Introduction
The Prince Charitable Trusts were established in 1947 and operate as a family foundation supporting programs in Chicago, Illinois, Washington, DC and Newport, Rhode Island.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Friends of the Chicago River
Three generations ago, Frederick H. Prince and his wife Abbie Norman Prince established a philanthropic legacy by creating the Prince Charitable Trusts. Over time, their heirs have created giving programs in cities where the Prince family has deep and long-standing ties: Chicago, Illinois; Washington, DC; and, Newport, Rhode Island.
Today, our philanthropy remains focused on these geographic regions, with support directed toward the arts, the environment, youth programs, health initiatives, and other areas of giving.
We are a family foundation that believes in the capacity of non-profit organizations to change lives, to improve communities and to advance ideas. In standing with the organizations we fund, we strive to add muscle to their might with operating, project, and capacity-building grants and special awards for their often unique and unheralded work.
What’s important to us
- We value collaboration; we work with community, foundation, and government partners to leverage resources and maximize impact.
- We recognize the importance of investing in innovative strategies that acknowledge, then alter, the structural causes of the issues we want to impact – from environmental sustainability to health disparaties. In striving for impact, our work seeks to address both immediate and long-term concerns at the root of these issues.
- We celebrate and uphold the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals regardless of ethnicity, race, color, creed, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any veteran’s status. We fund organizations that share this core belief and exemplify it in their work.
Affiliations
The Prince Charitable Trusts values collaboration, and so are affiliated or have membership with the following organizations.
- Chesapeake Bay Funders Network
- Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy
- Chicago Foundation for Women
- Exponent Philanthropy
- Forefront
- Grantmakers in the Arts
- PEAK Grantmaking
- Newport Funders Group
- Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders
*As of January 2025
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Environmental Film Festival
Thank you
The Prince Charitable Trusts would like to thank the organizations — our grantee partners — whose beautiful photography and videos enhance our website and vividly demonstrate the incredible creativity and variety of the programs we support.
