Clay Foundation - West
Clay Foundation - West is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in California and Massachusetts, including arts, education, health, and community organizations.
Clay Foundation - West at a glance
In short: Clay Foundation - West gave $728K across 22 grants in 2026 (avg $33K), mostly in California. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $727,650
- +12.6% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 22
- +4.8% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $33,075
- +7.5% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $30,000
- Total assets
- $3,343,483
- -11.6% vs 2025
- Primary geography
- California (97% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated November 2026.
How to apply to Clay Foundation - West
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1750 Taylor Street 205, San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone: (415) 800-7344
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Clay Foundation - West funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
112 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 98 grants of 112 (88%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 3% to recipients in Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Clay Foundation - West gives
- Giving grew 64% from 2023 to 2026. Method
- In 2026 it paid out 388% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $358K (2020) to $728K (2026). In 2026 it made 22 grants totaling $728K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 22 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $727,650 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $3,343,483 | $302,035 | $742,771 | $727,650 | 22 | $728,170 | $301,488 | $187,829 |
| 2025 | $3,784,219 | $683,612 | $647,190 | $646,200 | 21 | $646,694 | $674,204 | $216,743 |
| 2024 | $3,747,797 | $169,323 | $602,161 | $581,100 | 23 | $581,619 | $168,782 | $223,209 |
| 2023 | $4,180,635 | $977,957 | $449,830 | $442,500 | 24 | $442,992 | $977,445 | $200,512 |
| 2022 | $3,652,508 | $514,695 | $422,049 | $411,000 | 22 | $411,433 | $514,237 | $215,211 |
| 2021 | $3,559,862 | $571,375 | $397,924 | $391,500 | 24 | — | $570,913 | $186,237 |
| 2020 | $3,386,411 | $268,469 | $361,320 | $358,400 | 23 | — | $268,001 | $177,075 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Clay Foundation - West reported a distributable amount of $188K for 2026 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. An individual recipient describes its mission as sharing stories that uplift spirits, deepen self-awareness, and nurture compassionate community. La Luz Center says it strengthens community through family services, economic advancement, and community engagement. Brooks School describes itself as a college preparatory school seeking to provide students with a meaningful educational experience. Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation says it cultivates support and raises funds for Sonoma Valley Hospital.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 21 grants totaling $646,200. Grants ranged from $7,500 to $166,200, with a median of $20,000. The largest awards included $166,200 to an individual recipient, $100,000 to an individual recipient, and $40,000 each to an individual recipient and Exploratorium. The listed purposes for these grants were unrestricted operating funds. Other 2025 recipients included La Luz Center ($35,000), Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation ($30,000), and Brooks School ($20,000). Its 2026 filing, the latest on this page, reports 22 grants totaling $727,650.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Buffington Clay Miller as President, Christine Tieu as Secretary, and Buckner W Clay as CFO.
Clay Foundation - West is led by Buffington Clay Miller, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2026 report compensation.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Buffington Clay Miller
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Buckner W Clay
CFO
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christine Tieu
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2026. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Clay Foundation - West
How much does Clay Foundation - West give each year?
Clay Foundation - West gave $728K across 22 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $646K across 21 grants.
What is Clay Foundation - West's typical grant size?
Clay Foundation - West's median grant in 2026 was $30,000, and its average grant was $33,075, across 22 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Clay Foundation - West give grants?
Clay Foundation - West gives mostly in California: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.
Does Clay Foundation - West give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Clay Foundation - West's 2026 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 22) were for general or operating support, per its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
How large is Clay Foundation - West?
Clay Foundation - West reported $3.3M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $728K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $188K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Clay Foundation - West fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. An individual recipient describes its mission as sharing stories that uplift spirits, deepen self-awareness, and nurture compassionate community. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Clay Foundation - West?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Clay Foundation - West's EIN?
Clay Foundation - West's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 33-6339800. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2026.
Does Clay Foundation - West accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 25, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 26, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 27, 2024)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS September 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Live grants for the work Clay Foundation - West funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Clay Foundation - West's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Clay Foundation - West funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/clay-foundation-west-morg_99405527abb843b2a78b30ca9d1d04fc
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_336339800_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Clay Foundation - West funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/clay-foundation-west-morg_99405527abb843b2a78b30ca9d1d04fc},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-02. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Clay Foundation - West's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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