The Collis Foundation
The Collis Foundation is a private foundation based in Providence, Rhode Island. It supports charitable organizations through grants; its 2024 filing reports 22 grants totaling $2,460,309.
The Collis Foundation at a glance
In short: The Collis Foundation gave $2.5M across 22 grants in 2024 (avg $112K), mostly in Rhode Island. 32% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,460,309
- +20.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 22
- +15.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $111,832
- +4.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $40,000
- Total assets
- $86,734,197
- +22.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (7 of 22, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Rhode Island (65% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Collis Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests and does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. First-time or nonrecurring applicants should submit a two- or three-page letter of inquiry to Astrid C Womble. The letter should describe the organization’s purpose and goals; any proposed project, its need, and its target population; leadership capacity; anticipated short- and long-term outcomes and how they will be assessed; the amount requested; a recent financial statement, audited if possible; the agency and, if different, project budgets; and committed and projected funding sources. Include a 501(c)(3) letter and budget. For requests of $1,000 or less, the foundation may be able to evaluate the request using the letter of inquiry. Current grantees should contact the Executive Director before submitting a new proposal. The filing says donee charitable organizations should be located primarily in New England.
- Contact
Application contact: Astrid C Womble
Mailing address: 321 South Main Street Suite 550, Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (203) 629-7950
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Collis Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $2.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
80 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 41 grants of 80 (51%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The filing states that donee charitable organizations should be located primarily in New England. In 2024, 65% of grant dollars went to recipients in Rhode Island, 20% to New York, 14% to Florida, and 1% to Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Collis Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 7 of 22 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $173K; repeat grants $83K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $50K repeat.
- 68% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 164% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 65% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 $933K (2021) to $2.5M (2024). In 2024 it made 22 grants totaling $2.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School East Providence, RI | General Support | $1,000,000 |
| Pencils of Promise New York, NY | General Support | $500,000 |
| San Miguel Education Ctr Providence, RI | General Support | $105,309 |
| Amos House Providence, RI | General Support | $100,000 |
| Palm Beach County Food Bank Inc Lake Worth Beach, FL | General Support | $100,000 |
| Rhode Island Community Food Bank Association Providence, RI | General Support | $100,000 |
| Rise for REW West Palm Beach, FL | General Support | $100,000 |
| The Lord's Place Inc West Palm Beach, FL | General Support | $100,000 |
| Blithewold Bristol, RI | General Support | $60,000 |
| Bryant University Smithfield, RI | General Support | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Collis 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 | $86,734,197 | $21,863,038 | $3,284,196 | $2,460,309 | 22 | $2,476,732 | $5,721,074 | $3,820,741 |
| 2023 | $70,805,137 | $26,657,231 | $2,436,772 | $2,037,500 | 19 | $2,037,500 | $5,257,959 | $2,480,921 |
| 2022 | $49,835,281 | $8,943,788 | $2,584,553 | $1,918,091 | 15 | $1,981,851 | $2,410,698 | $2,197,357 |
| 2021 | $46,279,258 | $10,860,700 | $1,610,316 | $933,000 | 9 | $949,234 | $5,283,756 | $2,329,024 |
| 2020 | $38,310,816 | $12,109,665 | $1,655,179 | $1,249,410 | 15 | — | $1,671,577 | $1,735,711 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Collis Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.8M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants went to organizations working in areas including education, food security, homelessness services, arts and music, and historic preservation. For example, Pencils of Promise says it works to expand access to quality education; Amos House describes its mission as helping people out of homelessness and poverty; and the Palm Beach County Food Bank says it works to fight hunger and improve food security.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 22 grants totaling $2,460,309. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $1,000,000, with a median grant of $40,000.
The largest 2024 awards included $1,000,000 to Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School and $500,000 to Pencils of Promise, both for general support. Other notable grants included $105,309 to San Miguel Education Center and $100,000 each to Amos House, Palm Beach County Food Bank, Rhode Island Community Food Bank Association, Rise for Rew, and The Lord’s Place, all for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Astrid C Womble as Director and President, Elfriede A Collis as Director, and Frohman Anderson as Director and Secretary.
The Collis Foundation is led by Astrid C. Womble, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Astrid C. Womble
Director & President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elfriede A. Collis
Director
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Frohman Anderson
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 The Collis Foundation
How much does The Collis Foundation give each year?
The Collis Foundation gave $2.5M across 22 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.0M across 19 grants.
What is The Collis Foundation's typical grant size?
The Collis Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $40,000, and its average grant was $111,832, across 22 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Collis Foundation that year got $173K on average.
Where does The Collis Foundation give grants?
The Collis Foundation gives mostly in Rhode Island: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (20%) and Florida (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Providence, RI (8 grants), West Palm Beach, FL (3 grants) and East Providence, RI (2 grants).
Does The Collis Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Collis Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 22) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Collis Foundation's largest grantees?
The Collis Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School ($1,000,000), Pencils of Promise ($500,000) and San Miguel Education Ctr ($105,309), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 65% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Collis Foundation?
The Collis Foundation reported $86.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Collis Foundation fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants went to organizations working in areas including education, food security, homelessness services, arts and music, and historic preservation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Collis Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests and does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Collis Foundation's EIN?
The Collis Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-1472006. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Collis Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 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 The Collis Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Collis Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-collis-foundation-morg_07262ec421a7406ebed4924229c08005
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_061472006_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Collis Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-collis-foundation-morg_07262ec421a7406ebed4924229c08005},
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 The Collis 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.
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