About Us

The Cranwell Family Foundation is a locally grounded, globally minded, private family philanthropy, based in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA, that invests in the lives of individuals and organizations in a way that is engaging and empowering and that seeks to inspire and increase impact in everything we do. We believe in the power of philanthropy to inspire and instill hope in individuals and organizations by creating balance and closing the gap between a meaningful vision and the support required to bring it to life.

The foundation started as the Bill and Ellen Charitable Trust, then evolved to be called the Cranwell Foundation, and recently evolved again into its final name as the Cranwell Family Foundation. The final name change was motivated by a desire to highlight that family is at the center (both literally and figuratively) of the foundation’s identity and all that we do. Changing the name also reflects that while it was Bill and Ellen’s shared philanthropic vision that started the foundation, it is the family’s collective commitment to that vision that will sustain the foundation in perpetuity. Related to the name change, we also engaged with two creative services companies to develop a new logo, wordmark, and website to reflect and align with the new name.

Barakaeli Lawuo with Nikole Seavy at ISF

Our Vision

Bringing balance and bridging gaps to unlock opportunities and unleash potential locally and globally.

Our Values

Empowerment

We believe in empowering individuals, communities, and organizations—both locally and globally—by providing resources and support that enable and equip them to shape their own futures.

Collaboration

We believe in the power of collaboration, engaging with and supporting individuals, communities, and organizations—both locally and globally—to leverage collective strengths for greater impact, serving as a connector and a catalyst.

Transformation

We believe that transformation does not come about instantaneously or through a single act. It happens through strategic, synergistic, and sustained engagement over time. We lead (and give)—both locally and globally—with the long game in mind, and with an understanding that “transformational giving” is not tied to a dollar amount.

Our Mission

The Cranwell Family Foundation is dedicated to unlocking opportunities and unleashing potential within a locally grounded and globally minded framework. Our mission is to empower and equip individuals and organizations through our giving, serving as a connector, collaborator, and catalyst to advance and amplify impact locally and globally. As we carry out our mission, we strive to create a ripple effect that transcends differences and transforms lives within and among diverse communities.

Our Leadership Team

David Clubb

David Clubb serves as Executive Director of the Cranwell Family Foundation (CFF). He is a global leader, educator, entrepreneur, executive, change agent, consultant, project manager, and program developer with 30 years of transformative leadership experience around the world, connecting diverse people and organizations who work across languages, cultures, and borders to solve shared global challenges. He has traveled, worked, and/or studied in Aruba, Belize, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Haiti, India, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, and Switzerland.

As Executive Director, David amplifies and advances CFF’s philanthropic priorities and its mission to unlock opportunities and unleash potential in ways that empower individuals and organizations to make transformational impact locally and globally. He is responsible for board relations and governance, strategic planning, business administration and operations, communications and public relations, community engagement, collaborative partnerships, grantmaking and management, and program development. He also represents CFF as a member of key professional associations, including but not limited to the Virginia Funders Network (VFN), the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP), and the Network of Engaged International Donors (NEID Global).

Prior to serving in his current role with the Cranwell Family Foundation, David served as a faculty member and senior administrator at several institutions of higher education, leading a wide range of strategic initiatives designed to position the institutions as more globally oriented and internationally connected. Most recently, David was a faculty member at Virginia Tech, where he served as the Director of the Cranwell International Center, which was endowed by the Cranwell family. He has also been engaged in a wide range of global consulting work, including with the Gateway International Group.

David earned a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Studies and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies. He also completed the MBA Essentials (MBAe) certificate program in the Center for Executive Education at the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. He has completed coursework towards the Certificate in Nonprofit Executive Leadership, a joint program of the Lily School of Philanthropy and the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. He is a licensed Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and the Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory (ICS)

Our Professional Associations