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 $646K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $31K), mostly in California. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $646,200
- +11.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- -8.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $30,771
- +21.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $3,784,219
- +1.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 21, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
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
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was San Francisco Playhouse ($166K). Together the top 10 received $506K.
Grant Size Distribution
114 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 102 grants of 114 (89%).
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 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Clay Foundation - West open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 21 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. How we count
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 57% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 298% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $358K (2020) to $646K (2025). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $646K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Playhouse San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted operating funds. | $166,200 |
| Cinnabar Theater Petaluma, CA | Unrestricted operating funds. | $100,000 |
| Sonoma Arts Live Sonoma, CA | Unrestricted operating funds. | $40,000 |
| Exploratorium San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted operating funds. | $40,000 |
| La Luz Center Sonoma, CA | Unrestricted operating funds. | $35,000 |
| Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation Sonoma, CA | Unrestricted operating funds. | $30,000 |
| Chinese American International Scho San Francisco, CA | Unrestricted operating funds. | $30,000 |
| Jack London Park Partners Glen Ellen, CA | Unrestricted operating funds. | $25,000 |
| Brooks School North Andover, MA | Unrestricted operating funds. | $20,000 |
| Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance Sonoma, CA | Unrestricted operating funds. | $20,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 $217K for 2025 — 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. San Francisco Playhouse 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 San Francisco Playhouse, $100,000 to Cinnabar Theater, and $40,000 each to Sonoma Arts Live 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).
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 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 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, 2020–2025. "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 $646K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $581K across 23 grants.
What is Clay Foundation - West's typical grant size?
Clay Foundation - West's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $30,771, across 21 grants on its 2025 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 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (9 grants) and Sonoma, CA (8 grants).
Does Clay Foundation - West give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Clay Foundation - West's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (21 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Clay Foundation - West's largest grantees?
Clay Foundation - West's largest 2025 grantees include San Francisco Playhouse ($166,200), Cinnabar Theater ($100,000) and Sonoma Arts Live ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 47% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Clay Foundation - West?
Clay Foundation - West reported $3.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $647K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $217K (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. San Francisco Playhouse 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 2020–2025.
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 October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Clay Foundation - West funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 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 2026-10-13. 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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