About

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access

The Rhode Island Foundation is committed to advancing equity centered on valuing and embracing diverse identities and experiences and guided by inclusiveness, accessibility, compassion, mutual respect, and humility in partnership with our team and the community.

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) starts with being clear about how we define and communicate terms. 

Definitions provide a shared understanding of our goals and guide how we pursue outcomes and priorities. Like the DEIA vision, they extend to the internal operation of our organization and every aspect of our external work, with includes charitable giving, grantmaking and community investments, convening, advocacy, and capacity building. 

Diversity: Increasing the representation of different identities and experiences. 
 

Equity: Actively challenging individual and systemic biases and injustices to ensure fair access to opportunities. 
 

Inclusion: Fostering an environment in which people of all identities and experiences feel welcomed, valued, and a sense of belonging.
 

Access: Ensuring opportunities for people with differing physical and cognitive abilities to participate, contribute, and thrive. 

Our DEIA Strategic Roadmap 

In early 2024, a comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Needs Assessment was conducted by Upton Consulting Group. This included feedback from community partners, the internal Foundation team, and members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The results revealed the need for a more data-driven and substantive DEIA strategy to help improve the Foundation’s culture and enhance our relationship with our community partners.

This feedback helped inform our DEIA Strategic Roadmap, ensuring that that the Foundation’s DEIA commitment is embedded in every aspect of our work. Achieving this goal requires a change management approach that drives both behavior and systems change across the Foundation.

The DEIA Strategic Roadmap fully aligns with and informs the organizational priorities within the Foundation’s Five-Year Action Plan and guides us as we continue working in partnership with the community to build a more inclusive and equitable future for all Rhode Islanders. The DEIA Strategic Roadmap is both externally and internally focused, ensuring our DEIA commitment strengthens our relationship with the community we serve and fosters an equitable and inclusive work environment for our team members.

Additional details are included below.