The Clifton Foundation Inc
The Clifton Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Chestertown, Maryland. It supports work to accelerate early leadership growth, including strengths-based education and research, and funds and advises school and university program leaders and researchers.
The Clifton Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: The Clifton Foundation Inc gave $1.0M across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $51K), mostly in Maryland. 5% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,022,175
- +31.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $51,109
- +31.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $9,550,000
- -3.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (1 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Maryland (90% 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 The Clifton Foundation Inc
- 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: PO Box 242, Chestertown, MD 21620
Phone: (302) 793-3278
Website: https://thecliftonfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Clifton Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was YMCA of the Chesapeake ($320K). Together the top 10 received $938K.
Grant Size Distribution
98 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 71 grants of 98 (72%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing shows that 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in Maryland, with recipients in California (5%), Pennsylvania (2%), Oklahoma (1%), and Delaware (1%) also listed. Separately, the foundation’s website describes its Global Builders Network as connecting participants across the globe and says its initiatives have reached students and educators in the United States, Mexico, and Colombia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Clifton Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 20 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $85K; repeat grants $49K. How we count
Medians: $85K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 85% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+16%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 155% 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 $670K (2020) to $5.7M (2023). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $1.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| YMCA of the Chesapeake Easton, MD | General Charitable Purposes | $320,000 |
| Pecometh United Methodist Camp and Centreville, MD | General Charitable Purposes | $150,000 |
| Chesapeake Charities Stevensville, MD | General Charitable Purposes | $105,000 |
| Horizons of Kent and Queen Anne's Chestertown, MD | General Charitable Purposes | $85,000 |
| Mid-Shore Community Foundation Easton, MD | General Charitable Purposes | $83,675 |
| Kent School Chestertown, MD | General Charitable Purposes | $55,000 |
| Changing Perspectives Inc Sacramento, CA | General Charitable Purposes | $54,000 |
| Talbot Interfaith Shelter Easton, MD | General Charitable Purposes | $40,000 |
| Pocono Plateau Program Center Cresco, PA | General Charitable Purposes | $25,000 |
| Haven Ministries Queenstown, MD | General Charitable Purposes | $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 | $9,550,000 | $874,709 | $1,173,570 | $1,022,175 | 20 | $1,093,831 | $794,970 | $706,760 |
| 2024 | $9,853,949 | $666,490 | $941,498 | $780,000 | 20 | $820,233 | $596,551 | $675,127 |
| 2023 | $10,122,426 | $2,195,517 | $5,870,322 | $5,735,430 | 18 | $5,783,866 | $2,120,061 | $774,485 |
| 2022 | $13,802,384 | $1,018,075 | $1,062,212 | $883,500 | 22 | $943,384 | $924,957 | $901,864 |
| 2021 | $13,876,259 | $1,092,144 | $923,097 | $775,000 | 18 | — | $1,000,457 | $935,080 |
| 2020 | $13,746,132 | $341,336 | $815,600 | $670,370 | 17 | — | $259,680 | $836,702 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Clifton Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $707K 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
The foundation’s website says its research focuses on how to develop young people’s talents and help them create more productive and meaningful lives. It also describes its work as identifying and developing strengths through education, research, and leadership programs.
The 2025 grantees include organizations with a range of missions. For example, Chesapeake Charities says its mission is to encourage charitable giving and build community resources; Horizons of Kent and Queen Anne’s says it provides academic and cultural enrichment to students from low-income families; and Kent School says it provides preschool-through-eighth-grade education. Other grantees describe missions involving shelter and support for people in need, homelessness services, and care for patients and families facing a life-limiting diagnosis or loss.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 20 grants totaling $1,022,175. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $320,000, with a median of $20,000. The largest awards included $320,000 to YMCA of the Chesapeake, $150,000 to Pecometh United Methodist Camp and Conference Center, $105,000 to Chesapeake Charities, $85,000 to Horizons of Kent and Queen Anne’s, and $83,675 to Mid-Shore Community Foundation. The listed purposes for these grants were general charitable purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Richard L. Goodall as director and president, Laura K. G. Gray as director and secretary, Richard T. Goodall as director and treasurer, and Elizabeth Starkey as executive director. The foundation’s website identifies Dr. Connie Rath as its president and Dr. Mary Reckmeyer as its chair.
The Clifton Foundation Inc is led by Richard T. Goodall, Director, President, Director & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Richard T. Goodall
Director, President, Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Starkey
Executive Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laura K. G. Gray
Director & 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 The Clifton Foundation Inc
How much does The Clifton Foundation Inc give each year?
The Clifton Foundation Inc gave $1.0M across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $780K across 20 grants.
What is The Clifton Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The Clifton Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $51,109, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Clifton Foundation Inc that year got $85K on average.
Where does The Clifton Foundation Inc give grants?
The Clifton Foundation Inc gives mostly in Maryland: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Easton, MD (5 grants), Centreville, MD (4 grants) and Chestertown, MD (3 grants).
Does The Clifton Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Clifton Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (20 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Clifton Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The Clifton Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include YMCA of the Chesapeake ($320,000), Pecometh United Methodist Camp and ($150,000) and Chesapeake Charities ($105,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Clifton Foundation Inc?
The Clifton Foundation Inc reported $9.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $707K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Clifton Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s website says its research focuses on how to develop young people’s talents and help them create more productive and meaningful lives. It also describes its work as identifying and developing strengths through education, research, and leadership programs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Clifton Foundation Inc?
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 The Clifton Foundation Inc's EIN?
The Clifton Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-2256618. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Clifton Foundation Inc 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 24, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 18, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 23, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Clifton Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Clifton Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-clifton-foundation-inc-morg_3f389da0b32d4dd5a49641d89f5cc1b3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_522256618_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Clifton Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-clifton-foundation-inc-morg_3f389da0b32d4dd5a49641d89f5cc1b3},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 The Clifton Foundation Inc'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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