Clavis Foundation

Clavis Foundation is a preselected-only private family foundation founded in 2020 by cybersecurity entrepreneur Stuart McClure (co-founder of Cylance, sold for $1.5B) and his wife Tusdi Vopat. The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications. All grantmaking is relationship-driven and initiated by the foundation leadership.

Strategic approach: The foundation operates with a clear prevention-first philosophy, targeting systemic root causes rather than acute symptoms. Their three stated pillars are health, education, and environment. In practice, the majority of documented giving has concentrated on pediatric healthcare and school-based mental health—suggesting health and wellness are the current priority lanes.

Entry points for potential partners: While there is no open application process, organizations working in Orange County pediatric health, integrative medicine, or school-based wellness programs that have existing relationships with CHOC, Rady Children's, or Hoag should be aware of the foundation. Board member overlap (Tusdi Vopat serves on the CHOC Foundation board) is a significant signal for relationship cultivation. Organizations should track the foundation through its hospital partners and community events in Orange County.

Grant volume and size: The Clavis Foundation made $1.07M in grants in 2023 (1 award) and $1.1M in 2024 (1 award), indicating a pattern of concentrated, large single-recipient grants in recent years. In 2022, they made 3 awards, and in 2020 they made 2 awards. This suggests they are narrowing focus toward marquee multi-year partnerships rather than distributing smaller grants widely.

Grant range: $25,000–$1,100,000, average approximately $300,000. The largest known gifts are transformational—the Rady Children's endowed chair is a multi-million dollar commitment.

Timing: No public application cycle. Grants appear to be made year-round on a relationship basis. 990-PF filings show grants in all years 2020–2024.

Geography: Primarily California (Orange County), with at least 1 prior grant to North Carolina (2022). The Orange County focus is strong given the founders' residence and hospital board affiliations.

Sector concentration: Health and healthcare (especially pediatric) accounts for the majority of documented giving. Education and environment are stated priorities but less documented in public filings.

Key differentiators for Clavis: Significantly smaller asset base than most California family foundations in its peer set, but giving ratio (~7.5% of assets annually) exceeds the typical 5% minimum payout requirement. The concentration on a single large grantee per year (2023, 2024) and the endowed chair strategy suggest the foundation is pursuing institutional impact partnerships rather than broad community grants.

2025 (announced): Clavis Foundation established the first-ever endowed chair at Rady Children's Health Orange County—the Clavis Foundation Chair for Wellness. The inaugural chair holder, Dr. Michael Weiss, oversees expansion of integrative medicine across clinical, school-based, and community settings. This is a landmark gift and likely represents the $1.1M 2024 grant.

2023: One large grant ($1.07M) to a California recipient (specific organization not disclosed in public 990-PF).

2022: Three grants totaling an estimated $500K–$1M to California and North Carolina recipients.

2021: One grant to a New York recipient.

2020-2021: COVID-19 relief grants to CHOC—up to $3,000 per family for 76+ CHOC families, totaling over $228,000. This early giving established the foundation's hospital partnership model with CHOC.

Ongoing: Partnership with Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian on GI nerve stimulator innovation. WellSpaces school mental health program funding through CHOC in Orange County middle and high schools.

Clavis Foundation does NOT accept unsolicited grant proposals. All grantmaking is preselected by foundation leadership. Key guidance for organizations seeking a relationship:

1. Connect through hospital partners: The foundation's giving flows almost exclusively through CHOC (Children's Hospital of Orange County), Rady Children's Health OC, and Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. Organizations embedded in these health systems are best positioned.

2. Tusdi Vopat serves on the CHOC Foundation board — CHOC is the primary cultivation channel for this foundation.

3. Alignment requirements: Projects should have a clear prevention focus, measurable health outcomes for children or families, and ideally an innovative or technology-forward approach (consistent with Stuart McClure's cybersecurity background).

4. Geography: Strong preference for Orange County, California. Occasional national reach (NC, NY) but OC is home base.

5. Scale appropriately: The foundation's grants are large ($25K–$1.1M). Organizations should be capable of stewarding six-figure or seven-figure multi-year gifts.

6. No application deadline, form, or RFP process exists. Track foundation activity through hospital annual reports and local Orange County business media (OCBJ).