Brown gave $30.2 million in community contributions and $11.1 million in direct voluntary payments to Providence in fiscal year 2025, according to the University’s Community Contributions to the City of Providence report released on Wednesday.
The University dedicated $17.1 million to city and public-serving nonprofits and spent $6.4 million on scholarships for approximately 300 local students to participate in Brown’s high school programs.
This is the second report released after Brown and three other Providence-based colleges entered into a Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreement with the city in 2023, accounting for the fact that the four institutions do not pay property taxes to the city as tax-exempt non-profits. All four colleges pledged to contribute more than $177 million total to Providence over 20 years.
In 2023, Brown also signed a separate agreement with the city to provide an additional $46 million in voluntary payments over the course of a decade.
The agreement requires that all four institutions provide “community contributions” to the city in addition to voluntary payments, which are pre-designated mandated cash payments. Community contributions can include in-kind and monetary services, such as volunteering or support for public resources and parks.
The schools’ community contributions are expected to meet or exceed the value of their voluntary payments.
FY25 saw an $18.3 million increase in Brown’s community contributions compared to last year, partially due to a “more comprehensive collection of information” across an increased number of University departments and units, according to the press release.
The University also began to track research activity at Brown focused on local issues among its contributions. This research is funded by grants given to Brown by foundations and the federal government, which list city and public-serving nonprofits as subawardees. This year, these grants accounted for 56% of Brown’s community contributions.
Other community contributions included $2.5 million in volunteer hours, with each hour valued at $34.79, and about $100,000 in services the University’s facilities team provided in lieu of the city, like plowing snow on streets adjacent to campus. The University’s contributions also included about $55,000 in in-kind contributions, such as hosting free workshops at Providence libraries.
“Brown’s positive impact in the community is powered by mutually beneficial partnerships,” Mary Jo Callan, vice president for community engagement, wrote in the report’s accompanying Brown news release. “Many of our greatest achievements come through collaboration with the communities across Providence.”
Under the four-school agreement, Providence College was set to provide $739,500 in voluntary payments to the city in FY25, while the Rhode Island School of Design and Johnson & Wales University were set to each contribute $612,000. RISD provided an additional $37 million in community contributions, PC gave $5.4 million and JWU contributed $5.3 million.
Additional reporting by Roma Shah.
Cate Latimer is a university news editor covering faculty, University Hall and higher education. She is from Portland, OR, and studies English and Urban Studies. In her free time, you can find her playing ultimate frisbee or rewatching episodes of Parks and Rec.
Ciara Meyer is a section editor from Saratoga Springs, New York. She plans on concentrating in Statistics and English Nonfiction. In her free time, she loves scrapbooking and building lego flowers.
