Newport Nonprofits Land Nearly $400k in Grants

The Rhode Island Foundation announced that it awarded nearly $400,000 in grants to Newport nonprofit groups on the way to a record-breaking year. Statewide, the Foundation awarded $34.8 million in grants in 2014, the most in its 98-year history. The Foundation also raised $33.7 million in new gifts from individual, organizational and corporate donors last year.

The Foundation also raised $33.7 million in new gifts from individual, organizational and corporate donors last year. At the end of 2014, total assets stood at more than $800 million.

“We are grateful to our dedicated donors for joining with us to take on the state’s challenges and opportunities,” said Neil Steinberg, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “Their inspiring generosity enabled us to invest in Rhode Island’s as never before.”

Many of the local awards were made under the Foundation’s competitive Strategy Grant Program, which targets seven key sectors: arts and culture, children and families, education, economic security, environment, health and housing. Through these grants, the Foundation invests in organizations and programs that strive for long-term solutions to significant community issues. Others are discretionary grants made by the Foundation’s staff and directors.

The Robert Potter League for Animals in Newport received $36,000 to help lower-income owners care for their pets and to support Aquidneck Island’s Coyote Best Management Practices and No Feeding Ordinances.

The Newport Community School was awarded more than $42,000 for work including its Pets & Vets program, which brings a popular animal-welfare curriculum to middle school youth, and a vocational training program for Certified Nursing Assistants.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center received $15,000 for its Feed a Friend Food Pantry, the daily breakfast program, and Food 2 Friends, a mobile pantry that delivers food to the home bound. In 2013, the three programs served thousands of individuals and more than 10,000 meals.

The Women’s Resource Center in Newport was awarded $80,726 for work including its Primary Prevention Institute and providing domestic violence survivors and families with food assistance, housing supplies and health care-related needs, legal advocacy and general services.

Turning Around Ministries Inc. (TAM) was awarded $4,000 to provide services that will help people to become contributing members of the community. Through its A Better You program, TAM will offer mentoring, financial literacy, educational assistance, financial assistance for housing, job readiness training, clothing and transportation to low-income clients who have a criminal record, are homeless or are unemployed.