Giving

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When you support RISD’s cutting-edge art and design education, you fuel an endeavor that drives human progress and innovation. By giving to RISD, you can be an agent of positive change, helping today’s creatives become tomorrow’s world-changing leaders.

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Welcome to Institutional Advancement at RISD!

Amanda Clark MacMullen in a black top and colorful scarf

Like you, we are committed to nurturing world-leading art and design and sustaining this incredible creative project that began nearly 150 years ago. Over the years, RISD students, faculty, alumni, family and friends have amazed us with their commitment to and passion for this institution. It is for that community, and for the generations of creative leaders to come, that we work to sustain RISD for the next 150 years—and beyond. Our team is here for you. Reach out and we’d love to talk, share news and resources and find ways for you to take part in RISD’s future.

Amanda Clark MacMullan
Vice President, Institutional Advancement

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The RISD Fund is an engine of progress that touches every aspect of college life.

Every studio or classroom breakthrough, every tool, every living, learning and workspace and every day spent focused on creating is rooted in this powerful resource.

Two students in protective gear in the hot shop high five-ing

RISD Giving Day

Our first-ever Giving Day was March 19, and the RISD community showed up in an incredible way. Nearly 300 alumni, families, friends, faculty and staff helped us reach—and exceed—our goal of raising $125,000 for the college and museum. THANK YOU!

Donor impact

Presidential Fellows pose in front of Woods-Gerry House for a group photo

RISD 2024-25 Presidential Fellows 100 Days In

The 12 newest grad students selected for the fully funded program discuss the challenges, joys and surprises they’ve encountered during their first semester in Providence.

visiting alums pose with giant RISD lights

Surge in RISD Community Engagement Boosts Giving and Volunteerism

Alumni, friends and families donated over $9 million in fiscal year 2024 in support of student scholarships, campus resources and more.

RISD student Upasana Pandey standing with a Bengaluru resident

RISD Maharam Fellows Fuel Change Across the Globe

RISD students and recent graduates combine art and design with sustainability and social justice in 2024 Maharam Fellowships.

Giving Societies

Through three giving societies, RISD recognizes and celebrates our supporters whose philanthropy has a distinct and profound impact on the institution. The 1877 Society, Jesse and Helen Rowe Metcalf Society and Centennial Society represent leadership, legacy and loyalty, respectively. These values, embodied in members’ different ways of making financial commitments to the institution, ensure RISD’s strength now and into the future.

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Leadership donors who support RISD with annual gifts of $2,500 or more to the RISD Fund set the pace for our philanthropic community. Named for the year of our founding, the 1877 Society honors and recognizes those who make it possible to reach our ambitious goals and respond to the most pressing needs of the college.

Members of the 1877 Society are included in our annual leadership donor listing, enjoy invitations to exclusive events and receptions and receive insider access to exciting news and happenings at RISD.

Become a leader in our RISD community and a source of inspiration by joining the 1877 Society with a contribution to the RISD Fund at one the following levels:

Trustees’ Circle: $25,000 and above

$25,000 could fund one financial aid package for an undergraduate student.

President’s Circle: $10,000–$24,999

$10,000 could provide materials stipends for 100 high-need students.

Provost's Circle: $5,000–$9,999

$5,000 could fund one student's summer internship in a major city.

Dean's Circle: $2,500–$4,999

$2,500 could purchase toolboxes for 10 first-year students.

For more information, please email us at giving@risd.edu or call 844 454-1877.

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Named in honor of two of RISD’s founders whose vision and legacy have blossomed into the institution we hold dear today, the Jesse and Helen Rowe Metcalf Society recognizes donors who have demonstrated their generosity and commitment to RISD by incorporating the college and/or museum into their estate plans. Metcalf Society members ensure that the quality of a RISD education and the vibrance of our artistic community continues in perpetuity.

In addition to receiving exclusive mailings, event invitations and updates from RISD, Metcalf Society members enjoy programming with experts in wealth planning and updates on the work of our students and faculty.

For more information about the Metcalf Society or planned giving at RISD, please email us at giving@risd.edu.

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Loyalty donors, those who have given to RISD in any amount for three consecutive years or more, are the cornerstone of our philanthropic community. Centennial Society members enjoy hearing first-hand about the impact of philanthropy at RISD and invitations to events and receptions. For more information, please contact us at giving@risd.edu or 844 454-1877.

Get in touch

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Hours

Monday–Friday: 8:30 am–4:30 pm

Contact

844 454-1877

giving@risd.edu

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Giving

Welcome to Institutional Advancement at RISD!

Donor impact

Giving Societies

1877 Society

Trustees’ Circle: $25,000 and above

President’s Circle: $10,000–$24,999

Provost's Circle: $5,000–$9,999

Dean's Circle: $2,500–$4,999

Jesse and Helen Rowe Metcalf Society

The Centennial Society

Get in touch

Hours

Contact