URI freshmen, sophomores and juniors from Rhode Island can request up to $5,000 for travel in pursuit of self-designed enrichment projects. Established in 1989, the Fund has enabled more than 100 students to visit sites from Appalachia to Zaire. Past recipients have performed at a classical music festival in Rome, volunteered at a Costa Rican orphanage and studied improvisational theater in Texas.
The Fund’s goal is to broaden student perspectives and enhance personal growth. Permitted uses include travel in the United States and abroad as well as participation in internship and public service programs. Grants cannot be used for standard semester-abroad programs or for post-graduate travel.
Applicants must have been legal residents of Rhode Island for at least the past five years. Applications must include a description of the proposed activities, demonstrate clear purpose and show financial need. Full details are posted on the Foundation’s website.
The Christine T. Grinavic Adventurer’s Fund supplements the Metcalf awards. The fund honors the memory of Grinavic, a URI graduate and 2001 Metcalf Fellowship winner who was lost at sea in 2007.
Metcalf was chairman and publisher of The Providence Journal before he died in a 1987 bicycling accident. When she helped establish the Fund, Metcalf’s widow Charlotte explained, “I wanted to create an opportunity that was a departure from the usual scholarship. I thought of making wonderful experiences – transforming experiences – happen for others.”
The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. In 2014, the Foundation awarded $34.8 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities. Through leadership, fundraising and grantmaking activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential. For more information, visit RI Foundation.