Grant funders / Rhode Island / Higher Education
Higher Education Grant Funders in Rhode Island
417 foundations with a documented higher education focus have made grants to Rhode Island nonprofits in recent years, together directing $127.1M to organizations across the state. Below are the most active — every funder links to a full giving profile, and Bespoke Grants will match all 417 against your nonprofit's specific mission, for free.
417
Higher education funders
$127.1M
Given to Rhode Island nonprofits
2,675
Grants on record
2025
Most recent giving
Most active higher education funders in Rhode Island
| # | Funder | Based in | Total Rhode Island giving | Grants | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penner Family Foundation Inc | Arkansas | $16.1M | 11 | 2024 |
| 2 | Rhode Island College Foundation | Rhode Island | $13.5M | 8 | 2025 |
| 3 | Naval War College Foundation Inc | Rhode Island | $9.7M | 7 | 2024 |
| 4 | Bravo Family Charitable Foundation | Florida | $8.6M | 7 | 2024 |
| 5 | The Edelman Family Foundation | New York | $5.0M | 7 | 2022 |
| 6 | University of Rhode Island Foundation | Rhode Island | $4.5M | 4 | 2018 |
| 7 | The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York | $4.4M | 9 | 2024 |
| 8 | The Foundation for Rhode Island | Rhode Island | $2.7M | 8 | 2024 |
| 9 | Drr Family Foundation | Georgia | $2.4M | 8 | 2024 |
| 10 | The Rhode Island Community Foundation | Rhode Island | $2.3M | 83 | 2024 |
| 11 | The Sidney E Frank Foundation | New York | $2.2M | 2 | 2022 |
| 12 | The Annenberg Foundation | Pennsylvania | $1.7M | 4 | 2024 |
| 13 | Van Beuren Charitable Foundation Inc | New York | $1.7M | 11 | 2024 |
| 14 | The George a & Eliza Gardner Howard | Rhode Island | $1.6M | 4 | 2024 |
This list is ranked by size. Yours should be ranked by fit.
The funders above are the biggest higher education funders in Rhode Island — not necessarily the right ones for you. Bespoke Grants ranks all 417 against your nonprofit's actual mission, service area, and budget, and shows you why each one matches. Free, no credit card.
Rank these funders for my nonprofit →Higher Education funders in other states
Other causes funded in Rhode Island
How this list is built. Bespoke Grants indexes 13M+ grants from public IRS Form 990 filings. This page shows foundations whose giving carries a documented higher education focus and that have funded Rhode Island nonprofits. Giving figures reflect each funder's total recent grants to Rhode Island recipients. IRS data publishes on a 1–2 year lag; figures are current through the most recent available filings.