E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation supports graduate theological study, performing arts, Asian art, nursing and LGBTQ issues.
IP TAKE: This accessible funder accepts letters of inquiry and meets twice a year to review applications. It’s a supportive funder that gives its grantees attention beyond funds. This funder also prioritizes giving to organizations that had a relationship with its founders when they were alive.
PROFILE: The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the philanthropic sister of its corporate arm the Carpenter Company, was founded in 1975 in Richmond, Virginia. Mr. Carpenter was the founder of the foam rubber manufacturer, the Carpenter Company. The foundation’s grantmaking priorities include graduate theological education, performing arts, visual arts, community health nursing, and LGBT causes. Its sparse website gives limited guidance on the foundation’s strategies.
Grants for Humanities Research
This funder broadly supports humanities research in the areas of theology, performing arts, Asian art and LGBTQ causes. It supports graduate theological education across the U.S. and Canada. Past theological education grantees include American Association for the Advancement of Science, Hebrew College Milller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership, Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, and Logan County School District in Russellville, KY.
Grants for Public Health
The foundation supports “community health nursing” and makes grants to “public charities (pre-selected by the Foundation Board) located in the communities of Worcester, Massachusetts; Richmond, Virginia; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.” Past grantees include Fan Free Clinic, Family Health Center Of Worcester Inc, and VNA Care Network Hospice.
Grants for LGBTQ
The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation awards grants to local, regional, and national LGBTQ organizations. The foundation’s LGBTQ grants broadly center on LGBTQ “people of faith” and seek to ensure “faith communities’ understanding, affirmation, and inclusion of,” LGBTQ people. The foundation does not offer more details regarding its LGBTQ grantmaking strategies. In the past, Carpenter has supported LGBT organizations such as Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the National LGBTQ Task Force, and Old Lesbians Organizing for Change. The foundation largely supports large, established organizations; however, a few smaller organizations succeed in securing funding.
Grants for Arts and Culture
This funder’s support for Arts and Culture is specific and clearly defined, limited to public performances in Richmond, Virginia and local exhibitions of Asian Art.
Grants for Visual Arts
The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation supports local art museums and galleries. The foundation’s visual arts grants support organizations that “[h]ave a permanent collection for the purchase, conservation and exhibition of Asian art and relating to education of Asian art.” Carpenter also considers funding requests from arts organizations to “underwrite the costs of exhibitions of Wester art in the Peoples Republic of China or the Republic of China (Taiwan).” Past grantees include the 1708 Gallery, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art.
Grants for the Performing Arts
The foundation makes grants to support performing arts programs, organizations, and groups in Richmond, Virginia. These grants fund “public charities located in or outside Richmond, provided that the performing arts activity for which funding is requested occurs within the Richmond City limits.” Past performing arts grantees include Virginia Repertory Theatre, Richmond Symphony, Quill Theatre, Richmond Ballet Inc, and Richmond Triangle Players.
Important Grant Details:
According to the foundation’s tax filings, grant awards vary from $5,000 to $500,000; however, the majority of grants range in amount from $10,000 to $100,000.
The Carpenter Foundation accepts unsolicited requests for funding by mail. Application guidelines are available at the foundation’s webpage. Grant seekers do not need to fill out specific grant application forms. A brief letter describing their organization’s history, project or program will suffice. Applicants must also include their organization’s IRS ruling and financial statements. The Foundation will consider only one request from an organization in a calendar year.
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