continues to reflect on lessons learned from launching and hosting the network.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Tides Foundation: Tides Foundation is a public charity and fiscal sponsor that channels philanthropic capital to social justice, equity, and movement-building organizations. It overlaps with RSCF's RSCF's intermediary approach and its Equitable Intermediaries Project on fiscal sponsorship infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Open Society Foundations is a global private foundation with a major focus on social justice, racial equity, and leadership development. Its NYC grantmaking and convening infrastructure parallel RSCF's approach but at far greater scale and international reach.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Bloomberg Philanthropies is one of the largest NYC-focused philanthropic organizations funding leadership development, equity, and civic innovation. While much larger in scale, it shares RSCF's NYC geographic emphasis and commitment to leadership pipelines.
• Ford Foundation: Ford Foundation is one of the largest U.S. private foundations with NYC offices and significant grantmaking focused on racial equity and economic mobility. While much larger and globally focused, it overlaps with RSCF on NYC-based equity work and trust-based philanthropy practice.

Direct peers

• New York Community Trust: New York Community Trust is NYC's largest community foundation, making grants across the five boroughs to address poverty, education, and equity. Its NYC geographic focus, multi-grant portfolio structure, and grantee convening practices make it a direct operational peer to RSCF.
• Surdna Foundation: Surdna Foundation is a family foundation supporting racial justice, sustainable environments, and thriving cultures. Its multi-decade NYC presence, trust-based grantmaking ethos, and cohort-based grantee support programs closely parallel RSCF's model.
• Mertz Gilmore Foundation: Mertz Gilmore Foundation is a NYC-based private foundation supporting arts, social justice, and democratic civic engagement. Its geographic focus on NYC, equity-oriented grantmaking, and commitment to grantee-led strategy are highly comparable to RSCF's profile.
• Robin Hood Foundation: Robin Hood Foundation is a NYC-focused private foundation fighting poverty through grantmaking, capacity building, and program-related investments. It is highly comparable to RSCF in geographic focus, grantee segment (NYC nonprofits), and emphasis on evidence-based approaches.
• Wallace Foundation: The Wallace Foundation is a private foundation with a major focus on leadership development in the nonprofit and education sectors. Its long-term investment approach and field-building research orientation closely mirror RSCF's Exploring Leadership initiatives and Field Building grantmaking.
• Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation: Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation is a private foundation focused on racial justice, ecological sustainability, and movement-building. Its unrestricted multi-year grants and grantee-centered practices align directly with RSCF's trust-based philanthropy approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rsclarkfdn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rsclarkfdn
• Xx.com/rsclarkfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ROBERT STERLING CLARK FOUNDATION, INC.