Who & What We Fund

The Roosa Fund ordinarily supports qualified non-profit organizations based on Block Island, Rhode Island that provide assistance, programs and/or services to benefit or meet the needs of Block Island’s people and environment. The Fund will consider applications from other non-profit organizations (based “off-island”) if the organization’s programs and services benefit Block Island’s people or environment. The Roosa Fund also supports qualified organizations based off-island providing assistance to the poor in developing countries.

The Fund only makes grants to organizations exempt from federal taxes under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) which the IRS has also determined qualify as public charities. Grant requests from faith-based organizations must demonstrate that the project or purpose of the grant will benefit the community or environment of Block Island at large, and not solely benefit the members of the congregation or other organization applying for the grant. The Fund does not make grants to governmental organizations, with the specific exception of Block Island quasi-governmental organizations that could stand alone as exempt organizations in the areas of affordable housing, health care, and the environment.

In its discretion, the Fund may occasionally make grants to causes outside of its usual priority areas. In general, however, the Fund does not make grants to individuals, to associations and their charity appeals, to political organizations and political campaigns, or to annual fund appeals. The Fund does not make grants to cure an organization’s budget deficit. The Fund gives grants for program or project support, for capacity building and for capital needs. A portion of the Fund’s total grant budget can be used for grants of $5,000 or less. One-year grants are the norm; however, requests for multi-year grants will be considered. These types of support are in keeping with the giving history of the Roosa Family Foundation. The Fund is also authorized to make loans to qualified, responsible organizations.