Ralph Foundation supports work that directly improves people’s lives. Our interests include helping families affected by estrangement, strengthening community life, and encouraging human creativity.
We support non-political, non-religious organizations that directly help people and keep organizational overhead to a minimum. We look for thoughtful work, responsible use of resources, and a clear benefit to the people being served.
Our broader giving supports organizations doing practical work to help people. These organizations are identified through family recommendations, with attention to the difference their work makes in the lives of those they serve.
Family estrangement is a major area of interest for the Foundation. We welcome conversations with organizations working to understand estrangement, support those affected, and encourage healthy family connections where possible.
Community life
Ralph Foundation is supporting the Ralph Woodard Community Center in St. Joseph, Illinois, through the St. Joseph Recreation Foundation. The Center honors Ralph Woodard’s significant role in the growth of St. Joseph and his many contributions to the community throughout his life. The project reflects our belief in the value of shared places where people can gather, participate in community life, and build connections across generations.
Creativity and storytelling
Ralph Foundation supports the development of the Ralph Prize, an initiative to encourage exceptional storytelling and human creativity. Beginning with an annual short-story competition, its ambition is to build a lasting literary institution that earns the trust of writers and readers.
The Prize explores what people can create with or without AI, while keeping human authorship and judgment at its center. It also seeks to deepen understanding of what AI can contribute to writing today, where its limits remain, and the role of the writer’s imagination and craft. Visit the Ralph Prize website to learn more.
Discover the Ralph Prizewww.ralphprize.com
A community service
Bringing people together is part of our mission. Ralph Foundation provides these free online utilities as a community service, making it easier to organize invitations and enjoy time together.
Invitations and gatherings
Create and send online invitations, and keep guest RSVPs in one place. Warmly Invited helps hosts bring people together for celebrations, gatherings, and community events.
Free to use. Host access is currently by invitation during beta.
Explore Warmly InvitedCard games and connection
Plan rounds, partnerships, and table assignments for a euchre gathering. The scheduler, called Bower, also provides printable schedules, player cards, and score sheets to help the evening run smoothly.
Free to use for your next euchre gathering.
Open the Euchre PlannerOrganizations addressing family estrangement are welcome to send a brief introduction describing their work. Please contact us before preparing a full proposal.
In other areas, giving is guided by family recommendations. We do not accept unsolicited funding requests outside our interest in family estrangement.
For a conversation about work on family estrangement, or an existing Foundation relationship, please contact us using the form.
For information about the Prize, please visit the Ralph Prize website.