With a strategic focus on delivering the best art and design education in the world, RISD has identified five priorities to advance its mission:

The RISD Fund

Provide the critical support RISD needs to continue offering students a world-class education.

Student Success

Increase scholarships and fellowships and advance social equity so students with limited financial means can benefit from all that a RISD education has to offer.

Faculty Excellence

Support the extraordinary teachers and makers who are shaping RISD’s next generation of artists and designers.

Campus Transformation

Build the best environment for learning and making by investing in RISD’s studios, classrooms, community spaces and dorms.

RISD Museum

Advance RISD’s mission and accessibility by supporting the RISD Museum, founded alongside the college in 1877.

RISD was founded in 1877 by an act of philanthropy. Members of the Rhode Island Women’s Centennial Commission made a gift of $1,675 to found a school of art and design. The 1877 Society is comprised of philanthropic-minded alumni, parents and friends dedicated to supporting RISD. Today, generous leadership donors provide the resources necessary to attract and support the best students and faculty, offer state-of-the-art facilities, integrate new equipment and technology into studios and classrooms, and support dynamic student activities. We invite you to join The 1877 Society:

For more information, please contact Sarah Sligo, Director of Individual Giving, at [email protected] or call 401 454-6469.

The Jesse + Helen Rowe Metcalf Society is an association of supporters who have demonstrated their generosity and commitment to RISD by incorporating the college or museum into their estate plans.

For more information, please contact Amanda Wright, Assistant Director of Donor Relations, at [email protected] or call 401 454-6708.