RI Hospitality Association
RI Hospitality Association (RIHA) is a public charity based in Cranston, Rhode Island. It represents more than 800 foodservice, hotel, vendor, and other hospitality members in the state, and supports the hospitality industry through advocacy, workforce development, and strategic partnerships.
RI Hospitality Association at a glance
In short: RI Hospitality Association reported $3K in grants paid in 2024 (a total; its filing lists no individual grants). Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Grants paid (2024)
- $2,723 — reported as a total on the IRS filing, without an itemized list
- -99.3% vs 2023
- Total assets
- $2,713,678
- -6.5% vs 2023
- Revenue (2024)
- $1,469,989
- -24.0% vs 2023
- Net investment income (2024)
- $133,562
- +68.1% vs 2023
- Expenses (2024)
- $2,093,739
- +12.3% vs 2023
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026.
How to apply to RI Hospitality Association
- Next open deadline
- November 1, 2026 (David DePetrillo Memorial Scholarship)
- Contact
Mailing address: 94 Sabra Street, Cranston, RI 02910
Phone: (401) 223-1120
Website: https://rihospitality.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from RI Hospitality Association
Alfred A. Zannella Memorial Scholarship
RI Hospitality Association
Amount
$2,500 - $5,000
Deadline
Expected ~March
Based on past cycles
David DePetrillo Memorial Scholarship
RI Hospitality Association
Amount
$2,500 - $5,000
Deadline
Expected ~November
Based on past cycles
RI Hospitality Employee Relief Fund
RI Hospitality Association
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who RI Hospitality Association funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
104 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 102 grants of 104 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
RIHA represents hospitality members in Rhode Island. The listed scholarships are for Rhode Island residents attending accredited colleges or universities in New England, and the Employee Relief Fund serves Rhode Island hospitality workers.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
How RI Hospitality Association gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2023). 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 $3K (2024) to $547K (2022). In 2024 it reported $3K in grants paid, as a total without an itemized list.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Apponaug Brewing Company LLC Warwick, RI | Take It Outside Grant | $10,000 |
| Argento Restaurants LLC Cranston, RI | Take It Outside Grant | $10,000 |
| Bayberry Garden LLC Providence, RI | Take It Outside Grant | $10,000 |
| CRU Cafe LLC Attleboro, MA | Take It Outside Grant | $10,000 |
| G&R Daou Inc Providence, RI | Take It Outside Grant | $10,000 |
| General Stanton Inn LLC Simsbury, CT | Take It Outside Grant | $10,000 |
| Kempenaar Real Estates Inc Middletown, RI | Take It Outside Grant | $10,000 |
| L'artisan Cafe & Bakery Providence, RI | Take It Outside Grant | $10,000 |
| Libegoff Restaurant LLC Bristol, RI | Take It Outside Grant | $10,000 |
| Night Owl Restaurant Group LLC Cranston, RI | Take It Outside Grant | $10,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,713,678 | $1,469,989 | $2,093,739 | $2,723 | Total only | $133,562 |
| 2023 | $2,901,112 | $1,935,434 | $1,865,045 | $389,134 | 42 | $79,441 |
| 2022 | $2,829,584 | $2,299,917 | $2,050,637 | $546,781 | 48 | $19,319 |
| 2021 | $1,943,418 | $1,244,024 | $1,317,562 | $131,000 | 2 | $12,143 |
| 2020 | $1,389,005 | $1,492,990 | $1,356,385 | $60,000 | 12 | $8,864 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
RIHA’s mission is “to advocate for, support, and strengthen Rhode Island’s hospitality industry through policy leadership, workforce development, and strategic partnerships.” Its stated advocacy priorities include advancing pro-hospitality policies, promoting tax equity and competitiveness, and investing in the industry’s current and future workforce.
RIHA’s listed programs include scholarships for Rhode Island residents pursuing foodservice, lodging, or tourism degrees, and emergency assistance for Rhode Island hospitality workers facing short-term crises. Its 2024 filing reports grants to outside organizations in 2023; one identified recipient, the Rhode Island Yacht Club, says its mission is to provide recreation and entertainment for its members and promote yachting, seamanship, and social activities.
Grantmaking
RIHA reported giving $389,134 across 42 grants in 2023, an average of about $9,265 per grant. In 2022, it reported $546,781 across 48 grants. Its 2024 filing reports no grants.
A named 2023 recipient was the Rhode Island Yacht Club, which received $10,000.
RIHA also lists two annual scholarships of $2,500–$5,000 each for Rhode Island students or adult learners pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree in foodservice, lodging, or tourism at an accredited New England college or university. The Alfred A. Zannella Memorial Scholarship lists a March 1 deadline; the David DePetrillo Memorial Scholarship lists a November 1 deadline. The RI Hospitality Employee Relief Fund provides emergency assistance to Rhode Island hospitality workers facing qualifying short-term hardships.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on RIHA’s 2024 filing are David Smiley, chairman; Colin Geoffroy, vice chairman; Anthony Pellegrino, treasurer; Jennifer Luxmoore, secretary; and directors Michael Vuolo, Brian Casey, David DePetrillo, Aaron Messina, Walter Andrews, and Charlie Holder.
RI Hospitality Association is led by Dale Venturini, President & CEO on every filing since 2020; 3 of 38 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Dale Venturini
President & CEO
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$283K (2020) → $471K (2024)
Farouk Rajab
President & CEO
Chairman → Past Chairman of the Board, 2022
Past Chairman of the Board → President & CEO, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$91K (2024)
David Smiley
Chairman
2nd Vice Chairman → Vice Chairman, 2022
Vice Chairman → Chairman, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brian Casey
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Charlie Holder
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Depetrillo
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tina Tomaselli
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Walter Andrews
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
William Dessell
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Keith Morris
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Vuolo
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Aaron Messina
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Adoniram Sides
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Frank Dibiase III
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jane Brett
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kerri Battista
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Gaudreau
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Hurley
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anthony Melillo
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Arnaldo Almonte
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Derek Shelly
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jason Bjerk
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sai Viswanath
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Samuel Glynn
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tony Fonseca
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heather Singleton
Chief Operating Officer
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$116K (2020) → $163K (2024)
Anthony Pellegrino
Treasurer
Treasurer → Secretary, 2022
Secretary → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Colin Geoffroy
Vice Chairman
Director → Treasurer, 2022
Treasurer → Vice Chairman, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Craig Sculos
Past Chairman of the Board
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
H. Robert Bacon
Past Chairman of the Board
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Luxmoore
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ken Cusson
Past Chairman of the Board
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Len Panaggio
Honorary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa M. Doucet-Albert
Ex-Officio
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Norman Leblanc
Ex-Officio
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peter Cafaro
Honorary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
William Kitsilis
Past Chairman of the Board
1st Vice Chairman → Chairman, 2022
Chairman → Past Chairman of the Board, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
William Murphy
Ex-Officio
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (17)
- Former: Thomas J. Regan (2020–2023) — Ex-Officio
- Former: Tr McGrath (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Randy Nason (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: George Kilborn (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Jeffrey Day (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Kristin Gennuso (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Chuck Fraser (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Ellen Gracyalny-Slattery (2021–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Michael Bryan (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Sanjiv Dhar (2022) — Director
- Former: Antonio Fonseca (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Michael Halpern (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Paul Conforti (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Burnell Goldman (2020) — Immediate Past Chairman
- Former: Ellen Slattery (2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Kimberly Greene (2020) — Director
- Former: Timothy Flanagan (2020) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $471K, to Dale Venturini (President/CEO (To 2/24)). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about RI Hospitality Association
How much does RI Hospitality Association give each year?
RI Hospitality Association reported $3K in grants paid in 2024 on its 2024 IRS Form 990, as a total without an itemized list of grants. In 2023 it gave $389K across 42 grants.
How large is RI Hospitality Association?
RI Hospitality Association reported $2.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.5M.
What does RI Hospitality Association fund?
RIHA’s mission is “to advocate for, support, and strengthen Rhode Island’s hospitality industry through policy leadership, workforce development, and strategic partnerships.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from RI Hospitality Association?
RI Hospitality Association has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check rihospitality.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
Where does RI Hospitality Association make grants?
RIHA represents hospitality members in Rhode Island. The listed scholarships are for Rhode Island residents attending accredited colleges or universities in New England, and the Employee Relief Fund serves Rhode Island hospitality workers.
What is RI Hospitality Association's EIN?
RI Hospitality Association's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 05-0399474. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 26, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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RI Hospitality Association down — hundreds of funders to go?