Grant Process

Note: The grant application process is being updated. The deadline for the next grant cycle will be announced in early June.

Grant proposals are considered twice a year, in the spring and fall. The Foundation’s Board of Directors typically meets in November and May to consider compelling grant requests. A site visit may be required during the review process.  Please keep in mind that the entire grant consideration process takes several months.

Applications for the Foundation’s capacity grant program and capital readiness assessments are accepted on a rolling basis.  Further information can be found below under application instructions.

Guidelines

The van Beuren Charitable Foundation funds projects, programs, and capital. Preference is given to proposals that demonstrate the greatest likelihood of achieving measurable results in our four priority areas. Successful grant applications present a realistic and persuasive case statement describing the positive impact potential funding will have on the targeted constituency or community. Applicants should demonstrate a clear understanding of the environment in which the project or program will operate, including reference to other stakeholders and service providers. Proposals must include data that explains the existing situation and a method to track anticipated improvements. Demonstrated organizational capacity to manage the program or project is also an important component. Please give careful consideration to how the project fits within your organization’s mission, the risks and benefits it presents to the organization, and the critical prerequisites to success. Proposals should also indicate how a project or program will be sustained (if appropriate) without ongoing funding from the vBCF. 

Aquidneck Island and Newport County remain at the center of our work.  We recognize that communities are part of larger systems and economies and we welcome proposals from outside this region that can make a clear case for the benefit to our target communities.

Our grant making priorities focus on the impact we aspire to make in the community. These grant priority areas are intentionally designed to recognize the connections between education, health, economic development, and place. Emphasis in the grant consideration process will be on the impact the proposed activities will have on one or more of these grant priority areas. 

Across our priority areas, we invest in design that connects the improvement of buildings and landscapes to community aspirations. The Foundation is open to innovative and collaborative approaches, encouraging proposals in the discovery, planning and pilot stages. 

Additionally, we invest in strengthening organizations. Periodically we offer free workshops and webinars, and convene learning cohorts around issues important to organizations in the community. Every year, we also offer capacity grants on a rolling basis to nonprofit organizations aligned with the Foundation’s mission, to help them address capacity needs with assistance from a coach or consultant. Find out more here.

The Foundation does not make grants to individuals, for general operating purposes (except on occasion for longstanding partners), to support lobbying, or to attempt to influence legislation. 

Application Instructions

All grant proposals must be submitted using our online application system. To apply for a grant, first time applicants and prior grant recipients will need to access the online system by using the link: Start a New Application. You will be guided by instructions throughout the application. You can save an application and finish it later but will need to then access it by logging into your vBCF account using the link: Continue an Application in Progress. Please do not hesitate to email or call the Program Assistant, Kaila Acheson, if you have any questions along the way.

Please do not send duplicate copies of the application via mail, email or by hand to the Foundation office.

There are three general options for applications based on the type of request: project/program, capital improvements and land conservation, and capacity; each request type has its own requirements. To preview these requirements and for other helpful information, click the applicable link below.

Program/Project Application Preview
Capital Improvement & Conservation Projects Application Preview

Capacity Application Preview (not capital related)

Grantees that have overdue reporting requirements from a prior grant must submit these reports before a new request will be considered.

Grantee Reporting instructions

The Foundation’s online system allows grantees to complete, manage, and submit grant reports electronically. For detailed instructions on how to complete your report and to view the reporting requirements, please click the following link: Grantee Reporting Requirements. To access the online system to complete a report, click the following link: Sign In to vBCF Account.  Please do not hesitate to email or call the Program Assistant, Kaila Acheson, if you need assistance.