Rhode Island Foundation
The Rhode Island Foundation is a community foundation serving Rhode Island nonprofits, residents, and donors. Founded in 1916, it mobilizes philanthropic donations into grants, impact investing, capacity building, and community leadership programs addressing education, healthcare, housing, arts, food security, and economic opportunity statewide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1916
- HeadquartersProvidence, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Rhode Island Foundation does
Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive community foundation in Rhode Island, operating as an independent 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered at One Union Station in Providence since its founding in 1916. The Foundation mobilizes donations from individuals, families, and organizations into endowed funds and deploys them through three core activities: grantmaking across education, healthcare, economic opportunity, arts, environment, and housing; impact investing through loans, lines of credit, and equity participations that generate both social impact and financial returns; and capacity-building programs that include workshops, technical assistance, and leadership development. In 2025 it awarded a record $93 million in grants to more than 2,000 nonprofits, and its impact-investing program has deployed more than $20 million across 20+ investments with a 100% repayment rate and mobilized more than $41 million over 25 years.
Its business model rests on philanthropic fundraising plus returns from impact investments, with no product or service pricing. The Foundation reaches grantees through direct grant applications, the Together RI community dinners and office hours program, the Together RI Podcast hosted by President and CEO David N. Cicilline, email newsletters, social channels, capacity-building workshops, and earned media placements in outlets such as Providence Business News, TurnTo10, and Ocean State Media. It supplements its core programming through strategic partnerships, including a co-developed leadership pipeline with the Institute for Nonprofit Practice (ELI+, Core Certificate, RISE Fellowship) and emergency and settlement-funded distributions executed in collaboration with the Office of the Rhode Island Attorney General.
The Foundation adds a new capital-product layer through the Early-Stage Capital Program, which provides pre-development and site-acquisition lines of credit to nonprofit affordable housing developers; in May 2026 it committed $10 million of its own capital alongside $5 million from the state's 2024 Housing Bond. Its geographic scope is Rhode Island only, and its customer base spans nonprofit service providers, hospitals, universities, libraries, housing developers, food-security organizations, and individual artists receiving fellowships.
Rhode Island Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rhode Island Foundation
- Legal name
- Rhode Island Community Foundation
- Website
- https://rifoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1916
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Rhode Island Foundation is a community foundation serving Rhode Island nonprofits, residents, and donors. Founded in 1916, it mobilizes philanthropic donations into grants, impact investing, capacity building, and community leadership programs addressing education, healthcare, housing, arts, food security, and economic opportunity statewide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rhode Island Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Foundation / Philanthropic Grantmaking Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)
Keywords
Where Rhode Island Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Providence
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Rhode Island Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Fundraising: The Foundation mobilizes generosity through donations from individuals, families, and organizations to build endowment funds that support Rhode Island communities.
- Impact Investing Returns: Returns from impact investments including loans, lines of credit, and equity participations that generate both social impact and modest financial returns to cover operating costs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Rhode Island Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rhode Island Foundation is a community foundation that mobilizes philanthropic donations from individuals, families, and organizations to build endowment funds, then distributes those resources as grants, scholarships, and impact-investing capital to Rhode Island nonprofits. It also delivers capacity-building workshops, leadership development programs, and community engagement initiatives such as Together RI to strengthen the state's nonprofit sector. The Foundation does not sell products or services; it provides grant funding at no cost to eligible applicants.
Product overview
Rhode Island Foundation operates as a community foundation providing philanthropic services including grantmaking across multiple focus areas (education, healthcare, economic opportunity, arts, environment, housing), scholarship programs, impact investing through lines of credit for nonprofit housing developers, nonprofit capacity building programs, community convenings (Together RI), and medical research seed funding. The organization does not offer a technology product or software platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community Grants Program
Quantifiable outcome
- $93 million in grants awarded to 2,000+ nonprofits in one year
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Rhode Island Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Rhode Island Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Rhode Island Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Rhode Island Attorney General Peter NeronhacorePartnership to distribute nearly $8 million in grants from civil settlement with Barletta Heavy Division for urgent children's dental care across Rhode Island. Four nonprofits receiving funds to improve dental care access for Providence children in high-need neighborhoods.
- Institute for Nonprofit Practice (INP)corePartnership launched in 2025 to bolster leadership pipelines across Rhode Island's nonprofit, public, and social enterprise sectors. Includes three joint leadership development programs: Equity Leadership Initiative+ (ELI+), Core Certificate Program, and RISE Fellowship Program. Programs offered at no cost to participants and graduated first cohorts in 2026.
- Rhode Island Community Food BankcoreEmergency grant recipient receiving $200,000 as part of $1 million emergency food grants to address food insecurity caused by SNAP funding cuts.
- Brown University ResearchersminorBrown University researchers received grants for medical research including DNA damage studies and various medical projects through the Foundation's medical research endowment program.
- Elisha ProjectminorEmergency grant recipient receiving $100,000 for meal site operations as part of emergency food grants addressing SNAP cutoff.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Rhode Island Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- The Cleveland Foundation: The first U.S. community foundation (1914) and one of the largest by assets (~$2B). Comparable in structure and grantmaking breadth but operates at much larger scale and across a more diversified urban region.
- The New York Community Trust: One of the largest community foundations in the U.S. (~$5B in assets), with comprehensive grantmaking, impact investing, and donor services across NYC. Comparable in programmatic breadth but operates at much greater scale and metropolitan focus.
Direct peers
- Vermont Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation serving Vermont with grantmaking and impact investing across education, environment, and community vitality. Comparable small-state community-foundation model.
- Community Foundation for Greater New Haven: Connecticut-based community foundation providing grants, scholarships, and capacity building to nonprofits in the Greater New Haven region. Comparable as a regional community-foundation peer with similar programmatic structure.
- New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: New Hampshire's largest private provider of grants and scholarships with similar statewide grantmaking, scholarships, and donor services. Strong peer given shared small-New-England-state footprint.
- Foundation For the Carolinas: One of the largest community foundations in the Southeast with comprehensive grantmaking, scholarships, and impact investing programs. Comparable in multi-program community-foundation model and donor-advised fund offerings.
- Maine Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation serving Maine with grantmaking, scholarships, and donor-advised funds. Closely comparable to RI Foundation in New England regional context, smaller-state focus, and similar programmatic mix.
- The Boston Foundation: Largest community foundation in New England, serving the Greater Boston region with comparable grantmaking, impact investing, and civic leadership programs. Most directly comparable peer given shared New England geography, scale, and community-foundation structure.
- Hartford Foundation for Public Giving: Connecticut's largest community foundation with permanent fund of $1B+ and similar combination of grantmaking, scholarships, and capacity building. Comparable as a New England regional peer at similar scale.
Regional players
- Greater Worcester Community Foundation: Massachusetts-based community foundation serving the Greater Worcester region with grantmaking and scholarship programs. Comparable as a neighboring New England community foundation with similar scale and operating model, though focused on a different geographic market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Rhode Island Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceRhode Island Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rhode Island Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Rhode Island Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rhode Island Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments28 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rhode Island Foundation
What does Rhode Island Foundation do?
Rhode Island Foundation is a community foundation that mobilizes philanthropic donations from individuals, families, and organizations to build endowment funds, then distributes those resources as grants, scholarships, and impact-investing capital to Rhode Island nonprofits. It also delivers capacity-building workshops, leadership development programs, and community engagement initiatives such as Together RI to strengthen the state's nonprofit sector. The Foundation does not sell products or services; it provides grant funding at no cost to eligible applicants.
Is Rhode Island Foundation a public or private company?
Rhode Island Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Rhode Island Foundation founded?
Rhode Island Foundation was founded in 1916. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Rhode Island Foundation based?
Rhode Island Foundation is headquartered in Providence, United States, in the North America region.
How does Rhode Island Foundation make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Philanthropic Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are impact Investing Returns.
Who are Rhode Island Foundation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are The Cleveland Foundation and The New York Community Trust. Direct peers are Vermont Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Foundation For the Carolinas, Maine Community Foundation, The Boston Foundation and Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Greater Worcester Community Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does Rhode Island Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rhode Island Foundation.
What industry is Rhode Island Foundation in?
Rhode Island Foundation's product category is Community Foundation / Philanthropic Grantmaking Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAB, Community Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAK, Education Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.