The Carter Family Charitable Trust makes large, targeted gifts to support broad community needs in Rhode Island by funding the statewide community foundation. Rather than funding specific programs or organizations directly, the trust channels its philanthropy through the Rhode Island Foundation for general charitable purposes, indicating a preference for flexible, place-based philanthropic infrastructure. Their giving is local/state-focused and oriented toward enabling another institution to allocate funds where community needs are greatest.
Highly concentrated: very large, unrestricted gifts made to a single intermediary (Rhode Island Foundation) across the reporting period, favoring flexible funding rather than many small or direct program grants.
The Carter Family Charitable Trust’s recent giving is defined by a single recurring recipient: the Rhode Island Foundation in Providence. In 2024, the trust granted $2,349,852 for general charitable purposes, following a $2,309,632 grant in 2023 for the same purpose. That pattern points to a steady channel for flexible community support rather than a wide mix of direct operating grants to many organizations. The trust’s active grant program, the Carter Fund, is described as supporting primarily educational needs along with programs connected to health and social organizations. It also notes that most grants are for operational requirements and rarely for building needs, which aligns with a preference for funding ongoing community infrastructure over capital projects. The trust accepts unsolicited requests, and its stated geographic scope is local, with giving concentrated in Rhode Island. Across the available recent grants, the funder’s approach is place-based and intermediary-led: it uses a statewide philanthropic institution to direct resources where community needs are greatest. That makes the trust a Rhode Island-focused funder with a consistent emphasis on flexible charitable support and broad community benefit.
The Carter Family Charitable Trust combines general charitable support with a stated interest in education, health, and social services. Its active Carter Fund program says grants are made primarily for educational needs and for programs associated with health and social organizations, with most awards supporting operating requirements rather than building needs. In the recent grant record, that broad mandate appears through unrestricted support to the Rhode Island Foundation for general charitable purposes in both 2024 and 2023. The trust also accepts unsolicited requests, which suggests an entry point for organizations aligned with its local and statewide priorities. The emphasis is not on a narrow issue portfolio but on community support that can be deployed flexibly. That combination of educational, health, and social-service priorities with general charitable purposes gives the trust a practical role in Rhode Island’s nonprofit ecosystem.
The typical grant size is tightly clustered: p25 is $2,319,687, median is $2,329,742, and p75 is $2,339,797. That narrow band suggests a highly consistent grantmaking pattern rather than widely varied award sizes. The available recent grants show a repeated recipient over multiple years, with the same statewide foundation appearing in 2023 and 2024. The trust is a charitable trust rather than an operating nonprofit, and it also makes no program-related investments. Its active program accepts unsolicited requests, and its own description says most grants are for operational requirements rather than building needs.
$2.1M
$44.9M
$3.8M
$2.8M
Most grants fall between $2.3M and $2.3M, with a median of $2.3M.
25th Percentile
$2.3M
Median
$2.3M
75th Percentile
$2.3M
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Notable grantees: Rhode Island Foundation
Giving is concentrated in Rhode Island: 100% of recorded grants went to recipients in the trust’s top state by grant count. The recent grant record points to Providence as the recipient city through the Rhode Island Foundation. The trust’s geographic scope is local, and the available data shows only U.S. recipients. That pattern indicates a Rhode Island-only grant footprint rather than a multi-state or international one.
Its active Carter Fund is aimed primarily at educational needs and programs associated with health and social organizations. The trust also describes most grants as supporting operational requirements rather than building needs, which points to flexible support for community-serving nonprofits.
Yes. The active grant program states that it accepts unsolicited requests, so organizations are not limited to invitation-only consideration.
The grant-size distribution is very tight: p25 is $2,319,687, the median is $2,329,742, and p75 is $2,339,797. That shows the trust generally makes grants at roughly the same scale.
Its giving is concentrated in Rhode Island. All recorded grants in the provided data went to recipients in Rhode Island, with Providence appearing in the recent grant record.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Carter Family Charitable Trust that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Applicants must be registered 501(c)(3) organizations and must provide organizational information, the requested grant amount, the purpose of the grant, current and prior-year budgets, and balance sheets for the past two fiscal years. Requests submitted by phone or mail will not be considered.
Who can apply: Organizations must be registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Almost all grants are made to organizations operating within Rhode Island, with a very limited number to organizations in nearby states. Preference for operational support; building requests are rarely funded.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION | PROVIDENCE, RI | $2,120,773 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION | PROVIDENCE, RI | $2,141,555 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION | PROVIDENCE, RI | $2,349,852 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION | PROVIDENCE, RI | $2,309,632 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION
$2,120,773GENERAL SUPPORT
RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION
$2,141,555GENERAL SUPPORT