The Island Foundation is a Marion, Massachusetts-based grantmaking foundation. It makes the bulk of its donations to groups in southeastern Massachusetts, but it also makes donations in select areas of Maine and Rhode Island and internationally.

While the bulk of the donations are for noncontroversial causes, it makes donations to left-of-center groups and causes such as abortion funds and environmentalist groups. ¹

Overview

The Island Foundation was founded in 1979 by W. Van Alan Clark and Mary H. Clark. ²

The foundation donates to environmentalist causes in southeastern Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island with an emphasis on the conservation of marine and coastal resources. The foundation also supports programs based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It also funds alternative education programs and support what the foundation terms “womxn and girls”. ³

Organizations Supported

The bulk of the Island Foundation’s donations go to noncontroversial causes such as food banks, education, and medical research; the organization does fund numerous left-wing causes. The foundation made a $4,000 grant to Carbonfundorg Foundation Inc., a $20,000 grant to Coalition for Social Justice Education Fund Inc., a $1,000 grant to Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund, a $22,000 grant to Environmental Grantmakers Association, a $15,000 grant to Global Greengrants Fund, a $2,300 grant to the League of Women Voters of Rhode Island Education Fund, a $15,000 grant to the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, an $8,000 grant to the National Lawyers Guild Foundation Inc., a $25,000 grant to Natural Resources Council of Maine, a $2,300 grant to Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, a $4,000 grant to the Southern Poverty Law Center, and a $20,000 grant to the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island. ¹

Leadership

Denise Porche is the executive director of the foundation. She has worked in this role since 2009. Previously, she was a fellow at the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School. ⁴

Finances

In 2020, the foundation had $871,712 in income and $2,992,856 in expenses. It had $59,726,335 in assets. ¹

1. “Island Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer – Propublica”. 2022. Propublica. Accessed January 3. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/42670567/202122039349100722/full.
2. “Island Foundation”. 2022. Island Foundation. Accessed January 3. http://islandfdn.org/.
3. [1] “Grantmaking Priorities”. 2022. Island Foundation. Accessed January 3. http://islandfdn.org/index.php/priorities.
4. “Denise Porche”. 2022. NCFP. Accessed January 3. https://www.ncfp.org/people/denise-porche/.