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The Rhode Island Foundation awarded nearly $87 million in grants to more than 2,500 nonprofit organizations last year.

“Demand for our help did not diminish last year. The pandemic is behind us in many ways, but its impact on student success, health and the economy lingered,” said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “We are grateful for the generosity of Rhode Islanders who trust us to guide their philanthropy and the dedication of our nonprofit partners that enabled us to take on the challenge.”

The announcement comes as the Foundation launches its new Five-Year Action Plan and focuses its attention on Civic and Cultural Life, Climate Action and Sustainability, Civic and Cultural Life, Education and Student Success, Healthy and Strong Communities, and Housing and Economic Mobility; guided by inclusiveness, accessibility, compassion, mutual respect and humility.

In addition, the Foundation recently rolled out three enhanced grant programs: Community Priority Grants, Catalyst Grants and Capacity Building Grants.

At the end of 2024, total assets stood at approximately $1.5 billion. Total fund investment return for the year was 10.5 percent. In addition, the Foundation raised $59 million in gifts.

 About 75 percent of the grants were directed by the Foundation’s donors; only about a quarter of the grants could be made at the sole discretion of the Foundation.  About half of the nearly $87 million went to organizations that received both donor-directed and Foundation-directed grants.

Among the nonprofits receiving funding are College Visions, which received $94,000 to support its work preparing high school students from economically disadvantaged households to attend and succeed in college; Building Futures, which received $150,000 to expand its work training and placing graduates in the construction industry; and FirstWorks, which received $85,000 to support its work staging festivals, workshops, lectures and performances like PVDFest and the Summer Beats Concert Series.

In addition to funding from the Foundation’s core grant programs, it also awarded grants from a number of topic- or geography-related programs such as the Equity Action Fund, the Black Philanthropy Bannister Fund and the Newport County Fund.

The recipients include Riverzedge Arts in Woonsocket, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport, the WARM Center in Westerly, House of Hope in Warwick and the East Bay Community Action Program in East Providence, which received a grant through the Newport County Fund to promote parenting skills.

“Parents and caregivers are the most instrumental people in a child's life, so developing effective parenting skills is vital. By promoting positive relationships and enhancing engagement, we can better prepare children and their families for the future,” said Rilwan Feyisitan Jr., East Bay CAP’s president and CEO.

In addition to grantmaking and fundraising, community leadership is central to the Foundation’s work. In 2024, the Foundation raised nearly $720,000 for its Civic Leadership Fund.

This annual fund enables the Foundation to go beyond traditional grant-making to work with community partners and decision-makers to solve critical community challenges through convening and advocacy, and by providing opportunities for Rhode Islanders to engage in civic life.

“Our donors understand that responsiveness requires flexibility, innovation and the resources to take on pressing issues as they arise. Their generosity enabled us to tackle challenges like the housing shortage by funding a public education campaign in support of the $120 million housing bond last November,” said Cicilline.

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.