Helping People in Rhode Island Find Help

If you need individual assistance you should first look locally to see what resources are available before launching a full internet search.

On our site we are happy to provide free information on over 200 grant, loan, financial aid, and other benefits programs including help with food, help with rent rent and help with utilities.

Click here for more details: http://www.nonprofitexpert.com/assistance.htm

Many people look to the government hoping to find out how to apply for a grant or to get "free money." However, grants usually go to state and local governments or nonprofit organizations, who then use the money to operate assistance programs locally. USA.gov has information about grants and loans.

Individuals looking for government grants and loans should visit http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_en.portal. States and organizations looking for grants should visit Grants.gov.

Another source of information is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, which is a directory of over 15 types of federal assistance, including grants and loans. There are about 1,500 programs listed in the CFDA. Each program has a summary which explains program eligibility requirements, agency contact information, and application instructions. 

One easy way to find out what government benefits you qualify for is by completing this  free anonymous questionnaire so you will be able to obtain the most accurate list of benefit programs for which you may be eligible. Click here to start!

If you are looking for grants from private foundations then we suggest you try the FREE tool offered by the Foundation Center below:

Foundation Finder is a lookup tool provided to the public free of charge by the Foundation Center. It provides basic facts on private foundations, community foundations, grantmaking public charities, and corporate giving programs in the U.S. 

Foundation Finder has been redesigned to allow you to:

• Search by grantmaker name—including former, partial, and common names

• Search by geography to identify grantmakers in a given city, state, or zip code

• Search by EIN number

Tips for Using Foundation Finder

Need more detailed information on grantmakers than what's provided in Foundation Finder? Consider subscribing to The Foundation Directory Online, with subscription plans starting as low as $19.95 a month.

Below are foundations that give to individuals:

Alliance of Artists' Communities
255 S. Main St.
Providence, RI 02903-2910
Telephone: (401) 351-4320     Fax: (401) 351-4507
E-mail: aac@artistcommunities.org
URL: www.artistcommunities.org

The alliance seeks to contribute to America's cultural vitality by
supporting a membership of diverse residency programs and advocating
for creative environments that advance the endeavors of artists.

Warren Alpert Foundation
27 Warren Way
P.O. Box 72743
Providence, RI 02907-2424
E-mail: lvogel@thecastlegrp.com
URL: http://www.warrenalpert.org/foundation/

Support primarily for medical education and research; awards given to
individuals for medical research are determined in consultation with a
panel of medical experts in concert with the faculties of Harvard Medical
School and Albert Einstein School of Medicine.

Greater Bridgeport Retired Teachers Fund
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802
Application address:
c/o Barbara Surina
2401 Huntington Rd.
Trumbull, CT 06611

Giving for the medical care of retired teachers from the greater Bridgeport, CT,
area.

Alice L. Carlisle Trust for Children of Goshen Trust
Contact: Peter Weston
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802
Application address:
Amy Lynch
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
777 Main St.
Hartford, CT 06115

Awards grants to local area individuals for medical bill assistance.

Robert B. Cranston/Theophilus T. Pitman Fund
Contact: Vernon A. Harvey, Tr.
55 Memorial Blvd.
Newport, RI 02840-3679
Telephone: (401) 847-0217
Application address:
c/o John Grant
18 Market Sq.
Newport, RI 02840-3035
Telephone: (401) 847-4260

Giving to pre-selected organizations which assist the aged residents of
Newport, Rhode Island who fall under the category of temporarily or indigent
individuals.

Frances A. DeBlois Trust
c/o Bank of America, N.A., P.C. Group
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802
Application address:
c/o Emma Green
P.O. Box 9477
Boston, MA 02205

Giving primarily to pre-selected organizations. Some giving limited to payment
of medical bills for needy residents of Aquidneck, RI.

Robert Frost Teaching Chairs Trust
c/o Bank of America, N.A., P.C. Group
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Grant awards to individual teachers at Amherst Public High School, Massachusetts,
selected by secret ballot by jury of peers for their excellence.

Anthony C. Gonella Charitable Foundation
c/o Bank of America, N.A., P.C. Group
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Giving to individuals studying to become a priest within a Catholic Diocese.

Regina M. Holt Trust for Blind Children
c/o Bank of America, N.A., P.C. Group
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Grant awards only to blind children who are under 5 years of age and reside in CT.

Johnson Charitable Fund
c/o Bank of America, N.A., P.C. Group
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802
Type of Grantmaker: Independent foundation
Application address:
c/o Clifton Johnson, Jr.
1434 Memorial Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089-3536

Annual Grant award to resident of Pinehurst, NC.

David N. Lane Aged & Indigent Women's Fund
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802
Application address:
c/o Team, Inc.
30 Elizabeth St.
Derby, CT 06418-1846

Giving primarily for aged, indigent women.

Bishop Russell J. McVinney Foundation for Religious Vocations
485 Mt. Pleasant Ave.
Providence, RI 02908-3301

The foundation provides financial assistance to seminarians of the Diocese of
Providence who demonstrate need.

Bertha W. Merselis Trust under paragraph 4
c/o Bank of America, N.A., P.C. Group
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Grant for an individual who excels in instrumental music.

Bertha W. Merselis Trust under paragraph 5
c/o Bank of America, N.A., P.C. Group
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Grant for an individual in form of a vocal music award.

William J. Munson Fund
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802
Application addresses:
c/o Patrick Sharpe
82 North St.
Watertown, CT 06795-2106
Telephone: (203) 274-3553
Nancy Zawadzki
1191 Bassett Rd.
Watertown, CT 06795-1105
Telephone: (203) 274-5950
Dwight Miller
190 Main St.
Watertown, CT 06795-2244
Telephone: (203) 274-4181

Provides medical aid to local area residents in need, and student aid to local
area high school graduates; some support also for maintenance of town parks.

Narragansett Preservation and Improvement Association
Contact: Bernard Buonanno, Jr., Pres.
c/o Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, LLP
2800 Financial Plz.
Providence, RI 02903-2499
Telephone: (401) 274-9200

Giving for the preservation and beautification of the Naragansett River, Rhode
Island, through grants.

New England Amateur Skating Foundation, Inc.
Contact: Herbert E. Kaplan, Pres. and Treas.
Carol Anne Bennett
V.P.P.O. Box 6881
Providence, RI 02940-6881
Telephone: (401) 861-9266     Fax: (401) 861-3628
E-mail: neasf@hotmail.com

The foundation assists competitive ice skaters by paying expenses related to their
training, such as lessons, equipment, costumes, entrance fees, and travel.

Primate Conservation, Inc.
Contact: Noel B. Rowe, Dir.
1411 Shannock Rd.
Charlestown, RI 02813-3726
Telephone: (401) 364-7140     Fax: (401) 364-6785
URL: www.primate.org

Research grants and seed money to qualified conservationists, primatologists,
and graduate students, for projects pertaining to the study of rare and
endangered primates in their natural habitat, and their conservation.

Providence Female Charitable Society
Contact: Mrs. Charles E. Gross, Treas.
P.O. Box 829
Rumford, RI 02916

Support to needy female residents of RI.

Relief Association Trust
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Giving to financially needy elderly persons.

The Rhode Island Foundation
(aka The Rhode Island Community Foundation)
Contact: Carol Golden, Exec. V.P.
1 Union Station
Providence, RI 02903-1746
Telephone: (401) 274-4564     Fax: (401) 331-8085
URL: www.rifoundation.org
Artist grants E-mail: dkertzner@rifoundation.org
E-mail address for scholarships: lmonahan@rifoundation.org

The foundation seeks to promote philanthropic activities that will improve the
living conditions and well-being of the inhabitants of RI; grants for capital
and operating purposes principally to agencies working in the fields of education,
health care, the arts and cultural affairs, youth, the aged, social services,
urban affairs, historic preservation, and the environment. Some restricted grants
for scholarships and medical research.

Rostra Engineered Component Sunshine Fund
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

The fund provides flowers and fruit baskets to employees of Rostra Precision
Controls when illness or a death in the family occurs and small loans for
emergencies.

Hymen & Clara Sitrin Awards - Utica Free Academy
c/o Bank of America, N.A., P.C. Group
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Grant awards to students at Utica Free Academy.

William T. Sloper Trust
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802
Application address:
c/o Carmen Britt
777 Main St.
Hartford, CT 06115

Giving for concerts by performers of national or international renown.

Inez Sprague Trust
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802
Application address:
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
Attn: Charitable Trust
100 Federal St.
Boston, MA 02110

Giving to assist the poor and needy residents of Narragansett, RI.

Stokes Scholarship Trust
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Scholarship awards to financially needy residents of Langdon, New Hampshire,
for postsecondary education. If there are no candidates from Langdon, recipients
will be chosen from Alstead, New Hampshire.

Townsend Aid for the Aged
Contact: Caroline Kaull, Pres.
43 Benedict Ave.
Portsmouth, RI 02871-2301
Application address:
c/o Janice Barrows
12 Madeline Dr.
Newport, RI 02840

Provides aid to the needy elderly in Newport, RI only.

United States Sailing Foundation
15 Maritime Dr.
P.O. Box 1260
Portsmouth, RI 02871-0907
Telephone: (401) 683-0800
URL: http://www.ussailing.org/

The foundation promotes U.S. excellence in international sailing competitions.

Urann Foundation
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802
Application address:
P.O. Box 1788
Breckton, MA 02403
Telephone: (617) 588-7744

Giving for scholarships and payment of medical bills to members of Massachusetts
families engaged in cranberry production; remainder of giving to a specified
university and hospital.

Utica Free Academy Alumni Art Fund
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Grant award given annually to a student of exceptional art potential as an
Alumni Art Award.

Utica Free Academy Public Speaking Fund
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
Private Clients Group
P.O.Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Grant awards to individuals for UFA Public Speaking Prize Awards.

Utica Free Academy Spanish Prize Fund
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.C. Group
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Grant award to individuals for UFA Spanish Prize Awards.

The Anne Walker Scholarship Fund
c/o Bank of America, N.A., P.C. Group
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802
Application address:
c/o Dunkirk Public Schools
Attn.: Scholarship Comm.
P.O. Box 1298
W. 6th St.
Dunkirk, NY 14048-6268

Scholarship awards paid directly to the college or university for graduates
of Dunkirk High School, New York.

Richard Waterman Trust
Contact: Walter D. Waterman III, Mgr.
c/o Tillinghast, Licht & Semonoff
10 Weybosset St.
Providence, RI 02903-2818
Application address:
493 Pleasant Valley Pkwy.
Providence, RI 02908
Telephone: (401) 467-6510

Support for Baptist churches and individuals preaching the Calvinist Baptist
doctrine within three miles of the late Richard Waterman's house in Greene, RI.

Hamilton Fish Webster Medical Fund
Contact: Virginia B. Samson, Chair.
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802
Application address:
114 Bayview Ave.
Portsmouth, RI 02871

Applicant must be a resident of Aquidneck Island, who belongs to the business,
retired, or professional class and does not have sufficient means to pay for
medical care.

Isidore and Selma Wise Travel Foundation Trust
c/o Bank of America, N.A.
P.O. Box 1802
Providence, RI 02901-1802

Grants for travel-related study, to Barnard Brown Elementary School and public
high school students residing in Hartford, Connecticut.