About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
The mission of Institute Advancement at RPI is to engage and inspire our community through partnerships and philanthropy to enhance RPI’s impact on society.
Focus Areas
Higher educationScholarships and student financial aidResearch (science & engineering)Faculty support and fellowshipsStudent experience and extracurricular programsAthleticsCampus infrastructure and facilitiesCorporate and foundation partnerships
Who They Fund
individual researchersresearch teamsacademic institutions / university departmentscontracted research organizations
About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is headquartered in Troy, NY. It reported $14,610,695 in annual grants given on its latest 990 on file for 2024, with total assets of $1,697,301,020. Its grantmaking is centered on higher education, scholarships and student financial aid, research in science and engineering, faculty support and fellowships, student experience and extracurricular programs, athletics, campus infrastructure and facilities, and corporate and foundation partnerships. Recent grant activity shows two distinct patterns: scholarship support for Rensselaer students and research subcontracts to universities and research organizations. Named recent grants include $925,581 to Research Foundation of SUNY (Albany, NY) for a research subcontract, $681,130 to COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY (NEW YORK, NY) for a research subcontract, and $583,656 to ALBANY MEDICAL COLLEGE (ALBANY, NY) for a research subcontract. Other large grants include $568,748 to REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO (DENVER, CO) and $301,712 to YALE UNIVERSITY (NEW HAVEN, CT). The foundation also operates scholarship-focused programs such as the Annual Fund Scholars Program, the Greek Life Scholarship Fund, and the Student Relief Fund. It makes program-related investments and does not fund individuals.
What Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Funds
Recent grantmaking spans research and evaluation, research project implementation, research administration and subcontract management, and research infrastructure and capacity. Notable grants include $925,581 to Research Foundation of SUNY (Albany, NY) for a Research Subcontract, $681,130 to COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY (NEW YORK, NY) for a RESEARCH SUBCONTRACT, and $583,656 to ALBANY MEDICAL COLLEGE (ALBANY, NY) for a RESEARCH SUBCONTRACT. The Rensselaer Research Fund supports ongoing research initiatives across human health, energy and environment, materials and innovation, computation, astronomy, and related areas at Rensselaer. Scholarship programs also appear in the active grant list, including the Annual Fund Scholars Program, the Greek Life Scholarship Fund, and the Student Relief Fund.
How Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Gives
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s recent grants show a wide spread in size, with a p25 of $25,000, a median of $62,100, and a p75 of $130,521. The largest recent awards in the data are research subcontracts above $900,000, while smaller programmatic awards include $10,000 through the Patroon Scholars Program and $5,000 through the Rensselaer Annual Fund Assistance Grant. Its active programs are mostly restricted to Rensselaer undergraduate students or research activities, and several listed student-focused programs do not accept unsolicited applications. The Rensselaer Research Fund and The Rensselaer Annual Fund do accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$7.3M
Total Assets
$1.8B
Total Revenue
$737.2M
Total Expenses
$732.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $25K and $131K, with a median of $62K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$62K
75th Percentile
$131K
Geographic Reach
National28 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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