The Champlin Foundation

The Champlin Foundation operates as one of Rhode Island's most consequential philanthropic forces — a pure capital grantmaker with $456 million in assets (2024) that distributes $19–24 million annually across the state's nonprofit sector. Its giving philosophy is explicit and narrow: fund bricks, mortar, and equipment, never programs, operations, or advocacy. For grant seekers, this clarity is a strategic advantage.

The Foundation's trust structure, administered by PNC Bank NA in Wilmington, DE, belies a deeply community-rooted governance model. A Distribution Committee of approximately nine volunteer members — chaired by Edward B Wetherill with Linda Newton as Vice Chair — makes all grant decisions. Nina Stack, Executive Director, leads day-to-day operations alongside Director of Grant Administration Timothy Gorham. In summer 2025, the committee added Andrew Schiff, retired CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, bringing hands-on social services expertise to deliberations.

First-time applicants should know that Champlin actively funds new relationships. Twelve organizations received their inaugural Champlin grant in spring 2025 alone. The barrier to entry is eligibility, not familiarity: three years of 501(c)(3) status, a Rhode Island address, a capital project, and evidence of board strength and fiscal health.

There is no letter of inquiry process. Applicants submit directly through the GrantInterface portal within one of two annual windows. Pre-application consultation is not required, though Heather Fraser (Grants & Systems Manager) supports portal navigation and file submissions.

The Foundation's top grantees reveal a relationship pattern worth studying: organizations like Crossroads Rhode Island ($2.16M across 3 grants), Boys & Girls Clubs of Providence ($2M across 2 grants), and the YMCA network (multiple grants per branch, per year) have built recurring funding relationships by consistently delivering completed capital projects and accurate annual reports. Multi-phase construction projects funded over several grant cycles are common among the top 50 grantees.

Nina Stack's stated core value is constancy — the Foundation explicitly positions itself as a reliable, long-term investor in Rhode Island's infrastructure. Grant seekers should approach Champlin not as a one-time source but as a potential multi-cycle partner, demonstrating through each application that their organization completes projects on time, on budget, and on mission.

The Champlin Foundation's grant data across 823 documented awards totals $79.9 million, with an average grant of $97,079 and a median of $48,000 (range: $2,071 to $1,000,000). These figures reflect the Foundation's own typical grant size data. In 2025, total distribution reached $19.6 million — consistent with five-year averages and close to 2023's $21.9 million and 2022's $24.2 million.

Geographically, 98.8% of recorded grants (813 of 823) flow to Rhode Island organizations, with Providence County institutions dominating the top-50 grantee list. However, the reach is statewide: fall 2025 funding touched 30 cities and towns plus 17 statewide organizations, with Newport County alone receiving $1.5 million in a single cycle.

By sector, Healthcare and Social Services command the largest cumulative dollars among top grantees. Healthcare institutions include Women & Infants Hospital ($1.55M across 3 grants), Newport Hospital ($1.5M across 2 grants), and Rhode Island Hospital Foundation ($700K). Social services organizations — Crossroads Rhode Island ($2.16M), Dorcas International Institute ($1M), Family Service of Rhode Island ($776K) — collectively represent major capital investment in human services infrastructure. Youth Services (YMCA network, Boys & Girls Clubs) account for consistent multi-grant, multi-cycle relationships across the state. Education grants cluster around higher education and workforce programs: Brown University Champlin Scholars ($1.67M), CCRI Foundation ($1.34M), URI Foundation ($1M+).

The grant-size spectrum is genuinely wide. A $4,718 ceramics studio air filter (Jamestown Arts Center) and a $1,635 technology purchase (Turning Around Ministries) received awards in the same fall 2025 cycle as a $750,000 clubhouse expansion. This signals the Foundation funds based on project merit and organizational fit, not organizational budget size.

Long-term trajectory: Annual giving grew from $14.6 million in 2015 to $23.4 million in 2020 and $21.9 million in 2023, directly tracking asset growth from $231 million (2012) to $456 million (2024). As the endowment has grown, so too has both grant volume and individual award size — a trend likely to continue given continued asset appreciation.

The table below compares The Champlin Foundation to major Rhode Island-focused private and community foundations (peer figures are approximate from public IRS filings and foundation disclosures):

The Champlin Foundation occupies a unique strategic position among Rhode Island funders. It is capital-only (no operating support), openly accessible through a structured online portal, and operates at a scale second only to the Rhode Island Foundation among locally-focused RI grantmakers. This combination of genuine open access and meaningful median grant size ($48,000) makes it the most accessible major capital funder in the state.

Compared to invitation-only peers like van Beuren (concentrated on Newport County) and Hassenfeld (primarily education), Champlin's structured open application removes relationship-gatekeeping barriers. However, its capital-only restriction means organizations with operating needs must pursue the Rhode Island Foundation's broader portfolio or other funders in parallel. For capital campaigns in particular, Champlin is frequently the anchor funder before organizations approach corporate and individual donors.

The Champlin Foundation's 2025 grant activity represents one of its highest-distribution years in recent history. In spring 2025, the Foundation announced $8 million to 89 Rhode Island nonprofits — including 12 first-time grantees — with notable awards of $660,000 to Kent Hospital for a behavioral health unit renovation and $122,726 to Amos House for facility safety upgrades.

In fall 2025, the Foundation distributed $11.2 million to 98 organizations, bringing the full-year total to $19.6 million across 188 groups spanning 30 cities and towns plus 17 statewide organizations. The largest individual awards included $750,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County for central clubhouse expansion, $270,000 to Federal Hill House (its largest-ever Champlin grant) for a community dining room and facility upgrades, and $250,000 to Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England for camp renovations.

In summer 2025, the Distribution Committee welcomed Andrew Schiff as a new member. Schiff retired in May 2025 as long-serving CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, bringing specific expertise in food security and social services infrastructure.

Executive Director Nina Stack's public statements in 2025 reflected sector awareness: in spring she emphasized Champlin's constancy as a core value — positioning the Foundation as a reliable investor when other funding sources fluctuate. In fall, she explicitly acknowledged that 'the nonprofit community is under extraordinary pressure, facing deep uncertainty in the wake of funding and policy changes' — a reference to federal grant uncertainty that may be shaping Champlin's stance as a stabilizing capital funder.

No leadership transitions beyond Schiff's committee addition were reported in 2025.

Lead with capital project specificity. The single most effective step in a Champlin application is opening with a precise, bounded description of the capital project: what will be built or purchased, the exact dollar amount, the named vendor or contractor, and which of the nine focus areas it serves. Vague project descriptions — 'general facility improvements' or 'equipment upgrades' — consistently underperform against applications tied to a specific renovation scope, a bid from a named contractor, or a quoted piece of medical or educational equipment.

Calibrate request size to project scope, not to the maximum possible. The Foundation awarded grants from $1,635 to $750,000 in fall 2025. Smaller or first-time applicants should request what the project genuinely requires — the Foundation routinely funds organizations across a wide budget spectrum, and inflated requests relative to organizational scale raise scrutiny.

Apply in the correct cycle — this is a disqualifying error. Cycle 1 (December 15 – January 15) is for most nonprofits. Cycle 2 (June 1 – July 1) is required for Houses of Worship and traditional public schools. For 2026, public schools are restricted entirely to Cycle Two. Missing this rule disqualifies an otherwise strong application.

Prepare documentation before opening the live portal. The GrantInterface portal uses branching logic — certain questions appear only based on prior answers. Download the Traditional Grant Sample Application PDF and review the full question set before opening your live application. Assemble contractor bids, vendor quotes, project drawings, photos, audited financials, board list, and IRS determination letter before you begin. Contact Heather Fraser (hfraser@champlinfoundation.org, 401-944-9200 x115) for portal access issues or to attach oversized files — she manually adds documents to applications.

Demonstrate board strength and clean financials. Eligibility criteria specifically require strong board leadership and no fiscal concerns. Audited financials showing a clean balance sheet and an active, accountable board are non-negotiable supporting materials.

Write concisely. The Foundation's FAQ explicitly states: 'applicants should not feel compelled to maximize character limits — quality over length is valued.' Tight, jargon-free project descriptions serve these applications better than lengthy narratives.

Plan for multi-cycle relationships. The top grantees in Champlin's history have received 2–7 separate grants over multiple cycles. Completing projects on time, spending funds accurately, and filing annual reports by the 12-month deadline builds the track record that supports larger and more frequent future awards.