Impact
A Plan in Motion
As part of our mission to address critical community needs through grantmaking, we announced $6.1 million in grants to nearly 150 nonprofit organizations across the state this summer. This marks the first major round of grant awards aligned with our new Five-Year Action Plan, a strategy shaped by input from over 2,000 community members. These funds will help address crucial priorities outlined in the plan and ensure that Rhode Islanders have access to essential services like housing, health care, and education.
Among the recipients, the R.I. Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs received $100,000 to support its ‘Power Hour’ program, which provides homework assistance and academic support to youth aged 5 to 18. Last year, the program served 1,440 youngsters, helping them become self-directed learners and bridging opportunity gaps. Erin Gilliatt, executive director of the East Providence Boys & Girls Clubs, highlighted the program’s impact: “Power Hour extends the reach of Rhode Island’s education system, ensuring students stay engaged, confident, and on track for graduation.”
Gotta Have Sole, a Cranston-based nonprofit, was awarded $10,000 to expand its board of directors and meet the growing demand for its services. The organization has provided new, properly fitting shoes to over 125,000 children experiencing homelessness. Founder and executive director Nicholas Lowinger explained, “By providing new shoes, we remove a fundamental barrier to children’s physical, emotional, and social well-being, allowing them to fully engage in school, play, and after-school activities.”
The North Kingstown Food Pantry received $5,000 to restock its shelves during a period of high demand. The pantry offers a wide range of food items, hygiene products, and cleaning supplies to residents in need. Kimberly Page, the organization’s president, shared, “We are always seeking additional opportunities to reach out to those with food insecurity through schools, senior centers, and other community agencies.”
Other recipients include Child and Family Services of Newport County, Climate Action Rhode Island 350, the Olneyville Neighborhood Association, the Jonnycake Center of Westerly, the Tomaquag Museum in Exeter and the Valley Affordable Housing Corporation in Cumberland. The full list of grant recipients is posted here.
Nearly 90 percent of nonprofits that applied for funding reported having to cut services due to federal funding losses.
To help guide our grantmaking efforts, and meet the moment we find ourselves in, during the application process for these grant programs, we asked applicants about the impact of recent federal actions on their work. Nearly 90 percent of nonprofits that applied for funding reported having to cut services due to federal funding losses. While philanthropy can’t replace these losses, we are able to work flexibly through our grantmaking and programmatic efforts to help nonprofit organizations navigate the impact. For example, in this round of grantmaking we specifically earmarked $1 million to support organizations whose services to Rhode Islanders are affected by recent federal actions.
National policy and funding changes have a real impact on the work of our nonprofit partners, and most importantly, the thousands of people they serve every day. Rhode Islanders are facing empty shelves at food pantries, job cuts, small business assistance drying up, Head Start programs going dark, and children going hungry.
Our commitment to the community priorities outlined in our Five-Year Action Plan is tangible through these new grant programs, and we’re excited to engage with community partners – Foundation donors, community organizations that are serving Rhode Islanders directly, policymakers, and local leaders — to put the plan in motion.
Share this article
