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Dozens of nonprofit organizations serving Newport County residents will share $375,000 in grants from the Rhode Island Foundation. The funding will support work ranging from educational programs for children and housing to food pantries and arts activities.

“We are fortunate to be able to help our partners carry out their critical work. We are grateful for the dedicated donors who make it possible for us to support nonprofits that are on the frontlines of serving the needs of their communities,” said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO.

Bike Newport, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County, Child & Family in Middletown, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport, the Jamestown Community Food Bank, the Little Compton Community Center and Conexion Latina Newport are among the grant recipients.

Bike Newport received $5,500 to support its “Ride Island” initiative. The goal is to create a safe and accessible infrastructure network for bikes and pedestrians in Portsmouth, Middletown, and Newport. About 80% of all car trips on Aquidneck Island are under four miles, making bikes a viable alternative, according to the organization.

“Traffic congestion is high, transit is poor and roads are unsafe for biking and walking. Our goal is to make people-powered transportation a safe and inviting alternative to cars,” said Bari Freeman, executive director. “Residents will be more safely connected to shared-use paths and other active transportation infrastructure, which will improve access to jobs, health care, services, recreation, schools, shopping and other common destinations Neighborhood traffic calming measures result in more people choosing to bike and walk to local destinations, improving health, economy and quality of life in our community.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County received $5,000 to support its Anchor Academy, which offers intensive leadership training and skill development to approximately 20 Middletown High School freshmen. Participants attend meetings at Middletown High School from October to April and also go through a separate eight-week essential skills training to help them build key interpersonal and professional skills. The newly-minted peer leaders then lead the rest of the freshman class in a day-long team-building retreat at the Club's Camp Grosvenor in Saunderstown. As sophomores, the peer leaders meet with incoming freshmen to help them adjust to their new environs.

“Our program addresses the challenges many youth experience during the critical transition between middle and high school. Students’ experiences in their first year of high school often determine their success throughout high school and beyond,” said Bill Parks, interim executive director.  "We are proud to partner with Middletown High School and its guidance department to make a positive impact on students through this program.”

Child & Family received $10,000 to provide case management for families in its supportive housing program. The initiative provides parents with wraparound case management and access to a continuum of care that provides the resources necessary for them to secure permanent housing and improve the overall health and well-being of their families. The organization works with the Newport Housing Authority to provide affordable apartments for as many as 12 families a year.

“As part of their participation in the program, families may enroll in one of our evidence-based family preservation programs, in addition to our Home Stabilization program. The goal is to help them avoid contact with the child welfare system or successfully reunify parents with children who have been placed out of the home due to lack of stable housing. Our focus on connecting families to care is what makes our program successful in keeping families together and keeping children out of the costly child welfare system,” said Susan Jacobson, president and CEO.

Conanicut Island Land Trust received $5,000 to support its “Bringing Nature to the Classroom” initiative, which introduces 4th-grade students at Melrose School to nature through classroom visits and field trips and hands-on activities. The organization protects 183 parcels amounting to approximately 450 acres or about 12% of Conanicut Island.

“Five years after being launched, the impact of ‘Bring Nature to the Classroom’ is best measured by the steady growth of the program with more guest speakers yearly, two field trips, more programs while at Godena Farm and the growth of parental and volunteer involvement. Typically, we now have 10 to12 parents and roughly 15 adult volunteers helping with the native shrub and tree planting or one of the many other activities,” said Quentin Anthony, president.

Conexion Latina Newport received $10,000 to help Latino residents with emergency expenses such as rent, food access, utilities, medical expenses, basic human needs and transportation. The organization will work with local partners, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, the Salvation Army, the St Vincent dePaul Society and the Housing Hotline to combine resources and increase impact.

“If we take into consideration the looming economic cuts to school lunch, health care and the inevitable rise in the cost of living, we have a perfect storm financial crisis that will disproportionately affect our most vulnerable families,” said Rebekah Gomez, executive director. “Having an emergency fund at hand, Conexion Latina will be able to quickly support families in getting their basic human needs met and provide some relief during what we hope is a temporary situation.”

Day One received $5,000 to provide advocacy, treatment, and prevention/education services to child and adult victims of sexual violence and abuse in Newport County.

The organization will continue to serve children and adults through its Children’s Advocacy Center in Middletown and its adult advocacy and clinical programs.

“Working across the lifespan, Day One provides advocacy, clinical treatment, a national best practice response to children impacted by sexual abuse and child exploitation, as well as community education and prevention services. This generous funding will support the provision of critical advocacy and treatment services for victims of sexual abuse, as well as expand prevention education to help address sexual violence in Newport County,” said Michelle Loranger, executive director.

The East Bay Community Action Program in Newport received $5,000 to support its Baby Steps program, which provides family education sessions and family enrichment activities that engage family members as partners in the education of children through beginning kindergarten. Forty-three families participated in the last cohort, according to the organization. 

“Parents and caregivers are the most influential people in a child's life, so enhancing their parenting skills is vital. By promoting positive relationships and encouraging engagement, we can better prepare children and their families for the future,” said Rilwan Feyisitan Jr., president and CEO. “We are excited to offer sessions for Spanish-speaking families in partnership with Conexion Latina Newport.”

FabNewport received $7,500 to support its Newport Experience Summer Program, a 6-week summer program that offers a wide range of hands-on learning experiences in STEAM, farming, surfing, hiking, skateboarding, kayaking, paddle boarding, sailing, cooking, agriculture, art, biking and entrepreneurship. The organization expects more than 50 youth to participate in the program.

“The goal is to ensure youth have access to transformative learning experiences that foster exploration, leadership, and career development. By expanding opportunities, resources and relationships, the program is helping shape the next generation of leaders—youth who see themselves as valued, capable and connected to the community around them,” said Steve Heath, executive director.

The Jamestown Arts Center (JAC) received $10,000 to support its Access Arts Initiative, which is a year-long series of free community arts programs designed to engage and inspire Newport County residents of all ages, artistic abilities and backgrounds. The programs include Artists’ Open Studios, the JAC’s annual one-day, island-wide art tour where the public is invited into participating artists' studios to see art making in process and directly engage with local artists; and the Autumn Arts Open House, which offers a day of family-friendly activities in every studio space and gallery at the JAC.

“These educational programs reflect our core values of artistic growth, stronger community connections through free, intergenerational arts education,” said Christine Cocca, interim executive director. “By removing cost barriers, we provide families, children, teens, adults and seniors with free opportunities to create, explore and experience art in meaningful ways. This initiative fosters cultural connections, encourages creativity, and enhances the quality of life in Newport County.”

The Jamestown Community Chorus received $5,000 to purchase high-quality, industry-standard chorus risers and the safety rails ahead of its December 2025 holiday concerts. Rehearsals are scheduled to begin in September on Mondays, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Central Baptist Church at 99 Narragansett Avenue. The organization draws singers principally Jamestown, Newport, Portsmouth, Middletown and North Kingstown.

“By purchasing high-quality risers and safety rails we hope to protect our singers from illness and injury. We typically perform with 45 to 50 singers in each of our four concerts throughout the year. This past December, as we celebrated our 75th anniversary, eight of our singers contracted COVID, probably because they had to stand so close together on our current risers. In addition to stronger COVID-related protocols, the additional risers will allow us to stand further apart,” said B.J. Whitehouse, music director.

The Jamestown Community Farm received $6,000 to expand its production by tripling its refrigerated space, adding beehives, and recruiting volunteers. The farm supplies local food pantries with fresh produce. The Martin Luther King Community Center in Newport is its largest partner pantry; deliveries are made weekly during the growing season.

“The funding will enable us to give more fresh vegetables to our partner pantries. Refrigeration is especially important for delicate leafy vegetables like lettuce, and we have limited the volume of these popular and nutritious varieties due to our restricted cold storage capacity. We currently do not have any bees living on the farm. Introducing beehives will boost the pollination of all our flowering crops, especially our fruit trees. We depend on volunteers to plant and harvest our crops and the broader community to fund our operations,” said Dick Steinbach, president.

The Jamestown Community Food Pantry received $10,000 to offset the rising cost of purchasing food, basic household supplies and personal care and pet items. The organization provides clients with meat, fish, juice, cheese, yogurt, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, in addition to non-perishables. The organization reports serving 86 households supporting 167 individuals and distributing an average of just over 1,900 items per month over a total of 467 pantry visits last year.

"Our budget continues to be challenged by the cost of stocking our shelves. We assist those in Jamestown who need emergency food help when budgets are tight,” said Deborah Nordstrom, president. “Without our services, the needy in Jamestown would need to travel across one of the bridges to another food pantry and many of our clients are shut ins or don't have reliable transportation. In addition, given the sharp increases in food costs, our clients' food budgets don't go as far as they used to, so every extra dollar we can get will go a long way.”

The Katie Brown Educational Program received $7,000 to provide evidence-based, relationship violence prevention education to Jamestown, Little Compton, Newport, Portsmouth and Tiverton students in grades 4-12. Through the KBEP students learn skills necessary to recognize, avoid and prevent relationship violence by shifting unhealthy attitudes and changing behaviors.

"Research overwhelmingly indicates that school-based education is the most effective approach to violence prevention because it allows for the unique opportunity to engage in active dialogue and directly address student concerns," said Claire McVicker, executive director. “Our educators are able to adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of students because we engage them in small group discussions, dynamic activities and real-time conversations with educators that allow them to construct a knowledge of concepts such as power dynamics, autonomy and consent rooted in their own language and experiences.”

The Little Compton Community Center received $10,000 to support its Senior Lunch Program, which is staffed by two full-time employees and more than 25 volunteers who assist with meal prep, meal service and meal delivery.

"Our Senior Lunch Program provides the opportunity for local seniors to enjoy an affordable, healthy meal three days per week. We provide delivery to homebound, dine in for those who wish to socialize and pick up to those who prefer to eat in the comfort of their own home. Since 2022, we've seen a 125% increase in program participation," said Amy Mooney, executive director.

The Little Compton Food Bank received $10,000 to respond to increasing food insecurity. Open Fridays from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., the facility serves approximately 60 households a week that are facing food insecurity with two part-time staff and 25 volunteers.

"We know that our food bank serves only a portion of the population in Tiverton and Little Compton that is going hungry for lack of assistance. For every person we serve, there are more who can't get to us for whatever reason, or who may be too shy to come in. This grant will help us reach more of the people in need who are not getting our help," said John Hitchcock, president of the Board of Trustees.

Live & Learn in Jamestown received $5,000 to expand the opportunities in Jamestown to expand sustainable living and reduce the impact of waste impact, including collecting items for extra-municipal recycling, primarily through accounts with Terracycle; upcycling craft materials into like-new kits that are donated around Rhode Island; and re-using plastic plant pots by growing microgreens to donate to homeless shelters and soup kitchens.

"Our goal is to double production for our Re-Rags program, which upcycles unwearable textiles into shop cloths for painters and mechanics and keeps them out of landfills. Growing microgreens usually doesn’t occur to busy families, but it is easy and effective, and as we donate microgreens and the growing kits, it raises the profile of the mighty microgreen as a small, but effective answer to fresh produce issues for families with little time and limited funds," said Gina Malloy, executive director.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center received $10,000 for need-based scholarships for preschool for children from low-income, working families. The MLK Community Center expects to serve up to 45 children age 3 to 5 in three fully equipped classrooms and an outdoor play space.

“We opened a third preschool classroom in September 2024 to help meet the gap in preschool openings on Aquidneck Island. In addition to English language learning, literacy and math, our program supports social and emotional wellness,” said Heather Hole Strout, Executive Director. “Creative play inside and outdoors is part of every school day. The Children also enjoy music lessons, art, cooking classes, and lots of STEAM activities. Our in-house chef prepares a healthy breakfast, lunch, and two snacks every day.  All families also have full access to our onsite hunger relief programs. Because of this funding, parents can go to work knowing their kids are thriving at the MLK.”

The Newport County YMCA in Middletown received $7,500 to support RhodySquash, an afterschool program for area students grades four through eight that combines squash instruction and competition with mentorship, tutoring and character-building opportunities.

“We are particularly focused on enrolling those who demonstrate financial, academic, or psychosocial needs. Through this program and with the support of funders, at-risk youth develop new skills and make connections that allow for a healthier and brighter future,” said Mike Miller, the Y’s CEO. “In a community where after-school programs are lacking and often costly, RhodySquash provides a safe place for kids to play, learn and thrive at no cost to families who need financial assistance."

Newport Contemporary Ballet received $5,000 to support its Dancing Through Boundaries in-school and after-school education program. More than 3,700 students in Newport County schools participate in the comprehensive arts-integrated education program.

“Our program increases student engagement, supports social and emotional learning, and improves academic and health outcomes for disadvantaged young people. Each year we strive to expand to additional schools and grade levels in Newport County and to introduce new curriculum. All programs address movement as a means of supporting students' social and emotional learning. In-school residencies tie in with grade level academics,” said Danielle Genest, artistic and executive director.

Newport Sings received $3,400 to help launch a new program that will bring performances to local assisted living, hospice care and memory care facilities. "Luminous Voices” will offer two services: a monthly residency where residents are invited to sing along to familiar songs from their youth led by a song leader and small ensemble performances to bring joy and comfort to those who are ailing or isolated.

“Studies show the positive ways singing and music affects the brain, especially for those with memory and movement disorders. This will bring members of our community together to share our voices with those who are isolated or ailing,” said Elizabeth Woodhouse, founder and artistic director. “Anyone who wishes to sing in Luminous Voices will be welcome. You don’t have to audition and all voice types, music background and experience are welcome.”

The Village Common received $5,650 to strengthen its two local chapters, Jamestown Village and Aquidneck Island Village, which serves Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth. The volunteer organization helps older adults stay active, connected and independent in their own homes and communities.

“The concept is neighbors helping neighbors in a formal, sustainable way. Older adults can get trusted help when they need it and also stay social, preventing the negative effects of isolation,” said Mary Alice Smith of Newport, a member of the Aquidneck Island Village steering committee. Our volunteers assist members in a myriad of ways, from driving them to medical appointments and running errands, to doing household minor repairs, to providing technology assistance, to making friendly calls and visits, and so much more.”

The Aquidneck Island Village has 57 volunteers and 64 members and the Jamestown Village has 27 volunteers and 19 members.

“They help counter isolation and loneliness through phone calls and visits, community and neighborhood events, plus small group activities and circles. Each village is reflective of their community, while being supported with administrative tasks by the hub, so that the villages can focus on their members and their volunteers,” said Smith.

The full list of recipients is posted HERE.

The grants are through the Foundation’s Newport County Fund, which awards grants of up $10,000 to strengthen or expand established programs, to support policy or advocacy efforts on behalf of community concerns, to fund new projects that focus on significant problems or opportunities, and to leverage strategic collaborations and partnerships.

In making the funding decisions, the Foundation worked with an advisory committee comprised of residents from every community in Newport County.

Established in 2002, the Fund has awarded more than $6 million in grants for programs and services for residents of Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth and Tiverton over the years.

It is just one of the grant programs that enable the Foundation to serve Newport County communities. Just since 2023, the Foundation has awarded nearly $12 million in grants to Newport County nonprofits.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Through civic leadership, fundraising and grant-making activities, together with neighbors and partners, the Foundation is helping to create progress that lasts.