Newport nonprofits win grants to help young and old

Some local students will get the chance to test their green thumbs and a local nonprofit will be able to upgrade its community space thanks to grants from the Rhode Island Foundation.

Aquidneck Community Table (ACT) and the Salvation Army of Newport competed with more than 100 nonprofits statewide for the funding from the Foundation’s Community Grants program.

“Our grants will create places to gather, make friendships and launch new collaborations that will build community connections everywhere,” said Jessica David, executive vice president of strategy and community investments.

ACT received $10,000 to expand school and community gardens and programming in Newport and Middletown. ACT partners with Pell Elementary School, the Newport Housing Authority, the Newport Health Equity Zone, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, Bike Newport and other organizations to expand access to healthy food for all residents of the island.

"We teach young and old how to grow their own food using environmentally responsible and sustainable methods. Nothing compares with the excitement of young students discovering the miracle of a seed, or tasting the fresh flavors of vegetables they grew themselves," said Bevan Linsley, ACT's director.

"We regularly hear from teachers and parents about the benefits of gardening, both for the willingness it inspires in children to add more fresh produce to their diets, but also for the sense of peace and health that working in the earth brings to all," she said.

The Salvation Army received $10,000 to purchase a new full-sized wall-mounted projection screen and modernized audio-video system for its community center at 51 Memorial Blvd. The updated video system is expected to strengthen the effectiveness of its programs and improve the quality of presentations made to program participants.

“We are thrilled to be awarded a Community Grant to provide much needed technological improvements to our audio-video system. The new equipment will greatly enhance our ability to reach out to more people and our technology will finally be on par with other nonprofits in the area,” said LeNissa Rivera, corps officer for Newport.

“We are excited for the opportunities that the sound system project funding will bring, most notably we already have plans to sponsor community movie nights and to run informational videos so clients see additional opportunities available to them with us and in the larger Newport community,” she said.

ACT and the Salvation Army are among 45 organizations that received grants statewide. The maximum grant was $10,000. Most of the work is expected to be underway before the end of the year.

“We’re excited about these ideas for making community happen in more and better ways at the local level. Supporting community-building will improve shared places and quality of life, promote collaboration and increase community engagement,” said the Foundation’s David.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Working with generous and visionary donors, the Foundation raised $114 million and awarded $52 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities in 2018. Through leadership, fundraising and grantmaking activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential. For more information, rifoundation.org.