Grey Rocks Foundation Inc.

Grey Rocks Foundation Inc. (formerly McLane/Harper Charitable Foundation) is a tightly controlled private family foundation established in November 1988 and led entirely by P. Andrews McLane (President), Linda McLane (Treasurer), and David H. Hopfenberg (Clerk) — all serving without compensation. With assets of $65.6 million as of fiscal year 2024 and roughly $2.1–2.9 million in annual charitable disbursements, this is a discretionary, relationship-driven funder that operates entirely outside public grant cycles, RFPs, and formal application portals.

The foundation's giving philosophy is inseparable from the McLanes' personal biography. Andy McLane is a retired Senior Advisor at TA Associates; his family carries multigenerational ties to New Hampshire (his great-grandfather John McLane served as Governor of New Hampshire in the early 20th century). The McLanes took up rowing when their son joined Harvard's heavyweight crew in 2004 and are now active single-scullers at Cambridge Boat Club and at their home on Newfound Lake, New Hampshire. Linda McLane has documented interests in arts, conservation, and education. Grants flow almost exclusively to organizations where the McLanes have direct personal engagement — board service, active membership, or decades-long family patronage.

The organizational profile of a typical grantee is revealing: elite New England preparatory schools (Holderness School, Phillips Exeter Academy, St. Paul's, Fessenden, White Mountain School), Ivy League universities (Dartmouth $891K lifetime, Harvard $104K), prominent New Hampshire conservation organizations (Newfound Lake Region Association, Charles River Watershed Association), athletic programs aligned with the family's pursuits (USRowing, US Ski and Snowboard Foundation), and arts institutions with personal meaning (Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Pilchuck Glass School, MIT Glass Lab).

First-time applicants must understand that no formal application exists. The database confirms this foundation is 'preselected only.' The path to a first grant runs through relationship: ideally, a warm introduction through a mutual trustee or development officer at Dartmouth, USRowing, Cambridge Boat Club, MFA Boston, or the NH Historical Society. Once established, relationships are typically multi-year — the vast majority of top grantees appear across four consecutive grant cycles, with all grants recorded as unrestricted donations reflecting deep institutional trust.

Grey Rocks Foundation's giving history reveals a consistent but variable annual distribution profile. Total charitable giving ranged from $2.11 million (2022) to $3.18 million (2019) across available filing years, with FY2024 estimated at approximately $2.92 million based on ProPublica expense data. Grants paid (cash disbursements, which may lag total giving by a year) ranged from $1.47M (2022) to $2.77M (2019). The foundation's $65.6M asset base at the close of FY2024 — up 36% from $48M in 2022 — suggests capacity for modestly increasing distributions if investment returns continue.

Across 328 grants totaling $6.62 million in the historical database, the average grant is $20,185 and the median is approximately $10,000. The foundation's own 990-PF data indicates a much wider range in any given year: minimum $100 (nominal/token gifts) to maximum $644,500, with a rolling average of $30,419. The five highest-dollar relationships illuminate priorities clearly: Dartmouth College ($891,114 across 4 grants), US Ski and Snowboard Foundation ($746,340 across 4 grants), United States Rowing Association ($450,000 across 3 grants), NH Historical Society ($311,000 across 4 grants), and Phillips Exeter Academy ($252,500 across 4 grants).

Geographically, New Hampshire dominates with 140 grants — tied to Newfound Lake, White Mountains independent schools, and statewide cultural institutions. Massachusetts accounts for 103 grants, driven by Boston-based organizations (MFA, Animal Rescue League, Charles River Watershed) and Cambridge-area rowing programs. Washington state receives 12 grants (primarily Pilchuck Glass School), Michigan 8 (University of Michigan), with smaller clusters in FL, IL, MD, NJ, NY, and PA.

By program area, education (preparatory schools and universities) absorbs an estimated 35–40% of total giving. Sports and recreation (USRowing, US Ski & Snowboard, Community Rowing, YMCA camps, Camp Belknap, Camp Lochearn, Camp Tecumseh) accounts for roughly 20–25%. Environmental conservation (Charles River Watershed, Newfound Lake, Montana Land Reliance, Natick Community Organic Farm) comprises approximately 15–20%. Arts and culture (MFA Boston, Museum of Glass, Pilchuck, MIT Glass Lab) represents 10–15%. Human services, heritage/Scottish interests (Clan Maclean Association $248,772, NH Scot $80,000), and international organizations (Preemptive Love, Mill Reef Fund) make up the balance. All grants in the database are labeled 'unrestricted donations,' a hallmark of trust-based philanthropic relationships.

Situating Grey Rocks among comparable private foundations in New England reveals it as a mid-sized, intensely personal family foundation distinguished by founder-directed discretion and deep geographic loyalty to New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Grey Rocks is distinctive within this peer set for three reasons. First, it relies almost entirely on personal founder relationships with zero professional program staff, meaning there is no grants manager or program officer to cultivate — only the McLanes themselves. Second, its grant range ($100 to $644,500+) is exceptionally wide for its asset size, reflecting highly personalized discretion rather than a tiered program structure. Third, unlike the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation — which serves as an open community grantmaker processing hundreds of competitive applications annually — Grey Rocks operates with no public-facing infrastructure whatsoever. Among invitation-only peers like the Putnam Foundation, Grey Rocks is notable for its sports philanthropy dimension, which most comparable NH family foundations do not emphasize.

The most significant recent development in the Grey Rocks Foundation's philanthropic sphere is the March 27, 2025 announcement that Andy and Linda McLane committed $3 million to USRowing to endow and name the McLane Family Chief High Performance Officer position through the LA2028 Olympic and Paralympic quadrennial. The position is held by Josy Verdonkschot. This was formally announced via USRowing.org with a statement from Andy McLane: 'Our family is thrilled to support USRowing's High Performance Program with this gift. We have been so impressed with the impact that Josy Verdonkschot has made since his arrival.' USRowing CEO Amanda Kraus called it 'a lasting investment in our mission.' This $3M commitment follows earlier McLane gifts to USRowing including $250,000 earmarked for the 2023 fundraising campaign and $250,000 toward the Princeton National Rowing Association's Caspersen Rowing Center facility expansion.

At the foundation level, FY2024 filings now visible on ProPublica show the foundation's strongest asset position in its documented history: $65.6 million, up from $58.7 million in FY2023 and $48.0 million in FY2022. Revenue for FY2024 was $10.8 million. No leadership changes appear across any available filings — P. Andrews McLane, Linda McLane, and David H. Hopfenberg have held their respective roles consistently through every reporting year reviewed.

No press releases, grant announcements, or program changes were identified from the foundation itself in 2025 or early 2026, consistent with the McLanes' characteristically low-profile approach. The foundation maintains no active social media presence. Current intelligence on foundation priorities must be inferred from grantee communications, particularly USRowing and Dartmouth College development offices.

The single most important fact about Grey Rocks Foundation is that it does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation's record confirms it is 'preselected only,' and research across Candid, Instrumentl, GuideStar, and Hinchilla consistently confirms that grants flow exclusively through personal invitation and pre-existing relationships. A cold letter of inquiry, email to the listed phone contact, or online submission would be inappropriate and ineffective.

Given this reality, a successful strategy requires reorienting entirely from application-readiness to relationship cultivation:

• Pursue board-level introductions through Andy McLane's known affiliations. He serves as Trustee and Chair of the Nominating Committee of the USRowing Foundation, is an active member of Cambridge Boat Club in Massachusetts, was a Senior Advisor at TA Associates, and has multiple nonprofit board engagements in New Hampshire. Any mutual board colleague at these institutions represents a legitimate introduction pathway.

• Leverage current grantee relationships. Development officers or board members at Dartmouth College, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, NH Historical Society, Charles River Watershed Association, or Newfound Lake Region Association have direct relationships with the McLanes. A warm introduction from these contacts carries disproportionate weight with a founder-controlled foundation.

• Align on geography first. Operating in or near the Newfound Lake region, the White Mountains, or greater Boston is a necessary condition. Organizations outside NH and MA should identify the specific personal connection that would explain their inclusion before pursuing a relationship.

• Lead with unrestricted organizational support, not project grants. Every grant in the database is documented as 'unrestricted donation.' Do not pitch a discrete program or project budget as the primary ask — frame the conversation around long-term organizational sustainability and mission impact.

• Emphasize heritage and environmental dimensions when relevant. Scottish heritage connections, NH cultural stewardship, and conservation projects with outdoor recreation access are unusually well-represented in the portfolio and signal genuine personal passion. Clan Maclean Association ($248,772) and NH Scot ($80,000) show that heritage framing resonates at meaningful dollar levels.

• Timing. There is no published grant cycle. Relationship building should proceed continuously, with any substantive conversations timed around the McLanes' civic calendar: USRowing Foundation board meetings, NH conservation convenings, MFA Boston donor events, and Dartmouth alumni programming.