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Sally Lapides and Silvermoon Mars LaRose have been named to the Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Foundation. As the state’s largest funder of nonprofits, the Foundation awarded a record $89 million in grants to more than 2,500 organizations last year. 
 
"They are great additions to an already diverse and accomplished board. Their remarkable background and the extent of their experience will enable us to continue moving forward on priorities such as public education, health and economic opportunity," said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO. 
 
Lapides is president and CEO of Residential Properties, which has approximately 240 agents working out of nine offices. For over two decades, the firm has ranked first in Rhode Island for overall sales volume.  
 
“I am both honored and thrilled to have been selected to join the Rhode Island Foundation Board. I deeply admire the work the Foundation does every day for our great state of Rhode Island,” said Lapides.  
 
The Providence resident served on the board of the Global Alliance to Immunize Against AIDS and the Foundation's Equity Action Campaign Committee, which raised $1 million for Rhode Island’s LGBTQ communities. In addition, her board service includes Roger Williams University, Trinity Repertory Company, The Gordon School, Year Up Rhode Island and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. She earned a BA in Art History at Boston University. 

LaRose, a citizen of the Narragansett Tribal Nation, is the Assistant Director of the Tomaquag Museum, which offers a first-person perspective into the history, culture and lifeways of the Indigenous peoples of Southern New England. The Charlestown resident has worked with tribal communities for over 20 years, serving in the areas of health and human services, education and humanities.  
  
“I am proud to bring my perspective as an Indigenous artist and educator to the Foundation’s Board. I share the Foundation’s commitment to inclusion, empowerment and community building,” said LaRose.  
  
She earned a BA in Sociology and a minor in Justice, Law and Society at the University of Rhode Island and continued her education at Western Washington University in Rehabilitation Counseling. LaRose is a 2022 graduate of the Foundation’s Equity Leadership Initiative and now sits on its steering committee. In addition, she serves on the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission and as the Secretary for the Charlestown Conservation Commission and as Vice Chair of Avenue Concept, which supports local public art ecosystems. 

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Through civic leadership, fundraising and grantmaking activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is improving the lives of all Rhode Islanders.