History

Dr. George H.A. Clowes, his wife Edith Whitehill Clowes and their two sons, Allen W. Clowes and Dr. George H.A. Clowes, Jr., incorporated The Clowes Fund in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1952.  The foundation was established with a broad mandate to support education and the literary, fine, and performing arts.  Social services soon became a focus for support.

During their lifetimes, Dr. and Mrs. Clowes amassed an extensive art collection, primarily of paintings by European Old Masters, which hung in Westerley, their Indianapolis home.  After the death of Dr. Clowes the collection became property of the foundation, which took over responsibility for its maintenance and public display.  In 1971, the collection was moved to Clowes Pavilion, a newly built wing of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), on indefinite loan.  In 1999, the directors of the Fund voted to donate the entire Clowes Collection to the museum over a period of years; it is an ongoing process.

A rare combination of scientist and entrepreneur, the senior Dr. Clowes was director of research at Eli Lilly and Company for much of his career.  When Dr. Frederick G. Banting of the University of Toronto and his associate, Charles E. Best, discovered insulin in 1921, Dr. Clowes mobilized Lilly resources to mass produce and market a treatment that was to save the lives of millions of diabetics.

Although none of the quartet of founders is still alive, the third and fourth generations of the Clowes family are represented among the directors and members of The Clowes Fund.  In addition to the family directors, two Indiana and two Massachusetts residents bring their civic and professional skills to service on the board.

The Clowes Fund began the new millennium with its first professional executive and a new office in Indianapolis.  In 2001, the board and staff created a values and mission statement and comprehensive guidelines for grant seekers.  In 2003, the Fund established its Preliminary Proposal process and a focus on immigrant and refugee services and workforce development as priorities for new funding.  Since then, youth development and arts education have become a foci as well.