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With a century of experience as Rhode Island’s only community foundation, we leverage our local roots, state-wide relationships, and strong partnerships to build on work that’s come before, in order to create progress that lasts.  

Deepening divisions in our society, an increasing loss of faith in institutions, and a growing sense of isolation and loneliness felt by many have intensified over time. These trends pose a serious threat to our civic health, the vibrancy of cultural life in our communities, and, our ability to address common challenges. 

At the same time, we know that strong, ongoing interactions between community members, robust relationships between people and public institutions, and positive connections between Rhode Islanders and the places where they live are highly related to a range of positive outcomes - from better physical health to higher employment rates, to greater resilience and improved response to emergencies.  

Investing in the civic and cultural life of a community, including by supporting connections to neighbors, opportunities to volunteer, access to public art and local journalism, robust civics education, and more, brings people together and contributes to a thriving Rhode Island.

Across our state, through deep community engagement, we have heard Rhode Islanders call for greater connections to one another and to the places we live and interact. The 2022 Rhode Island Civic Health Index provided a snapshot of our state’s civic health, and showed that there is significant work to be done.  

For example, only 34 percent of survey respondents agreed that issues in their community are represented in the local news and just 42 percent of students felt their K-12 civics education prepared them to be active members of their community. Further, 63 percent reported visiting cultural organizations or events on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, with 78 percent of respondents agreeing that visiting these organizations and events made them feel more connected to their communities. The results clearly demonstrated the demand for greater community connections and the need for investments that enhance civic infrastructure in our state.

In response to these growing calls for improved civic health, we saw a window to engage with the National Civic League, a non-partisan organization that has been at the forefront of civic innovation for more than 125 years, to build on the work of our community partners.

Over several months, through research, interviews, and stakeholder convenings, NCL developed in partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation an Action Guide for Improving Civic Health in Rhode Island. This guide is intended to serve as a starting point and initial set of tools and strategies that Rhode Islanders can use to promote and enhance civic health throughout our state.  

We hope this guide will help catalyze and support the efforts of individuals, communities, and groups across Rhode Island working to create meaningful opportunities for greater connection. We look forward to opportunities to collaborate and enhance the health of civic and cultural life in Rhode Island for years to come. 

Separately, we can have impact, but only together can we build the future we all hope for as Rhode Islanders.

Launch the Action Guide for Improving Civic Health in Rhode Island 

Download the Action Guide for Improving Civic Health in Rhode Island