Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation

NASHVILLE, TN EIN: 58-1917676

The Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation (operating as CLiF - Children's Literacy Foundation) is a grantmaking organization focused on supporting literacy initiatives. The foundation operates programs in rural communities across Vermont and New Hampshire.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

—

-100.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$1.6M

+2078.7% YoY

Grant Count

+650.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$109K

+190.5% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation reported a distributable amount of $13K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's primary focus is children's literacy and early childhood literacy development. The organization supports rural library initiatives and elementary school literacy programs in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Grantmaking

The foundation awards grants to schools and libraries for literacy programming:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily funds organizations and schools in:

Vermont
New Hampshire

Focus is specifically on rural communities within these states.

Grant Distribution by State

Tennessee $1.8M (66%)

Illinois $425K (16%)

Virginia $205K (8%)

Georgia $155K (6%)

Michigan $110K (4%)

States

Georgia Illinois Michigan Tennessee Virginia

Cities

AtlantaAuroraBuchananChattanoogaDaytonFranklinGenevaHixonHixsonHollandLawrencevilleNashvilleWilliamsburg

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2025	2024	2023
Total Assets	—	$1,589,364	$943,306
Revenue	$69,811	$734,303	$175,668
Expenses	$1,659,175	$89,843	$346,571
Qualifying Distributions	$1,645,862	$78,106	$323,873
Net Investment Income	$67,902	$722,566	$152,970
Distributable Amount	$12,962	$69,204	$75,029

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Grant Size Distribution

54 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest include Bryan College Clara Ward School of Nursing ($799,061), Community Foundation of Fox River Valley ($200,000), The Generosity Trust ($135,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ANKERBERG THEOLOGICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE CHATTANOOGA, TN	OPERATING FUND	$20,000
BETHEL BIBLE VILLAGE HIXSON, TN	OPERATING FUND	$20,000
BIBLE IN THE SCHOOLS CHATTANOOGA, TN	OPERATING FUND	$20,000
BRYAN COLLEGE CLARA WARD SCHOOL OF NURSING DAYTON, TN	ENDOWMENT FOR THE CLARA WARD SCHOOL OF NURSING	$799,061
CASA KANE COUNTY GENEVA, IL	OPERATING FUND	$100,000
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF FOX RIVER VALLEY AURORA, IL	OPEARTING FUND	$200,000
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER CHATTANOOGA CHATTANOOGA, TN	OPERATING FUND	$75,000
HAGGAI INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED LEADERSHIP TRAINING ATLANTA, GA	OPERATING FUND	$25,000
IDEALS FOUNDATION LAWRENCEVILLE, GA	OPERATING FUND	$15,000
LIFE ACTION MINISTRIES BUCHANAN, MI	OPERATING FUND	$15,000

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

From 2025 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
GLENN C STOPHEL	PRESIDENT/TRUSEE	0.25	—
LESLIE S MACLELLAN	VICE PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE	0.1	—
MARK D YATES	SECRETARY/TREAS/TRUSTEE	0.25	—
TIMOTHY R THOMPSON	TRUSTEE	0.1	—
KIMBERLY S WENDELL	TRUSTEE	0.1	—
REBECCA T ALLEN	TRUSTEE	0.1	—
PAM PHILLIPS	ASSISTANT SECRETARY	0.01	—

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

Launched an Early Childhood Literacy Grant program

CLiF's 2024-2025 Rural Library Grantees - Children's Literacy Foundation

Awarded $350,000 in literacy grants to 14 Vermont and New Hampshire schools

CLiF awards $350,000 in literacy grants to 14 Vt. & N.H. schools \u2014\

Announced $25,000 program grants to eight elementary schools

CLiF awards $350,000 in literacy grants to 14 Vt. & N.H. schools \u2014\

2024

Maintains active rural library partnership programs with documented grantees for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026

CLiF's 2024-2025 Rural Library Grantees - Children's Literacy Foundation

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation fund?

How do I apply for a grant from Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation?

The foundation awards grants to schools and libraries for literacy programming: • **Rural Library Grants**: Supports rural library partners in Vermont and New Hampshire • **School Literacy Grants**: Awards program grants to elementary schools ($25,000 grants mentioned) • **Early Childhood Literacy Grants**: Launched a dedicated early childhood literacy grant program • **Recent Grant Activity**: Awarded $350,000 in literacy grants to 14 Vermont and New Hampshire schools The foundation maintains …

Where does Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation make grants?

The foundation primarily funds organizations and schools in: • Vermont • New Hampshire Focus is specifically on rural communities within these states.

What size grants does Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation award?

In 2025, Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation awarded 15 grants totaling $1.6M — an average of about $109K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation reported a distributable amount of $13K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation's EIN?

Clifton and Clara Ward Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 58-1917676. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.