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Foundations that fund nonprofits in Rhode Island
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 3,216 grantmakers listed 19,249 grants totaling $1.5 billion to 5,002 organizations in Rhode Island. 2,987 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 229 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 267 are based in Rhode Island; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a Rhode Island organization was $7,175. Providence County received the most grants (10,749, from 1,988 funders), followed by Newport County (3,413) and Washington County (2,236). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (3,227 grants), children & youth (1,357 grants) and health & mental health (1,262 grants).
The Rhode Island Community Foundation (Providence, RI) funded the most different Rhode Island organizations: 694, through 709 grants with a typical size of $30,000.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most Rhode Island organizations
Ranked by the number of different Rhode Island organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to RI organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Rhode Island Community Foundation Providence, RI · EIN 22-2604963 | 709 | 694 | $30,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 2 | Ralph R Papitto & Barbara a Papitto Private Family Foundation Providence, RI · EIN 85-4150612 | 488 | 371 | $20,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 3 | The Champlin Foundation Pittsburgh, PA · EIN 51-0165988 | 396 | 306 | $50,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 4 | Washington Trust Westerly, RI · EIN 05-0477294 | 318 | 222 | $2,500 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 5 | United Way of Rhode Island Inc Providence, RI · EIN 05-0276059 | 198 | 198 | $18,920 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 6 | The Beacon Foundation Warwick, RI · EIN 85-4065871 | 343 | 178 | $1,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 7 | Van Beuren Charitable Foundation Inc New York, NY · EIN 22-2773769 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 206 | 125 | $44,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 8 | Centreville Savings Bank Charitable Foundation West Warwick, RI · EIN 51-0673508 | 146 | 119 | $5,750 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 9 | Banknewport Charitable Foundation Inc Newport, RI · EIN 88-2461260 | 113 | 107 | $5,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation Inc Taunton, MA · EIN 04-3332966 | 145 | 101 | $5,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | Ppl Foundation Allentown, PA · EIN 46-1605118 | 135 | 91 | $10,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | Cvs Foundation Woonsocket, RI · EIN 22-3206973 | 107 | 88 | $3,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | June Rockwell Levy Foundation Incorporated Providence, RI · EIN 04-6074284 | 81 | 81 | $10,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 14 | Ida Ballou Littlefield Memorial Trust Providence, RI · EIN 22-2994936 | 96 | 70 | $5,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | Bazarsky Family Foundation Middletown, RI · EIN 82-1138943 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 140 | 67 | $10,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence County | 10,749 | 1,988 | $632.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Newport County | 3,413 | 721 | $135.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Washington County | 2,236 | 588 | $47.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Kent County | 1,407 | 529 | $563.7 million | Top 5 funders |
| Bristol County | 742 | 295 | $24.0 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 3,227 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 1,357 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 1,262 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 1,071 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 805 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 636 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 356 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 271 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 257 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 202 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 106 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 47 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 42 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for Rhode Island ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.