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Van Beuren Charitable Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$11.9M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.1M
Decision Time
4mo

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $11,898,623 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $375 million (2024)
  • Decision Time: 3-6 months depending on grant type
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $100,000+ (typical range $25,000-$100,000)
  • Geographic Focus: Aquidneck Island and Newport County, Rhode Island
  • Number of Annual Awards: 206 (2023)

Contact Details

Address: 449 Thames Street, Unit 112, Newport, RI 02840
Phone: (401) 619-5910
Website: www.vbcfoundation.org

Key Contacts:

  • Kaila E. Acheson, Program Associate (first-time applicants must contact before applying)
  • Kim Dame, Grants and Business Manager: kdame@vbcfoundation.org

Overview

The van Beuren Charitable Foundation (vBCF) was established in 1986 by John A. "Archie" and Hope H. "Happy" van Beuren as a family philanthropy dedicated to investing in the quality of life and quality of place on Aquidneck Island and surrounding communities. Since its founding, the Foundation has made over $175 million in grants, making it one of the largest private foundations in Rhode Island. The Foundation's assets have grown from $100 million in 2009 to $375 million in 2024. Operating with principles of "integrity, intelligence, and imagination," vBCF partners with charitable organizations to strengthen the Newport region through place-based philanthropy. Their mission is "to invest in the quality of life and quality of place of Aquidneck Island and surrounding communities" with a vision that "Aquidneck Island and Newport County communities are exceptional places where people can flourish at all stages of their lives."

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

1. Program and Project Grants: $25,000 - $100,000+

  • Support specific programs or projects aligned with funding priorities
  • Application deadlines: February and July
  • Notification: May and November

2. Capacity Building Grants: Up to $10,000

  • Support organizational strengthening and infrastructure
  • Rolling application basis
  • Decision timeline: 1-2 months

3. Major Construction and Landscape Grants:

  • Planning Grants: Support early-stage planning for major projects
    • Rolling application basis
    • Decision timeline: 2-4 months
  • Design Grants: Support design phase of construction/landscape projects
    • Rolling application basis
    • Decision timeline: 2-4 months
  • Implementation Grants: Support construction and landscape implementation
    • Application deadlines: February and July
    • Decision timeline: 3-6 months

Priority Areas

The Foundation focuses on four interconnected priority areas:

1. Strong Starts: Education grants providing children with a strong start in both life and education, supporting early childhood through youth development programs

2. Healthy Lifestyles: Grants improving access to healthcare and creating positive environments that promote physical and mental wellness for residents

3. Community Prosperity: Support for regional economic growth, workforce development, and building a skilled local workforce

4. Excellence in the Commons: Improving the quality of landscapes and buildings that support community vitality, including historic preservation, parks, public spaces, and infrastructure that enhances the built and natural environment

What They Don't Fund

  • Individuals
  • General operating support (rare exceptions for longstanding partners)
  • Lobbying or attempts to influence legislation
  • Endowments
  • Projects outside Newport County/Aquidneck Island (unless clear benefit can be demonstrated)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors:

  • Hope H. van Beuren, Founder and Chair Emerita
  • Barbara van Beuren, Chair
  • Archbold D. van Beuren, Vice Chair
  • Roger E. Kass, Treasurer
  • Stephen L. Glascock
  • Andrea van Beuren
  • Helene B. van Beuren
  • Adrianne Graves
  • Ainsley Kass
  • Archbold V. van Beuren

Staff:

  • Elizabeth R. Lynn, Executive Director (since 2008)
  • Marykate Bergen, Senior Program Officer
  • Mary Johnson, Program Officer
  • Kaila E. Acheson, Program Associate
  • Ryan Kilpatrick, Director of Finance & Administration

Leadership Philosophy: Executive Director Elizabeth Lynn describes the foundation's approach as deeply community-engaged rather than "philanthropy that parachutes in with its own agenda." She emphasizes an "ongoing dialogue with grantees, [who] are learning constantly, and we are learning from them" as "an aspect of philanthropy that combines exploration, discovery and learning."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

First-Time Applicants: Must contact Program Associate Kaila Acheson before applying to set up an introductory call. This ensures alignment with foundation priorities and appropriate grant type selection.

Application Steps:

  1. Initial contact with Kaila Acheson (required for first-time applicants)
  2. Complete online grant application form through foundation website
  3. Submit narrative description and supporting materials
  4. Assigned a vBCF program staff contact
  5. Potential follow-up questions and clarifications
  6. Site visit or Zoom discussion with project leads, staff, and board members
  7. Final decision by board of trustees

Decision Timeline

  • Program & Project Grants: Applications due February/July; notifications in May/November (3-4 months)
  • Capacity Building Grants: Rolling basis; decisions within 1-2 months
  • Planning/Design Grants: Rolling basis; decisions within 2-4 months
  • Implementation Grants: Applications due February/July; decisions within 3-6 months

Success Rates

With 206 awards made in 2023 and two grant cycles per year, the foundation has a relatively active grantmaking program. While specific application numbers are not publicly available, the foundation's growth in awards (from 141 in 2018 to 206 in 2023) suggests an expanding and accessible grantmaking operation.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants are not publicly documented. Elizabeth Lynn has noted that "sometimes an idea is not quite ripe. It's not the right timing, not the right phase," suggesting that timing and project readiness are important factors. Applicants are encouraged to contact program staff to discuss feedback and potential reapplication.

Application Success Factors

Based on foundation guidance and leadership statements, successful applications demonstrate:

1. Realistic and Persuasive Case Statements: The foundation emphasizes that "successful grant applications present a realistic and persuasive case statement describing the positive impact potential funding will have on the targeted constituency or community."

2. Alignment with Priority Areas: "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" (Strong Starts, Healthy Lifestyles, Community Prosperity, Excellence in the Commons).

3. Innovative and Collaborative Approaches: The foundation is "open to innovative and collaborative approaches, encouraging proposals in the discovery, planning and pilot stages."

4. Community Connectivity: The foundation values projects that demonstrate understanding of how "community vitality is augmented by the beneficial interplay between health, education, the economy, and built and natural environments."

5. Aspirational Organizations: Elizabeth Lynn notes that the foundation values organizations that are "aspirational" and "trying to stretch," suggesting they appreciate ambitious yet realistic goals.

6. Measurable Results: Preference is given to proposals that demonstrate "the greatest likelihood of achieving measurable results."

Recent Funded Projects as Examples:

  • University of Rhode Island: $3 million for Ocean Engineering Complex (2023)
  • Newport Public Schools: $2.3 million (2024)
  • Newport Hospital Foundation: $1,125,000 (2024)
  • Preservation Society of Newport County: $1.5 million (2024)
  • Newport Art Museum: $84,310 for capital improvements (2024)
  • Battle of Rhode Island Association: $65,000 for Butts Hill Fort restoration (2024)
  • Saint Clare Home: $400,000
  • International Yacht Restoration School: $670,000
  • Newport Historical Society: $100,000 for collection cataloguing

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Pre-application contact is mandatory for first-time applicants - reach out to Kaila Acheson before submitting to ensure proper alignment and grant type selection
  • Geographic focus is strict - projects must clearly benefit Aquidneck Island and Newport County communities
  • Think interconnected impact - strongest applications show how their work connects multiple priority areas (e.g., how a health project also supports education or economic prosperity)
  • Embrace innovation and collaboration - the foundation explicitly encourages pilot projects, discovery-phase work, and collaborative approaches
  • Build a relationship, not just an application - the foundation values ongoing dialogue and sees themselves as partners, not just funders
  • Timing matters - be prepared for the foundation to suggest that a project isn't ready yet; use feedback to strengthen future proposals
  • Demonstrate community impact with measurable outcomes - show realistic, achievable results that will benefit Newport County residents

References

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