Information for Grantees

2025 Grant Cycle

Opening date: January 20, 2025 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

Application deadline: March 24, 2025 (Dorothy Height’s birthday–learn more)

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The Providence Shelter has been supporting our community since 1838—nearly a century before the birth of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Dorothy Height. To honor their legacy, the grant cycle aligns with their birthdays, symbolically linking the Shelter’s past to present and future commitments. This link also mirrors the broader journey of civil rights in America—a long path of progress, with much work still to be done.

Applying For a Grant​

Since 1838, The Providence Shelter Foundation has been dedicated to supporting the well-being and education of children of color in Rhode Island’s urban core communities. Our grants focus on programs that offer well-being, mental health support, educational advancement, and leadership opportunities, including funding initiatives in art exposure, summer camperships, music training, and various other programs designed to develop well-rounded youth.

Apply Today

The Proposal Review Committee uses the following guidelines when evaluating grant applications:

  • Programs should serve children in Rhode Island’s urban core communities (Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket, Newport), and a priority is placed on areas with a higher concentration of children of color. For information on community demographics, please reference the section on Racial & Ethnic Diversity in the 2024 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook
  • Supporting organizations and programs with leadership that reflects the diversity of the communities they serve.
  • A potential grantee’s financial sustainability is taken into consideration (by assessing their diverse income sources and funding strategies).
  • Preference is given to programs serving more rather than fewer children (e.g. scholarships for one child are not available).
  • Programs funded should provide cultural, educational, and social opportunities, as well as covering basic needs.
  • Programs funded should serve children age 18 and under.
  • Funding is for services or programs for children, not for equipment or capital improvements.

Applications must be submitted through the Rhode Island Foundation’s website

Shelter funds will be allocated starting in June.

A complete application package includes:
  1. Online Application: The primary form is to be filled out directly within the Rhode Island Foundation system.
  2. Budget Form: Include this in your online application, ensuring to detail all funding sources.
  3. Self-Evaluation Form: Mandatory for organizations that received a grant from the Providence Shelter in the previous year. If your program is ongoing, please submit an interim report.
  4. Supporting Materials (Optional): You may include up to four pages of additional documents to complement your application.

Applications must be received by March 24, 2025.

For general inquiries or content-related questions about the application, please contact Monica Benson at (401) 427-4017 or mbenson@rifoundation.org. For technical questions, please contact Ian Ross at (401) 427-4012 or iross@rifoundation.org. For questions about The Providence Shelter Foundation, contact Kilah Walters-Clinton at Kilahwaltersclinton@providenceshelter.org.