About Our Grants
Thank you for your interest concerning grants available to qualified charitable organizations from Ocean State Charities Trust. The Trust reviews all submissions and considers them with regard to the purpose of the program as defined in your application. Ocean State Charities Trust will select from among those applications that respond to priority needs in the Rhode Island Community and are within limits of financial assistance available for distribution by the Trust.
Grant applications are accepted online only and should be submitted by interested organizations after reviewing the guidelines for Grant Awards and determining that you are a qualified charitable organization.
Our focus areas are as follows:
- Arts/Arts Education
- Education/Youth Programs
- Employment, Workforce Development
- Housing, Historic Preservation
- Healthcare/Behavioral Health, Including Special Projects
- Miscellaneous Projects
- Safety Net
- Services/Programs for Seniors
Applications will be considered for grant awards by the Board of Trustees twice a year, generally in MAY and NOVEMBER. Your organization should plan to have your application completed no later than March 1st for MAY funding and SEPTEMBER 1st for NOVEMBER funding. Applications completed after those dates will be considered for the next funding cycle.
In addition to completing the online application, the following must be uploaded with your application. In the section labeled “agency budget” please upload:
- A copy of your organization’s audit report, review, compilation or 990 for the past fiscal year, completed by an outside independent accounting agency or Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
In the interest of maintaining equal competition for all applicants, any organization that contacts any Trustee by mail, phone or email will be eliminated from consideration.
Those organizations selected to receive grant awards will be required to complete a Grant Evaluation Report six (6) months after receipt of grant. The report should include a completed Grant Evaluation Report form, an itemized list of expenses met with funds received from Ocean State Charities Trust, and copies of paid invoices.
Awarded grants must be spent within one year of the funding date or the funds must be returned to Ocean State Charities Trust.
Thank you for your interest concerning the financial assistance available to qualified charitable organizations from Ocean State Charities Trust.
First Time Applicants
Please answer a few questions to see if you qualify for a grant from Ocean State Charities Trust. If you qualify, you will be redirected to our online application website where you can create an account and submit your application online.
Returning Applicants
If you’ve applied for a OSCT grant in the past, please visit our online application website and log into your account.
Please note that along with the agency budget, you may upload either an audit, review, compilation or 990 in the same section.
You do NOT need to email these items separately unless the file size is too large to upload. In that case, please send your file(s) to office@osct.org.
Other Requirements
Online applications will be accepted for Cycle One from February 1st through March 1st. Cycle Two applications will be accepted from August 1st through September 1st.
If you miss the deadline you must wait until the next cycle opens — NO EXCEPTIONS MADE.
OSCT will be able to verify your organization’s 501(c)(3) status online. If we cannot validate your status, we will ask for a copy of your determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service, including your Employer Identification Number (EIN).
Your organization’s audit report, review, compilation or 990 for the past fiscal year – or the most recent year available — may be uploaded in the agency budget section of the application. Please note that these items must be completed by an outside independent accounting agency or Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
You will be notified via email if your application is missing any information.
