Give

The museum’s mission to share art and design with the public has never been more relevant and active than it is today. The collection can be a source of comfort, amusement, and relaxation. You help build a strong foundation of arts, culture, and understanding in our community with a gift to the RISD Museum Annual Fund. 

Make a gift

Your Impact

Every gift to the RISD Museum provides resources to inspire visitors with direct exposure to the work of artists and designers in spaces that encourage looking, critical thinking, and understanding. Education and outreach, collection care, new scholarship, technology, and innovation are all vital components of the Museum’s mission to create an accessible and inclusive environment that builds meaningful relationships across all communities.

Ways to Give
  • Give online
  • Mail a donation to RISD Museum Development, 20 Washington Pl, Providence, RI 02903
  • Make a donation at the Visitors Services desk the next time you visit
  • Call the development office at 401 454 6775 to make a donation by phone or alert us to a donation of stock

The RISD Museum is included under the Rhode Island School of Design 501(c)(3) EIN 05-0258956. Our fiscal year ends on June 30. Thank you for your support of arts education in our community.

RISD Museum Annual Fund

Your Annual Fund gift goes where the Museum needs it most: supporting vital education programs, including K-12 visits that begin with in-school preparation, family fun at the Museum, and teen and college mentoring and training, investing in the next generation of artists, designers, and museum-goers in our community.

Your gift at work:

  • $50 buys supplies for Open Studios, a free hands-on art making class for all ages
  • $60 underwrites a year of membership for a local artist or newly naturalized Rhode Island citizen
  • $100 supports lively gallery discussions for adults with experts and artists of varied fields and perspectives
  • $250 provides the paint for preparing a gallery for an exhibition
  • $350 underwrites transporting 60 students attending a Title I school to the Museum for a guided visit
  • $500 keeps the Museum open late for free community events or extended gallery hours
  • $2,500 buys supplies for one year of free arts education programs for families
  • $4,000 underwrites a Super Art Sunday, when visitors spend time casually experiencing what the Museum is all about—watching demos, experimenting with art-making materials in the galleries, hearing from students and local artists about their work, and learning to look at art and design in new ways
Exhibition and Program Support

The RISD Museum is fortunate to partner with businesses who enable us to offer special exhibitions that attract public and critical acclaim, provide educational programming and tours for school children and adults, and care for our collection. Supporters receive a range of benefits, including increased community visibility and business networking opportunities, free or reduced admission for employees, private tours, and the option of renting gallery spaces for corporate entertaining.

Exhibition and Program sponsorship offers you significant philanthropic and marketing opportunities. Organizations that sponsor exhibitions, educational programs, or other events reach the Museum’s diverse audience while demonstrating support for the arts. Opportunities for support are available at various levels, and Museum staff will work with you to develop a plan that meets your objectives and budget.

To learn more about these opportunities, contact the development office at 401 454 6515.

Donations of Art

The RISD Museum welcomes donations of works of art that enhance the Museum’s collection, as well as funds to purchase new works that strengthen and broaden it, filling important gaps in time, subject matter, and materials. If you are considering donating art through an outright gift, bequest, or promised gift, contact Dominic Molon at 401 454 6768 for more information.

Plan Your Impact

You can use planned giving (retirement accounts, wills, or trusts) to provide meaningful support for the Museum's mission. Including the RISD Museum in your will at any amount is a simple and powerful way to have a lasting impact on the Museum’s future. Call the Museum’s development office at 401 709 8659 to determine the best way to meet your philanthropic goals while supporting the Museum’s important community mission.

How to Make a Bequest to RISD Museum

A bequest is a gift you put in motion now, in your will or living trust, to ensure your support for the Museum never ends. Your gift may take the form of a percentage of your estate, a specific amount, or a particular asset. You may make a bequest by including language in your will or living trust or by designating the RISD Museum as a beneficiary of a retirement account or life insurance policy. The Rhode Island School of Design is a non-profit educational institution that includes both the College and the Museum. You can designate your bequest intention to a specific purpose at the Museum or leave unrestricted to be applied to the area of greatest need, as determined by the director, at the time it is received.

How Bequests Benefit the RISD Museum

Consider what you would like to accomplish with your gift and what parts of the Museum’s mission you would like to support in perpetuity. Unrestricted bequests will be applied to the highest needs of the institution at the time that they are received. If you are thinking about restricting your bequest for a specific purpose, you may wish to consult with the development office to discuss your intentions. For assistance in documenting your intentions, contact the development office at 401 709 8659.

Benefits to You and Your Family

A bequest may be deductible from your taxable estate and thus may help you reduce or avoid estate taxes.

Sample Bequest Language

For a specific sum: “I give the sum of $__________ to the Rhode Island School of Design, Museum of Art, 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI, 02903, for the general use and purposes of the RISD Museum.

For a percentage: “I give all of the residue of my estate [OR an amount equal to X percent of the residue of my estate/thereof] to the Rhode Island School of Design, Museum of Art, 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI, 02903, for the general use and purposes of the RISD Museum.

The Jesse + Helen Rowe Metcalf Society

By sharing your bequest intentions with RISD, you will be enrolled in the Jesse + Helen Rowe Metcalf Society. The Society, named in memory of two people pivotal to the founding of RISD, is an association of supporters who have demonstrated their generosity and commitment to RISD by incorporating the Museum and/or the College into their estate plans. Annual events and communications keep you informed about what’s happening at RISD today and allow us to recognize your intention to make a permanent contribution to the RISD of tomorrow.

For More Information

Contact the Museum’s development office at 401 709 8659.