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Nate Chace, a partner at Chace, Ruttenberg, and Freedman, has spent the entirety of his legal career assisting families in estate planning and administration.

In this work, he has been a true partner of the Rhode Island Foundation, having served on our Professional Advisory Council and recommending the Foundation to many clients over the years as they consider their philanthropic legacies. These efforts have resulted in a lasting impact in the Ocean State.    

Nate's clients range from families of modest wealth concerned with the orderly passing of assets, to families with significant tax issues that require the use of sophisticated estate planning techniques, to families that have unique intra-family concerns that require special attention. Nate understands that each client presents a distinct set of issues, and prides himself on giving each matter his individual attention.

Nate's careful attention to the unique needs and situation of each client has earned him numerous accolades:

Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel  

Included in "The Best Lawyers in America" and other similar compilations

Rhode Island and New England "Super Lawyer" for many years

Frequent lecturer at Rhode Island Bar Association seminars on estate planning and estate administration

Former President and current member of Estate Planning Council of Rhode Island

And in October, he was endowed with another: The Rhode Island Foundation Harold B. Soloveitzik Award which recognizes a professional advisor who has demonstrated an enduring commitment to philanthropy.

As a donor and member of the 1916 Society himself, Nate is no stranger to philanthropy.  He has served on numerous boards including the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Planned Giving Council of Rhode Island, and Providence Country Day School.

In particular, he has given of his time and treasure to the maintenance and preservation of the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse just off the East Providence shoreline, part of the dedicated group of volunteers who restored this historic landmark, built in 1871. Last year, Nate established the Nathan W. And Mary E. Chace Fund for the Benefit of Friends of the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse to provide a steady stream of income for annual expenses and capital projects at the Lighthouse.  

As a child, Nate Chace grew up watching the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse across a short stretch of water from his Riverside home. After it was shut down in 1974, as an adult he watched it go dark and unoccupied and start to slowly wither away.

“Pomham Rocks was one of a group of five small lighthouses at Sassafrass Point, Fuller Rock, Sabin Point and Bullocks Point. All its brethren have succumbed to old age or hurricane damage,” says Chace.

Along with the work of the volunteers, Chace said the preservation effort benefited from help from friends they didn’t know they had. Like Exxon Mobil, which took over the lighthouse in 1980 and has a fuel unloading terminal a few hundred feet away.  

Not only did Exxon Mobil let the group work on the lighthouse, but in 2010 it signed title to it over to the American Lighthouse Foundation, the Pomham friends’ parent organization.

Then there was a visit to Gilbane Building Co., Chase said. He was going there to see if they could advise on the restoration. As he walked through the headquarters, he found they had a Pomham Rocks conference room.

Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission provided a $150,000 grant. With the help of these and others, the group was able to raise $1.2 million to pay for the project and Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is debt free.

It is truly impressive “what a determined group of volunteers can do to bring an iconic piece of Rhode Island history—a working lighthouse on the National Register of Historic Places—back to life.”

The Foundation is grateful for all that Nate has done to make Rhode Island a better place.