Van Beuren Foundation: Program & Project Grant

Van Beuren Foundation: Program & Project Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Van Beuren Charitable Foundation Inc.
Last Updated: August 17, 2025

Summary

The Van Beuren Foundation provides program and project grants aimed at improving health, education, and community well-being, primarily in Newport County. Their funding priorities include supporting children and youth, enhancing community health, fostering economic growth, and promoting quality public spaces. They encourage innovative approaches and collaboration while welcoming proposals that benefit both local and broader communities. Organizations must demonstrate a clear impact on these priority areas to secure funding.

Overview

NOTE: For first time applicants and major construction and landscape grant applications you will need to contact Program Assistant before applying to setup an introductory call. Our Approach Our grant making priorities focus on the impact we aspire to make in the community. 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. 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. The Foundation is open to innovative and collaborative approaches, encouraging proposals in the discovery, planning and pilot stages. Additionally, we invest in strengthening organizations. Through our programming and grant making, we seek to advance our community’s capacity for leadership and best practices needed to thrive and to sustain high-performing nonprofits. Grant Priorities Strong Starts:Our Goal: Children and youth have a strong start in life, benefitting from a supportive community and an education that prepares them for the future. The Difference We Want to Make: At every age children are ready and engaged learners, supported by their family, schools, and community.Our Point of View: Investing in the success of our children is fundamental to the community’s future. Healthy minds and bodies maximize learning. A reputation for excellence in education will both retain and attract families to our community.Healthy Lifestyles:Our Goal: Residents experience health throughout their lives. The Difference We Want to Make: The community offers access to quality health care as well as positive social and physical environments where residents can make healthy choices.Our Point of View: Health improves learning, workforce productivity, and the ability of residents to contribute to family and civic life. Healthy places support healthy choices. Communities known for outstanding health care and healthy lifestyles are attractive to both employers and talented workers.Community Prosperity:Our Goal: Regional economic growth creates opportunities for residents and enterprises. The Difference We Want to Make: The regional economy is home to a skilled workforce and thriving enterprises, and continues to foster a strong sense of place.Our Point of View: A diverse regional economy supports job growth, improves wages, and raises the standard of living for residents. Creating synergies between our workforce, enterprises, institutions, and quality of place will contribute to community vibrancy. A prosperous community can shape its future and invest in its social, environmental, and cultural values.Excellence in the Commons:Our Goal: Quality common spaces and institutions make our communities desirable places to live, work, and play. The Difference We Want to Make: The quality of landscapes and buildings support the community’s aspirations and contribute to community vitality.Our Point of View: Our buildings and landscapes can inspire, shape, and reflect the aspirations of the community. Well-designed natural and built environments enhance the local community and economy--they are physically and socially connected, welcoming, and vibrant. Robust planning processes and thoughtful design lead to quality facilities and landscapes that support program excellence. Program and Project Grants Programs are activities that provide ongoing benefit to the community. Projects are short-term activities with a distinct beginning and end. Program and project grants support activities that improve the health, education, and wellbeing of the Newport County region. At vBCF, we see programs and projects grants as investments that advance mission and priorities. Programs are activities that provide ongoing benefit to the community. Projects are short-term activities with a distinct beginning and end. We typically fund pilot and established projects or programs that: help children and youth benefit from a strong start in life, education that prepares them for the future, and a supportive communitycreate access to quality healthcare and positive social and physical environments foster a diverse regional economy and raise the standard of living for residents provide common spaces and institutions that make our communities desirable places to live, work and playincrease organizational capacity, such as the creation of strategic plans Requests to support equipment (e.g. computers, furniture, tools, etc.) that are part of a broader request for program support are considered through this application process. Requests for major building system (like HVAC, roofing, plumbing etc.) are considered through our major construction and landscapes grants program.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. vBCF provides funding to nonprofit organizations and public institutions for projects and activities that advance its mission and priorities. While our interests center on Aquidneck Island and surrounding communities, we welcome proposals from outside the region that will benefit its people and places.

Ineligibility

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.We typically do not provide support for:events and conferences that are not part of a broader program programs or projects that primarily benefit communities outside of Newport County