Grants & Scholarships

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Scholarship Opportunities 

Many generous individuals, families, organizations, and businesses have established scholarship funds at the Rhode Island Foundation to help students cover essential educational expenses, including tuition, fees, books, and other necessities.

Guided by donor intent, scholarship funds may support general educational assistance or target specific areas such as certain fields of study, trade and technical schools, residents of particular cities or towns, student interests or backgrounds, and other special circumstances.

All Rhode Island students are welcome to apply for scholarship funding.

To make the process as accessible as possible, the Foundation offers scholarships through three application pathways. 

 

Universal Application 

By completing the Universal Application, students can be matched with multiple funding opportunities through a single set of questions. These scholarships are marked “Universal Application” in the directory below. For some opportunities, applicants may need to answer additional essay prompts or provide further information, but our convenient online scholarship platform will help guide students through these steps.  

Stand-Alone Application 

Some scholarship and fellowship funds require a stand-alone application and are not part of the Universal Application. These include funds with very specific criteria or rolling deadlines, scholarships for K–12 students, and fellowships supporting activities beyond essential educational costs. These opportunities are labeled “Stand-Alone Application” in the directory below. 

Nursing Application 

The Foundation awards scholarships from several funds that support students pursuing nursing programs. A single application may be used to apply to all nursing scholarship opportunities. These opportunities are marked “Nursing Application” in the directory below.

For additional information, contact Monica Benson at (401) 427-4017 or email scholarships@rifoundation.org. Si necesita asistencia en Español, por favor de comunicarse con Zaida Hernandez al (401) 427-4039 o zhernandez@rifoundation.org.

College-level Universal

Lily and Catello Sorrentino Memorial Scholarship

April 13, 2026
  • Student 25 years of age or older
  • Pursuing an undergraduate degree in degree-conferring non-parochial institution in Rhode Island
  • Financial need

Important: review full requirements

Lily and Catello Sorrentino Memorial Scholarship

  • Student 25 years of age or older
  • Pursuing an undergraduate degree in degree-conferring non-parochial institution in Rhode Island
  • Financial need
  • Preference given to students attending Rhode Island College, Community College of Rhode Island, or University of Rhode Island
  • Preference given to first-time applicants
  • Award: $1,000 - $1,500; past recipients may reapply
Apply for Lily and Catello Sorrentino Memorial Scholarship Apply