Capacity Building Grants from the Rhode Island Foundation fund infrastructure improvements and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations addressing community priorities in Rhode Island. Eligible activities include board development and governance, business planning, communications and marketing, data and evaluation, financial planning, fund development, succession planning, and technology implementation.

The program primarily targets 501(c)(3) nonprofits located in Rhode Island, though organizations using a fiscal sponsor may also apply. Each organization may receive one Capacity Building grant per 12-month period. The program does not fund individuals, for-profit entities, event sponsorships, or capital projects.

All proposals must align with the Foundation's Five-Year Action Plan, which emphasizes inclusiveness, accessibility, and equity.

RI Foundation | Capacity Building Grants The application for this program is currently closed The Capacity Building Grant program is one of our three core grant programs and primarily provides funding to support the infrastructure and/or technical assistance needs of organizations and programs that respond to one or more of the community priorities, and related focus areas in the Foundation's Five-Year Action Plan .

At the center of each community priority is a focus on inclusiveness, accessibility, compassion, mutual respect and humility, ensuring that our efforts address inequities and support thriving communities. Organizations are eligible to be awarded one Capacity Building grant during a 12-month period. This program primarily targets nonprofit, 501(c)3 organizations located in Rhode Island.

We also recognize there are entities and efforts without a 501(c)(3) IRS designation that align with this funding opportunity. Given that, we will also consider grant applications from groups using a fiscal sponsor with a 501(c)(3) IRS designation. If an organization is serving as a fiscal agent for another entity, they may also be eligible for a separate Community Priority grant to support their own organization.

Given our focus on Rhode Island, if your organization is located outside of the state yet serving Rhode Islanders in unique ways, we recommend completing the pre-application, and we’ll evaluate if your organization’s work might be a fit. This grant program will not fund individuals, for-profit entities, event sponsorships, or capital projects.

Program Priorities and Considerations Capacity Building grants may support activities such as, but not limited to: Board development and governance Business planning and implementation Communications/marketing planning and implementation Data and evaluation planning and implementation Financial planning and implementation Fund development planning and implementation Succession planning and implementation Technology planning and implementation, i.e. purchase/lease of software Proposals are evaluated based in large part on how the work of the organization responds to community priorities and related focus areas, clear explanation of need, readiness to start and complete the proposed project, and the clarity of expected outcomes.

Capacity Building grant requests may be for up to $15,000. Grants for this program are offered twice a year. To ensure greater equity and improve access and the ease of applying for a grant, we have a two-stage process starting with a simple pre-application followed by completion of a full application if there is a funding opportunity that may be a good match for the applicant’s proposal.

Interested organizations must complete a brief pre-application. Submissions will be reviewed as received on a rolling basis. After review – which may include an in-person conversation – you will be notified by email if you advance to the second stage to complete a full application.

Applicants will also be notified of denials in a timely manner. The pre-application may be previewed by clicking here . Submissions must identify and select the capacity building your organization is applying for through the list of choices provided in the pre-application.

If there is a potential funding opportunity that may be a good match for the pre-applicant’s proposal, they will proceed to the full application stage. If your proposal advances, you will receive an email link to submit a full application. The application package consists of a narrative with details about the work the grant funding would support, expected outcomes, and a budget.

Organizations advancing after the pre-application stage can access, complete, and submit a full application here . Notifications will be made in June and December annually. Grantees will be asked about the progress of their project and to submit a final report describing the success of the project compared to its original goals.

From time to time, the Foundation team may organize meetings of grantees to share experiences, lessons learned, and ways we might be able to improve our processes and partnerships with grantees. There will be two Capacity Building grant cycles each calendar year. The program will follow the same timeline as our Community Priorities grant program.

You can access a timeline for the 2026 Capacity Building grant cycles by clicking here . The Pre-Application for Round 1 of the program will open on January 5, 2026 and close on January 29, 2026. The Pre-Application for Round 2 of the program will open on June 22, 2026 and close on July 16, 2026.

To submit an application, please click here .