Foams prepared from vinylbenzyl chloride and crosslinked with divinylbenzene were functionalized with trialkylphosphite and tetralkylvinylidene diphosphonate. It was determined that the foams could be uniformly functionalized. Batch studies with the functionalized foams show that high levels of metal ion complexation can be achieved. Foams may therefore offer an important alternative to beads for rapid complexation reactions due to their highly porous structure.