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The Rhode Island Foundation will award $3 million in grants to help Rhode Island nonprofits affected by the loss of federal funding due to recent actions in Washington. 

“We understand the harm these policies may pose to the work of our nonprofit partners, and most importantly, to the thousands of Rhode Islanders they serve each day,” said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO. 

“If Washington’s funding freezes and proposed cuts happen as feared, many of our neighbors, friends and communities will lose vital services they rely on for health care, housing, education, public safety, jobs and more,” he said. 

"Many nonprofit organizations tell us they are already struggling with interruptions in the payment of federal grants or outright elimination of federal funding and contracts, which threaten to undermine their work to improve the lives of Rhode Islanders,” he said. 
 
“Imagine empty shelves at local food pantries, the end of job training programs, small business assistance drying up, Head Start programs going dark, or children going hungry,” said Cicilline. 

Southside Community Land Trust is already feeling the effects. The nonprofit has lost $600,000 due to federal funding freezes and contract cancellations. The organization helped feed an estimated 25,000 Rhode Islanders through food pantries and community meal sites last year and supported nearly three dozen small, family farm businesses. 

“This isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet—it’s about real people who depend on our programs every day,” says Executive Director Margaret DeVos. “We’re now forced to make difficult decisions about staffing and program capacity that will directly impact the communities we serve.” 

The Foundation will award $1 million in grants through its new Community Partner Resilience Fund (CPR Fund). Organizations that demonstrate potentially significant and long-term federal funding losses can apply for grants of up to $50,000. The application period opens April 7.
 
Seeded with $500,000 from Foundation’s own reserves, and matched through the support of generous donors, initial funding from this program may be used for scenario planning, financial planning, crisis communications, development consulting and other supportive professional services.   

The Foundation invites the public to contribute to the CPR Fund at rifoundation.org/resilience. 

“We know there are many generous Rhode Islanders who share our commitment to ensuring their neighbors do not lose vital services. Together, we can navigate these challenges and continue to make a lasting impact,” said Cicilline. 

In addition, the Foundation is earmarking $2 million in funding across two rounds of its Community Priority and Capacity Building Grant Programs. Priority will be given to organizations impacted by federal funding cuts or freezes.  The Round 1 application period opened in January and closed earlier this month. The Foundation is reviewing those applications to prioritize organizations that have been directly affected by recent federal actions. The application period for Round 2 opens Aug. 1. 

In addition to the $3 million in grants, the Foundation is also committing $200,000 from its Civic Leadership Fund to help fund legal assistance, training and information sharing to support nonprofits impacted by federal actions as well as data collection and research to obtain a better understanding their effect on nonprofits and the communities they serve. 

“The magnitude of potential federal funding decreases or service demand increases that may result from Washington’s actions would create a financial void that cannot be filled by philanthropy alone," said Cicilline. “But just as we have during previous moments of uncertainty throughout our 109-year history, we are committed to leveraging our resources and collaborating with partners, donors, and policymakers to respond thoughtfully, effectively, and dynamically. 

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Through civic leadership, fundraising and grant-making activities, together with neighbors and partners, the Foundation is helping to create progress that lasts.