Clipper Ship Foundation Inc
Clipper Ship Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Milton Village, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by David Parmely Weatherhead, it makes grants to federally tax-qualified nonprofit organizations providing critical services to people in Greater Boston—cities and towns on or within Route 128—and in Lawrence and Brockton.
Clipper Ship Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Clipper Ship Foundation Inc gave $100K across 1 grant in 2025 (avg $100K), mostly in District of Columbia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $100,000
- -37.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 1
- -50.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $100,000
- +24.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $5,361,777
- +7.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Clipper Ship Foundation Inc
- Invitation Only
-
For the 2025–26 cycle, the foundation’s website says it would invite organizations to apply and that organizations without an invitation could not participate. Invited applicants were to submit a concept paper first; selected applicants could then be invited to submit a full proposal and potentially host a meeting or site visit. The 2023 filing described an online application requiring an organization profile, verification of 501(c)(3) status, a focus-area selection, and a concept paper of no more than two pages. It also said applicants might be asked to host a site visit. That filing stated that giving was not restricted to preselected organizations; the website’s invitation-only process describes the later cycle. The 2023 filing listed no restrictions on awards, while the grant-program description excludes higher education, hospitals, research, and scholarships.
- Review Cycle
- The 2025–26 cycle is past. The website listed December 5, 2025, as the concept-paper deadline; the grant-program description listed January 3, 2026.
- Deadline
- The 2025–26 cycle is past.
- Contact
Application contact: Donald Greene
Mailing address: PO Box 870138, Milton Village, MA 02187
Phone: (617) 320-3623
Email: info@clippershipfoundation.org
Website: HTTP://CLIPPERSHIPFOUNDATION.ORG
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Clipper Ship Foundation Inc
Who Clipper Ship Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top recipient in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Independent Sector ($100K).
Grant Size Distribution
59 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 31 grants of 59 (53%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation states that it supports organizations serving Greater Boston, defined as cities and towns on or within Route 128, and the cities of Lawrence and Brockton.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of the 2025 grant dollars on its one itemized grant.
Cities
How Clipper Ship Foundation Inc gives
- Giving fell 99% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 40% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $100K (2025) to $14.5M (2022). In 2025 it made 1 grant totaling $100K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Independent Sector Washington, DC | Program Support | $100,000 |
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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 | $5,361,777 | $517,728 | $164,832 | $100,000 | 1 | $100,000 | $163,281 | $247,553 |
| 2024 | $5,008,415 | $908,424 | $211,335 | $160,800 | 2 | $160,800 | $154,547 | $226,031 |
| 2023 | $4,302,017 | $353,184 | $4,835,116 | $4,765,000 | 14 | $4,765,000 | $147,725 | $320,189 |
| 2022 | $8,783,949 | $-274,466 | $18,627,436 | $14,522,640 | 21 | $14,522,640 | — | $891,525 |
| 2021 | $27,686,436 | $1,935,950 | $1,875,672 | $1,674,500 | 21 | — | $1,820,227 | $1,286,189 |
| 2020 | $23,199,662 | $505,220 | $1,588,791 | $1,435,000 | 21 | — | $500,123 | $1,147,845 |
| 2019 | $24,073,981 | $1,747,711 | $1,517,306 | $1,323,500 | 23 | — | $1,681,750 | $1,143,328 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Clipper Ship Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $248K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation supports organizations serving opportunity youth, foster youth and young adults who have aged out of foster care, youth experiencing homelessness or unstable housing, youth impacted by sex trafficking or exploitation, families impacted by domestic violence, youth impacted by the criminal justice system, and youth with disabilities. It defines opportunity youth as ages 16–24 and describes several circumstances including being out of school and unemployed or underemployed, or being at risk of dropping out.
The foundation’s 2025 grant to Independent Sector supported an organization whose stated mission is to unite nonprofits and philanthropy to strengthen the charitable sector, identify structural challenges, and mobilize the sector around policy and practice solutions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported one grant totaling $100,000. Its 2024 filing reported two grants totaling $160,800, and its 2023 filing reported 14 grants totaling $4,765,000. The foundation’s grant program description lists awards of $50,000–$150,000.
The 2025 filing lists a $100,000 program-support grant to Independent Sector in Washington, DC.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Donald Greene as president, Gene Allen Miller as treasurer, Daniel J Hueslman as clerk/director, and Katharine Lacy as director.
Clipper Ship Foundation Inc is led by Donald J. Greene, President since 2022 (on filings since 2019); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Donald J. Greene
President
Chairman, President & Director → President, 2022
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Daniel J. Hueslman
Clerk & Director
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Gene Allen Miller
Treausrer
Treasurer & Director → Treausrer, 2022
On filings since 2019
$2K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Katharine Lacy
Directory
Directory → Director, 2023
Director → Directory, 2024
On filings since 2019
$2K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Former officers (8)
- Former: Bryan Spence (2019–2023) — Director · Filing note: Resigned 92019
- Former: Ana Perez Camayd (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Celia M. Grant (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Daniel J. Huelsman (2019–2021) — Clerk & Director
- Former: Jean S. Whitney (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Kay Berthold Frishman (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Joanne Pokaski (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Nina Biggar Del Vecchio (2019) — Assistant Treasurer & Clerk
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.
Frequently asked questions about Clipper Ship Foundation Inc
How much does Clipper Ship Foundation Inc give each year?
Clipper Ship Foundation Inc gave $100K across 1 grant in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $161K across 2 grants.
How large is Clipper Ship Foundation Inc?
Clipper Ship Foundation Inc reported $5.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $100K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $248K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Clipper Ship Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation supports organizations serving opportunity youth, foster youth and young adults who have aged out of foster care, youth experiencing homelessness or unstable housing, youth impacted by sex trafficking or exploitation, families impacted by domestic violence, youth impacted by the criminal justice system, and youth with disabilities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Clipper Ship Foundation Inc?
For the 2025–26 cycle, the foundation’s website says it would invite organizations to apply and that organizations without an invitation could not participate. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does Clipper Ship Foundation Inc make grants?
The foundation states that it supports organizations serving Greater Boston, defined as cities and towns on or within Route 128, and the cities of Lawrence and Brockton.
What is Clipper Ship Foundation Inc's EIN?
Clipper Ship Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-2687384. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 18, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 26, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 26, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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