Organizations are eligible to be awarded one Community Priority grant during a 12-month period.

This program primarily targets nonprofit, 501(c)3 organizations located in Rhode Island.

We also recognize there are entities and efforts without a 501(c)(3) IRS designation that align with this funding opportunity. Given that, we will also consider grant applications from groups using a fiscal sponsor with a 501(c)(3) IRS designation. If an organization is serving as a fiscal agent for another entity, they may also be eligible for a separate Community Priority grant to support their own organization.

Given our focus on Rhode Island, if your organization is located outside of the state yet serving Rhode Islanders in unique ways, we recommend completing the pre-application, and we’ll evaluate if your organization’s work might be a fit.

This grant program will not fund individuals, for-profit entities, event sponsorships, or capital projects. 

Applicants may be eligible for funding through the Press Forward Rhode Island (PFRI) program if the primary focus of their work pertains to local news and/or civic information.

PFRI grantmaking will be managed by the Rhode Island Foundation through the Community Priority Grants program, with the van Beuren Charitable Foundation jointly reviewing proposals and participating in grantmaking that aligns with their strategies and portfolios.

All applicants seeking PFRI support should select “Civic and Cultural Life” as their primary Community Priority, and “Enhance access to trusted news and information, support local journalism” as the Focus Area.

Note that for-profit news agencies may be eligible for funding as part of a collaborative endeavor with a nonprofit entity as lead applicant.

PFRI grantseekers must address one or more of the following program focus areas in their application narrative:

Improving access to news and information.

Examples of potential projects include but are not limited to:

• Partnerships among libraries, social service organizations, faith communities, trusted neighborhood champions and local businesses that enhance access to local news and information;
• Supporting organizations pursuing solutions journalism and asset-based community reporting;
• Programs that bridge ideological divides, build civic dialogue skills, or strengthen community trust in local media; and
• Public archival and documentation efforts—such as recording civic meetings and preserving local history through civic media. 
   

Addressing significant information gaps.

Examples of potential projects include but are not limited to:

• Those that give underserved communities greater access to on-the-ground reporting;
• Those that support topic-focused beats informed by community needs; and
• Collaborative, solutions-focused reporting to be made available for syndication statewide. 
   

Increasing sustainability of news networks through innovation and collaboration.

Examples of potential projects include but are not limited to:

• Collaborations among nonprofit and for profit outlets designed to facilitate the sharing of content and staff;
• Models to share staff with specialized skills in video production and digital media, or other back-office services;
• Infrastructure for collective reporting on critical statewide issues such as housing, education, and climate resilience;
• Contingency and sustainability plans—especially for print infrastructure, archiving, and emergency preparedness; and
• Addressing misinformation and disinformation via media literacy, civic education, and professional development initiatives.

Press Forward Rhode Island is a chapter of the national Press Forward network of funders working to expand resources for local news, and a collaborative effort of the Rhode Island Foundation and the van Beuren Charitable Foundation. To learn more, click here. 

• Focus area alignment: Demonstrate how the work of your organization supports one or more of the focus areas within the Community Priorities of the Foundation’s Five-Year Action Plan.
• Organizational health: There are many ways for you to show the health of your organization, including by demonstrating a clear mission and vision, commitment to financial stability, capacity to learn from your work, strong board and staff leadership, and evidence of your connection with the community you serve.
• Potential for community impact: Demonstrate how the work of your organization and your experience, partnerships, technical/content expertise, or other capabilities or unique qualities help your proposal respond to one or more of the community priorities, and related focus areas, in the Foundation's Five-Year Action Plan.
• Support thriving communities: Show how your organization demonstrates trust between, and engagement with, the population you serve, and how that helps your proposal respond to the needs of the community served and ensure their voice is part of the planning process.
• Sound implementation plan: Provide a practical budget, demonstrate sufficient capacity to accomplish the work described in the grant proposal, have a plan to track progress and outcomes, and identify ways to sustain the work in the future.
• Sustainability plan: You have an identified path towards sustainability, with the understanding that sustainability can come in many different forms and timelines. 

Applicants may apply for either programmatic or general operating support.

The average grant size for this program in 2025 was $60,000.

The Foundation seeks to continue our practice of making general operating grants accessible and substantive for small and midsized nonprofit organizations. Based on a review of our past grantmaking and best practices from across the sector, we are using the following budget guidelines to inform our use of general operating support.

Please note that these guidelines are general parameters to assist the Foundation team. Organizations are welcome to reach out with questions to clarify their specific situation during the application process. 

Annual Operating Budget Size - Under $150,000

Funding Guidelines - Up to $40,000

Annual Operating Budget Size - $150,001 - $400,000

Funding Guidelines - Up to $50,000

Annual Operating Budget Size - $400,001-$1,000,000  

Funding Guidelines - Up to $65,000

Annual Operating Budget Size - $1,000,001-$2,500,000

Funding Guidelines - Up to $75,000

Annual Operating Budget Size - $2,500,001-$5,000,000

Funding Guidelines - Up to $150,000

Annual Operating Budget Size - Over $5,000,000

Funding Guidelines - General operating grants will not be prioritized

As part of its review process, the Grants and Community Investments team utilizes a rubric to ensure rigorous and equitable evaluation of each application to the Community Priority grant program.

The rubric is closely linked to the program’s priorities and application questions. It includes a scoring system based on a series of questions rated on a 1-5 scale using defined criteria, while also incorporating qualitative comments. Questions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Does the request detail a proposal and identify communities served that are both clear and realistic?
• Does the request align with a Community Priority focus area, while addressing inequities in the identified community or communities served?
• Are the goals and activities clearly outlined for completing the proposed project successfully?
• Does the applicant demonstrate a realistic appreciation of potential challenges?  
• Are identified expenses aligned with the proposal’s goals and activities?

The rubric is one component of a comprehensive and collaborative review process that incorporates the perspective of multiple reviewers, team discussion, follow-up with applicants as needed, as well as alignment with available resources. The overarching goal is to ensure consistency and alignment with our Five-Year Action Plan. 

Prepare your application

Grants for this program are offered twice a year. To ensure greater equity and improve access and the ease of applying for a grant, we have a two-stage process starting with a simple pre-application followed by completion of a full application if there is a funding opportunity that may be a good match for the applicant’s proposal.

Pre-Application

Interested organizations must complete a brief pre-application.  

• Submissions will be reviewed as received on a rolling basis.
• After review by the officer assigned to your Community Priority – which may include an in-person conversation – you will be notified by email if you advance to the second stage to complete a full application. Applicants will also be notified of denials in a timely manner.  
• The pre-application may be previewed by clicking here.

Full Application

• If there is a potential funding opportunity that may be a good match for the pre-applicant’s proposal, they will proceed to the full application stage.  
• If your proposal advances, you will receive an email link to submit a full application.
• The application package consists of a narrative with details about the work the grant funding would support, expected outcomes, and a budget.
• Organizations advancing after the pre-application stage can access, complete, and submit a full application by clicking here.
• Grant notifications will be made in June and December annually.

Grant awards

Grantees will be asked about the progress of their project and to submit a final report describing the success of the project compared to its original goals.

From time to time, the Foundation team may organize meetings of grantees to share experiences, lessons learned, and ways we might be able to improve our processes and partnerships with grantees.