Citizens Charitable Foundation
Looking for Citizens Bank grants for nonprofits? Citizens Charitable Foundation is Citizens Bank's company-sponsored foundation, and this page covers the grants it reports to the IRS on Form 990-PF.
Citizens Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Johnston, Rhode Island. Its listed grant programs focus on workforce development, financial empowerment, and nonprofit responses to social challenges; its 2024 grants also went to organizations addressing needs such as cancer research, child and family support, education, and hunger.
Citizens Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Citizens Charitable Foundation gave $1.2M across 1,602 grants in 2024 (avg $759.339), top state North Carolina. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,216,461
- -39.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 1,602
- -1.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $759
- -38.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $250
- Total assets
- $1,613,230
- +20.5% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (18% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Citizens Charitable Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s 2024 filing says it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. The program listings describe an eligibility quiz for financial empowerment and workforce development applicants, with the application viewable after advancing beyond the quiz.
- Contact
Mailing address: One Citizens Bank Way Jcb115, Johnston, RI 02919
Phone: (401) 260-4198
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Citizens Charitable Foundation
Champions in Action Grant
Citizens Charitable Foundation
Amount
US $50,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Citizens Grants: Financial Empowerment
Citizens Charitable Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Citizens Grants: Workforce Development
Citizens Charitable Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Citizens Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was E4E Relief LLC ($150K). Together the top 10 received $336K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($29), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
4,812 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 4,799 grants of 4,812 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Champions in Action program listing names California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Southern Florida. In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were North Carolina (18%), Massachusetts (17%), New York (13%), Rhode Island (10%), and Pennsylvania (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 1,602 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Citizens Charitable Foundation gives
- 64% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 52% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.2M (2024) to $2.9M (2020). In 2024 it made 1,602 grants totaling $1.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| E4E Relief LLC Charlotte, NC | Programmatic Grant | $150,000 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | Matching Gifts | $26,000 |
| Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA | Matching Gifts | $25,250 |
| Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Inc Needham, MA | Matching Gifts | $23,867 |
| The Home for Little Wanderers Inc Boston, MA | Matching Gifts | $22,874 |
| St Jude Children's Research Hospital Inc Memphis, TN | Matching Gifts | $21,148 |
| Duke University Durham, NC | Matching Gifts | $20,850 |
| The Oasis Haven for Women & Children Inc Paterson, NJ | Matching Gifts | $19,115 |
| Brunswick School Inc Greenwich, CT | Matching Gifts | $14,000 |
| The Seven Hills Schools Cincinnati, OH | Matching Gifts | $13,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Citizens Charitable Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,613,230 | $1,572,357 | $1,303,582 | $1,216,461 | 1,602 | $1,240,168 | $99,004 | $103,090 |
| 2023 | $1,338,872 | $2,195,314 | $2,010,989 | $2,015,224 | 1,629 | $2,028,340 | $64,547 | $77,189 |
| 2022 | $1,148,802 | $1,787,822 | $2,217,709 | $2,195,864 | 1,579 | $2,215,844 | $15,302 | $70,834 |
| 2021 | $1,566,462 | $187,401 | $2,577,233 | $2,556,126 | 1 | $2,572,865 | $28,224 | $143,790 |
| 2020 | $3,912,454 | $922,508 | $2,886,601 | $2,854,700 | 1 | — | $109,813 | $226,166 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Citizens Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $103K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s listed grant programs identify workforce development and financial empowerment as philanthropic priorities. The program descriptions emphasize measurable community impact, innovative programs, collaboration, and opportunities for colleague volunteerism. The Champions in Action program supports nonprofits addressing social challenges through innovative solutions.
Examples of grantees’ work in 2024 include E4E Relief LLC, whose mission is to help companies and individuals respond to crises; the Rhode Island Community Food Bank Association, whose mission is to improve Rhode Islanders’ quality of life by advancing solutions to hunger; and The Home for Little Wanderers, whose mission is to help vulnerable children and families build positive, lasting change. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not stated missions of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 1,602 grants totaling $1,216,461. Grant amounts ranged from $1 to $150,000, with a median of $250. The largest grant listed was $150,000 to E4E Relief LLC for a programmatic grant. Other large grants included $26,000 to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and $25,250 to Bucknell University, both for matching gifts; $23,867 to Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Inc. and $22,874 to The Home for Little Wanderers, also for matching gifts.
The foundation lists programs for financial empowerment and workforce development that require applicants to complete an eligibility quiz; the application is viewable if an applicant advances beyond the quiz. The Champions in Action listing describes a $50,000 award and names California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Southern Florida as eligible locations. Its listed August 22, 2025 deadline is in the past.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Michelle Hecht as president; Denise Wolffs as vice president; Keri Santos as director of corporate giving; Chris Grenier as secretary; Dan Astolfi as treasurer; Gary Ashjian as assistant secretary; and Reza Aghamirzadeh, Rick Suarez, Marlene Fuller, and Kathy O’Donnell as members.
Citizens Charitable Foundation is led by Michelle Hecht, President since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 11 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Michelle Hecht
President
Board Member → President, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Keri Santos
Director of Corp Giving
Director of Corporate Giving → Director of Corp Giving, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dan Astolfi
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Denise Wolffs
Vice President
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gary Ashjian
Assistant Sectretary
Assistant Secretary → Assistant Sectretary, 2022
On filings since 2020
0 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marlene Fuller
Member
Board Member → Member, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Reza Aghamirzadeh
Member
Board Member → Member, 2022
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rick Suarez
Member
Board Member → Member, 2022
On filings since 2020
0 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Grenier
Secretary
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathy O'Donnell
Member
On filings since 2022
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rhonda Bettis
Member
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Barbara Cottam (2020–2022) — President · Filing note: Ended 10/2022
- Former: Jared Wallace (2020–2022) — Member · Filing note: Ended 8/2022
- Former: Christine Grenier (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Kathleen O'Donnell (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Kim Dee (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Mark Valentino (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Steve Lynch (2020) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Citizens Charitable Foundation
How much does Citizens Charitable Foundation give each year?
Citizens Charitable Foundation gave $1.2M across 1,602 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.0M across 1,629 grants.
What is Citizens Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Citizens Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $250, and its average grant was $759, across 1,602 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Citizens Charitable Foundation give grants?
Citizens Charitable Foundation's top state is North Carolina, with 18% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (17%) and New York (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (89 grants), Providence, RI (75 grants), Boston, MA (54 grants) and Pittsburgh, PA (53 grants).
Does Citizens Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 1,602 grants with a stated purpose on Citizens Charitable Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Matching Gifts" (1601 grants).
Who are Citizens Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Citizens Charitable Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include E4E Relief LLC ($150,000), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ($26,000) and Bucknell University ($25,250), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($29), which are not listed by name. Together they received 17% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Citizens Charitable Foundation?
Citizens Charitable Foundation reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $103K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Citizens Charitable Foundation fund?
The foundation’s listed grant programs identify workforce development and financial empowerment as philanthropic priorities. The program descriptions emphasize measurable community impact, innovative programs, collaboration, and opportunities for colleague volunteerism. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Citizens Charitable Foundation?
The foundation’s 2024 filing says it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Citizens Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Citizens Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-2302039. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Citizens Charitable Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Does Citizens Bank give grants to nonprofits?
Yes. Citizens Charitable Foundation, Citizens Bank's company-sponsored foundation, awarded 1,602 grants totaling $1.2M in 2024, according to its IRS Form 990-PF. Citizens Bank may also give through corporate programs that are not reported on the foundation's 990.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Citizens Charitable Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Citizens Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/citizens-charitable-foundation-morg_b641f6cb53cb463e855da6a9e700bedd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_202302039_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Citizens Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/citizens-charitable-foundation-morg_b641f6cb53cb463e855da6a9e700bedd},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Citizens Charitable Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Citizens Charitable Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?