Search Through Grants for Community Service Projects in Rhode Island in the U.S.

What does this program do?

This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

What is an eligible area?

Rural areas including cities, villages, townships and towns including Federally Recognized Tribal Lands with no more than 20,000 residents according to the latest U.S. Census Data are eligible for this program.

How may funds be used?

Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.

Examples of essential community facilities include:

• Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
• Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements.
• Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing.
• Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment.
• Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools.
• Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment.
• Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses.

Grant Approval

Applicant must be eligible for grant assistance, which is provided on a graduated scale with smaller communities with the lowest median household income being eligible for projects with a higher proportion of grant funds. Grant assistance is limited to the following percentages of eligible project costs:

Maximum of 75 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 5,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 60 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 55 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 12,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 70 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 35 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 80 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 15 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 90 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income. The proposed project must meet both percentage criteria. Grants are further limited.

Background

Founded in 2001, the Rhode Island Child Care and Early Learning Facilities Fund (RICCELFF) is a public-private partnership designed to help child care and early learning programs develop safe, high-quality learning environments – indoors and outdoors. The RICCELFF is particularly interested in supporting projects that expand access to affordable, quality child care opportunities for low income and high needs children and families.

The RICCELFF is housed at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the nation’s largest community development intermediary. The RICCELFF benefits from national expertise through LISC’s Community Investment Collaborative for Kids (CICK). CICK brings public officials, child care providers, philanthropists and other stakeholders to the table to devise comprehensive and innovative solutions to child care facility dilemmas. As a member of the National Children’s Facilities Network, LISC works closely with organizations across the country to advocate for policies and funding that support the development of quality child care facilities in low-income communities.

Child Care Facilities Planning Grant Program

The Child Care Facilities Planning Grant Program is available for predevelopment and feasibility activities to develop, expand, or improve early childhood facilities in Rhode Island. Grant-funded. planning work could include hiring professionals for the following:

• Architectural design services for project feasibility and concept design
• Site analysis
• Engineering studies
• Legal services (ex: hiring a land use attorney to pursue a change in zoning for allowable use)
• Environmental survey and review

The Lattner Family Foundation, founded in 2006 is headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, and is a family foundation with a successful history of charitable giving. We encourage board members to be actively involved in their communities and in the work for the Foundation. We also encourage family unity and mutual respect, while serving to educate board members in philanthropy, service, and stewardship.

Mission

We wish to make a significant difference by supporting creative and innovative programs that encourage hope and personal responsibility in our chosen areas of giving. We will look for projects which advance solutions and inspire others to contribute.

Through our innovative and creative programs, we seek to encourage hope, inspire others to contribute, and support personal responsibility in our chosen areas of giving. Our primary geographical areas for grants are Palm Beach County, Florida; Kansas, Rhode Island, and Georgia. These areas relate to where the Trustees reside.

Areas of Giving:

• Arts & Humanities,
• Education,
• Environment,
• Health & Social Services,
• and Christian organizations that provide such services.

For over 25 years the Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation has provided funding and support to our communities. Our hope is that the investments we make, help to create a more equitable place to live and work and improve the quality of life for everyone in our communities.

Areas of Focus

Education & Literacy

Education is an essential foundation for prosperity and opportunity. We fund various types of educational support including early learning programs and initiatives, all levels of academic learning, workforce development, job training and more.

Economic Development

We fund activities and programs that work to improve the economic well-being and quality of life of our communities. Particularly those that focus on community development, diversification, creating and retaining jobs and building the local tax base.

Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing can improve the quality of life of residents leading to better health, adequate jobs, financial stability, security, and population diversity. We fund a wide variety of affordable housing initiatives including organizations and programs that provide credit counseling, homebuyer education, temporary and affordable housing solutions.

Critical Needs/Sustainability

This is a new area of focus added during the past year in response to the serious issues impacting our communities. The effects of Covid-19 and social injustice continue to be felt throughout our community and have negatively impacted many of our community organizations. We want to address these and other community impact issues as well as create the flexibility to address new critical needs and sustainability concerns that may arise.

Funding Ranges/Restrictions:

In an effort to assist as many qualified organizations as possible within our market areas, our Foundation awards grants of varying sizes depending on the specific project being funded. However, please note the following:

One-time Grants

• The average range for grants is up to $10,000.
• Successful applicants are limited to one grant per year.

Large Dollar Multi-Year Grants

• Our Foundation has a cap for the amount of multi-year grants issued annually
• Successful applicants are precluded from receiving additional grants during the multi-year funding period.

About the Island Foundation

The Island Foundation was founded in 1979 by W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. and Mary H. Clark. They envisioned a family foundation that was capable not only of reacting to the needs of the community, but also providing leadership grants and taking chances other foundations might be unwilling to consider. Van Clark believed in solutions. He believed that the world could be managed for the better. He believed that bright people, dedicated to a common goal would inevitably achieve that goal. He was an activist who was willing to, in his own words, “Step up to the plate and make a good cut at the ball.” A restless and imaginative man, he fought for better outcomes in all of his endeavors. Over the years, the Island Foundation has alternately talked and listened, but always with the goal of motivating action and creative solutions. There is a challenge embedded in every opportunity.

Grantmaking Priorities

The Foundation supports projects in coastal areas of Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island and selected international locations.

For the last two decades, the Foundation has focused a significant portion of its financial resources on Southeastern Massachusetts, where its office is located. Here the Board seeks to understand how communities grow sustainably and equitably, how to increase educational opportunities, how rural and urban economies are intertwined, and how to best protect working landscapes and the people who rely upon these areas for their livelihoods. In funding in a few specific areas, the Board believes it will have the most impact. 

Womxn and Girls Grant

The Island Foundation works with organizations addressing root causes of inequality for womxn and girls in the United States. The Foundation works to strengthen and support the work of womxn- and girls-led and focused organizations across sectors and funding interests, particularly for womxn and girls of color. The Foundation supports intergenerational collaborations and organizations at the forefront of innovation and systems change for gender equity and inclusion.

About the Island Foundation

The Island Foundation was founded in 1979 by W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. and Mary H. Clark. They envisioned a family foundation that was capable not only of reacting to the needs of the community, but also providing leadership grants and taking chances other foundations might be unwilling to consider. Van Clark believed in solutions. He believed that the world could be managed for the better. He believed that bright people, dedicated to a common goal would inevitably achieve that goal. He was an activist who was willing to, in his own words, “Step up to the plate and make a good cut at the ball.” A restless and imaginative man, he fought for better outcomes in all of his endeavors. Over the years, the Island Foundation has alternately talked and listened, but always with the goal of motivating action and creative solutions. There is a challenge embedded in every opportunity.

Alternative Education Grants

The Island Foundation supports a limited number of experiential education programs, after-school programs, and alternative education schools. Drawing on its tradition of seeking alternative and unconventional approaches, the Island Foundation looks for informal and school-based programs that connect young people to their natural world, foster an appreciation for community service, and respect individuals with diverse backgrounds and learning styles. Maritime trades, hands-on marine education, and programs that increase access and opportunity for at-risk youth are of particular interest. 

Beginning in 2023, the Rhode Island Foundation spent more than a year conducting a careful assessment of our work and engaging deeply with Rhode Islanders from diverse backgrounds and experiences. The outcome is an evolved mission and Five-Year Action Plan that is informed by the people we serve.

Through deep engagement and discussion with the public, collaboration with our partners, research, and data analysis, we identified six community priorities that are essential for a thriving Rhode Island. These priorities were consistently voiced by the community we serve and will guide the Rhode Island Foundation’s efforts in the years ahead.  

The Capacity Building Grant program is one of our three core grant programs and primarily provides funding and/or technical assistance to support the needs of organizations and programs that respond to one or more of the community priorities, and related focus areas in the Foundation's Five-Year Action Plan.  

At the center of each community priority is a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA), ensuring that our efforts address systemic inequities and support thriving communities. 

Other Considerations

Proposals are evaluated based in large part on how the work of the organization responds to community priorities and related focus areas, clear explanation of need, readiness to start and complete the proposed project, and the clarity of expected outcomes. 

Capacity Building grants may support activities such as:

• strategic planning
• business planning
• feasibility studies
• fund development planning
• marketing and communications planning
• planning for reorganization
• streamlining operations or services
• partnerships and mergers
• financial management planning or systems adoption
• transition or succession planning
• board planning and strengthening
• diversity, equity, inclusion, and access training, assessment, and planning, which can center on organizational culture and/or the equity focus of an organization’s work and relationship with the communities they serve. 

Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation

Grants from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation are distributed in four focus areas (human needs, environmental stewardship, education, community vitality) and are limited to organizations defined as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.

Grant applications will be accepted online during two annual grant cycles, one in the spring and one in the fall.

Funding

Most grant awards range from $1,000 to $15,000, while higher amounts may be awarded when a program is an exceptional fit. We often receive funding requests far in excess of our Foundation budget. Regrettably we must often decline support for otherwise worthy proposals. Such a response does not reflect on Dominion Energy's view of the value of the organization or its services.

Autism Community Impact Grant

The Flutie Foundation recognizes not-for-profit organizations who share our mission to help individuals and families with autism live life to the fullest. For our 2023 Autism Community Impact Grant, we will continue granting these organizations with a particular emphasis on supporting traditionally under-served, under-funded, culturally diverse communities.

Our Autism Community Impact Grant cycle will consider requests that will help fund programs and projects showing potential to make an IMMEDIATE impact in the community and align with the Flutie Foundation priorities as stated in our Seven Key Dimensions described below. We especially encourage organizations with programs serving those most profoundly affected by autism to apply and share their stories.

Grant Funding Priorities

Work/School

Providing a path for educational opportunities, vocational skills programs, employment, housing, transportation and healthcare delivery for individuals on the autism spectrum.   

Active/Social

Support for recreational and sports programs, aquatic programs, social skills training, family events and summer camps for all individuals on the autism spectrum.

Safe/Supported/Informed

Funding for community organizations and schools who are providing vital resources and actively assisting individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their families through advocacy programs, diagnostic and clinical services, direct family support, safety equipment, emergency care, respite services and other opportunities that will enhance the quality of life for those affected.

Washington Trust Charitable Foundation

The Washington Trust Charitable Foundation provides grants to 501(c)(3) organizations within our market area, including Rhode Island, Massachusetts and southeastern Connecticut.

Charitable grants range widely in size. Multi-year grants are often considered for capital funding (to build or repair facilities), capital campaigns, or specific projects, with consideration given to:

• Affordable Housing and Revitalization Programs
• Business and Economic Development
• Youth and Family Services
• Hospitals, Health and Human Service Organizations
• Museums, Arts and Cultural Organizations
• Colleges, Universities, Libraries
• Conservation and Environmental Groups

Foundation History

Since 1932, the Foundation has awarded nearly $600 million.

Champlin’s investment in Rhode Island’s nonprofit community for the past nine decades has been almost entirely for capital projects. These investments have enabled better medical care, improved educational outcomes, expanded access to social services, fostered economic impact, conserved open space, preserved historic buildings, cultivated creativity and artistic expression, safeguarded care for animals, and more.

It all started with Stanton B. Champlin. Champlin was only twelve years old when he ran away from his family farm in South Kingstown, RI. It was 1838 and he was shoeless and alone. A grocer on Dorrance Street in Providence took pity on the boy and let him sleep in the back room of his store.

That simple act of kindness started a journey that would span generations and create a legacy of generosity that would improve the lives of untold thousands.

The boy would become a jeweler’s apprentice and years later would establish the S.B. Champlin Company. It would grow beyond jewelry and become an industrial empire that expanded into the manufacturing of aluminum, copper and brass tube, jewelry wire, valves, hand trucks, pipe fittings, and hand pumps.

Through the leadership of Champlin, his son, George Byron Champlin, and grandson, George Stanton Champlin, this vast conglomerate became a powerful economic engine that employed thousands and helped drive the economy of Rhode Island and the nation.

While the businesses were retired, the wealth has remained intact in service of Rhode Island, thanks to the creation of the first of the family’s philanthropic foundations in 1932 by the runaway’s grandchildren.

From the first gift of $50 to Rhode Island Hospital in 1933 to buy eyeglasses for the needy, to the preservation of thousands of acres of open space to the distribution of millions of dollars to support social services—it is humbling to think of how that simple act of kindness by a grocer has been multiplied a million-fold.

We continue to build on this rich tradition today, seeking to work in relationship with Rhode Island’s nonprofits, acting as a convener, a coach, and a facilitator for collective success and engagement. We prioritize listening and learning, especially with those organizations serving marginalized communities. The Champlin story is nearly a century old, yet it continues to evolve in new ways for the betterment of all our Rhode Island communities.

Campership Requests

Since 1991, funds have been awarded to select organizations to provide financial assistance for children who might otherwise not be able to afford summer camp. You will receive notice by the end of December and grant awards are distributed by mid-January to those receiving support.

Cultural Sustainability Grant

Cultural Sustainability is a one-time grantmaking and learning program nationally funded by The Wallace Foundation and delivered regionally by the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations. NEFA is delighted to offer substantial, non-matching operating support grants up to $100,000 to arts organizations of color with annual operating expenses under $500,000.

The goal of this initiative is to enable self-identifying arts organizations of color to sustain and expand their practices, impact the communities they serve, and provide meaningful arts and cultural experiences for larger, cross-cultural audiences. Arts organizations of color deserve to become long-lasting, well-resourced cultural pillars across New England.

Criteria

Cultural Sustainability is designed for and will prioritize applications from self-identifying arts organizations of color. While we realize that language that centers communities of color is ever evolving, for the purposes of this program, an arts organization of color would meet at least two of the following three criteria:

• Led by a person or persons of color, either artistically or administratively
• Predominantly in service of Black, Latine, Asian, Arab, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, and/or Caribbean communities, or another community of color.
• Founded by and for a community of color

Successful applications will:

• Demonstrate cultural impact in New England and beyond
• Model equitable practices in artistic and administrative activities
• Display clear planning and progress towards sustainability of services & programming
• Enthusiastically participate and contribute actively to a learning cohort
• Illustrate mission alignment with Cultural Sustainability 

Funding

Cultural Sustainability grants range from $20,000-$100,000, with partial funding opportunities to also fall within that range. No grantees will be awarded at less than 80% of their initial request. 

Organizations will request funding based on their annual operating expenses:

• Organizations with budgets under $100,000 can request up to $25,000.
• Organizations with budgets between $100,001 and $250,000 can request up to $50,000.
• Organizations with budgets between $250,001 and $500,000 can request up to $100,000.

Our Commitment

​Connecting with our community is an integral part of our company's core values. It is something we act on every day. From volunteering with local organizations to our relationships with community partners, Cox employees are making our community a better place.

Charitable Giving Overview

Since 2001, Cox has invested nearly $8 million in Cox Charities grants and in-kind support to organizations providing Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math programming to youth throughout Connecticut, Ohio, and Rhode Island.  

Cox Charities funds organizations that focus on youth education, health services, military and conservation.

Community Grants

Cox Charities Community Grants range between $5,000 and $12,000 and are given each year to deserving non-profit organizations dedicated to STEAM education.

Cox is seeking applications for the 2025 Cox Community Grant Program. This grant supports non-profit organizations focused on:

• Youth innovation programs centered on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.
• Conservation and sustainability initiatives.
• Inclusion.

Since 2001, Cox has invested nearly $7 million in grants and in-kind support to non-profit organizations providing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) enrichment programs to youth in our service areas of Connecticut, Ohio, and Rhode Island. Cox Charities is funded entirely, by Cox employees and business partners. 

Cox Charities Community Grants range between $5,000 and $12,000 and are given each year to deserving non-profit organizations dedicated to STEAM education.

Recipients will be selected by considering a number of factors, including the following criteria:

• How well the project aligns with the Cox Charities focus area: STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math).
• The overall community impact of the program and a clear explanation of what makes this program unique.
• The ability to define clear metrics for success.

Funding

Cox plans to award nearly $140,000 in grants to nonprofits in our region. Proposals are reviewed by the Cox Charities Community Advisory Committee, comprised of area civic, business, community leaders and Cox employees.

~ About Our ~

CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

The Anthony F. Cordeiro Charitable Foundation was incorporated in 2017 with the goal of serving individuals in the communities in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The Anthony F. Cordeiro Charitable Foundation provides funding to nonprofit organizations serving communities in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island whose mission supports and enriches the lives of families and children. The Foundation’s goal is to assist those burdened by life’s challenges by providing access to vital resources including, but not limited to, health and mental health services, food and shelter.

Opioid Settlement Impact and Recovery Grants

In January 2022, Rhode Island joined the national opioid settlement with three major opioid distributors, leading to over $90 million in funding for state and local efforts to address Rhode Island’s opioid crisis. Together with settlements secured by Attorney General Neronha, Rhode Island’s opioid litigation recoveries will total more than $200 million over time.

The Settlement Agreement states that all the funds will be directed to opioid abatement – including expanding access to opioid use disorder prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery.

The Rhode Island Foundation partnered with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) in May, 2023, to award $3,250,000 of Settlement funds to 15 nonprofits to address opioid use, treatment and prevention.

Through our continued partnership with EOHHS, this year, the Opioid Settlement Impact and Recovery Grants program will award $1,700,000 – fully funded with Settlement dollars – in three categories:

• Trauma Supports:
  • $1,000,000 is available to support programming for trauma supports for Rhode Island first responders, including support for peer harm reduction and recovery specialists. We know that with the recent sharp rise in the number of overdoses in Rhode Island – and especially the large numbers of fatal and non-fatal overdoses – people who work on the front lines of the crisis are experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms. Based on feedback from community partners and emergency medical services professionals, the most effective approach to addressing trauma associated with being a first responder would be to fund trauma supports outside of their place of work. Day-to-day trauma experienced by first responders is a risk that leads to burn-out and other mental health symptoms. We also know that, due to stigma, most first responders are less likely to seek typical clinical treatment.
  • Therefore, we are seeking to fund innovative trauma-informed programs for first responders (including emergency medical personnel, law enforcement, and peer responders). Programs should be designed to address these traumas outside of their respective workplaces to allow first responders to have a safe space to address workplace traumas, with the goal of preventing mental health crises and helping first responders more easily return to work.
• Family Supports:
  • $450,000 is available to support programming by organizations made up of or serving families of people who use drugs, people in recovery, or people who have passed away because of an overdose.
  • According to SAMHSA, “while there is no one-size-fits-all solution for helping a family member who is drinking too much, using drugs, or dealing with a mental illness, research shows that family support can play a major role in helping a loved one with mental and substance use disorders.”
  • Therefore, we are seeking to fund creative supportive or empowering programs carried out by organizations made up of or supporting families of people affected by the overdose crisis.
• Basic Needs Support:
  • 250,000 is available for organizations that support individuals and families who are impacted by substance use/opioid use or at risk of an overdose by providing funding for “care packages,” such as bedding, furnishings, clothing, transportation (Uber, bus passes), food, legal fees, etc.

We anticipate making between two and six grants in each area described above. Grants will be for one year, with the possibility of a no-cost extension if agreed to by the Rhode Island Foundation and EOHHS.

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.

What kind of funding is available?

There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. Opportunity grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.

How may funds be used?

Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include:

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports or producer service improvements.
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
• Pollution control and abatement.
• The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
• Distance adult learning for job training and advancement.
• Rural transportation improvement.
• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

Opportunity grants can be used for:

• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

Consumer Financial Education Fund

The Consumer Financial Education Fund supports projects that relate to consumer financial education, with an emphasis on issues related to just and equitable banking, basic banking, financial literacy, access to financial services, retail banking accounts, and underbanked and/or vulnerable populations. 

Funding

It is expected that most proposals will be for 12-month grant periods; however, multi-year proposals are encouraged where appropriate. The maximum grant amount is $100,000, even for multi-year proposals.

Center for Healthy Homes & Environment

Environmental Health Risk Assessment Program

Choose Safe Places for Early Care & Education Special Project Opportunity Application (CSPECE)

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is offering a special project opportunity of up to $4,950 each to eligible entities to support and expand upon Environmental Health Risk Assessment Program’s (EHRAP’s) efforts to engage with and educate early care and education providers on the impact environmental hazards have on public health. 

Background:

Through EHRAP’s Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education (CSPECE) program, RIDOH aims to assist licensed child care providers and staff in taking steps to choose safe locations and protect children and staff from hazardous chemicals and contaminants at existing sites. Funded through the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR’s) Cooperative Agreement Program, CSPECE offers technical assistance and educational materials to licensed early care and education providers and the agencies and organizations that support this population. 

Opportunity and Eligibility:

RIDOH will award up to $4,950 to each special project opportunity recipient. Some organizations may request and receive less than the maximum special project opportunity amount.

The Newport County Fund (NCF) offers competitive small grants, which range from $1,000 to $10,000. Grants are awarded where a relatively small amount of money can be of strategic assistance to a nonprofit organization serving one or more of the six cities and towns of Newport County.

Program Focus & Priorities

The following are among areas where grants may be awarded:

• Project development support for new programs
• Strengthening and/or expanding established community programs and services
• Community or municipal planning and/or leadership
• Policy or advocacy efforts on behalf of community concerns 

Mission

Through grantmaking, programming, convening, policy-building and education, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts ensures that arts and culture will play an ever more significant part in the well-being and experience of all Rhode Island residents.

Vision

We envision a Rhode Island where arts and culture are valued as an essential part of life, and for their contribution to a thriving state.

Values

We believe in the transformative power of arts and culture. All Rhode Islanders benefit from creative expression and a culturally vibrant state. As the agency of state government charged with supporting arts and culture in Rhode Island, RISCA is committed to:

• Openness: Being respectful, welcoming and inviting to all.
• Consistency: Behaving intentionally, in a knowledgeable, responsive, engaged, respectful and transparent manner.
• Dedication: Developing authentic relationships, as a team and with others, built on our passion, humor, kindness and optimism.
• Through grantmaking, programming, and services, RISCA promotes:
• Equity and Access: Ensuring the identification and removal of barriers in all contexts, including cultural opportunities, resources and RISCA support for diverse communities throughout Rhode Island.
• Collaboration: Creating networks of mutual support among individuals, organizations and RISCA to strengthen communities.
• Economic Value: Honoring the time, skills, talents and excellence of artists and arts administrators through fair compensation.
• Collective Responsibility: Supporting culturally relevant and responsive art to ensure the health and well-being of the arts and cultural ecosystem, beginning with arts education.
• Artistic Expression: Protecting freedom of artistic expression in Rhode Island.
• Leadership Development: Fostering diverse arts and cultural leaders in, from and for Rhode Island.

Project Grants in Education

Arts Education helps students discover, develop, and create a rich context for learning all while deepening engagement.

RISCA’s Project Grants in Education (PGE) program provides project-specific support to schools, non-profit organizations, arts educators, and teaching artists to engage students in rich and meaningful artistic experiences in dedicated learning environments. PGE projects must be experiential and focus on the exploration of art and the artistic process. PGE strives to build the capacity of local teaching artists and nonprofit organizations, while providing students with high-quality artistic learning experiences. 

Award Amount

• Up to $10,000 for organizations.
• Up to $3,000 for individuals.

Match Requirement

Organizations

1:1 Cash Match is Required for requests of $3001 or more

        • the amount over $3000 must be matched (see FAQs)

No Match Required if:

        • Requesting $3,000 or less

        • Applying as a program in a pilot year (1st or 2nd year program)

        • Applying as a school or non-profit organization meeting

Free-or-Reduced-Price Lunch (FRPL) or state identified need criteria.

Schools or non-profit organizations must serve students who primarily attend schools with 40% or more students eligible for Free-or Reduced-Price Lunch, or attend schools that had been identified by the state as being in need of support and intervention as determined by a 1 or 2 Star Rating on the RIDE School Report Card, or a district under “state control” at the time of application.

Individual

• No Match Required

Read FAQs for additional guidelines.

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA)

Mission

Through grantmaking, programming, convening, policy-building and education, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts ensures that arts and culture will play an ever more significant part in the well-being and experience of all Rhode Island residents.

Vision

We envision a Rhode Island where arts and culture are valued as an essential part of life, and for their contribution to a thriving state.

Values

We believe in the transformative power of arts and culture. All Rhode Islanders benefit from creative expression and a culturally vibrant state. As the agency of state government charged with supporting arts and culture in Rhode Island, RISCA is committed to:

• OPENNESS: Being respectful, welcoming and inviting to all.
• CONSISTENCY: Behaving intentionally, in a knowledgeable, responsive, engaged, respectful and transparent manner.
• DEDICATION: Developing authentic relationships, as a team and with others, built on our passion, humor, kindness and optimism.
• Through grantmaking, programming, and services, RISCA promotes:
• EQUITY AND ACCESS: Ensuring the identification and removal of barriers in all contexts, including cultural opportunities, resources and RISCA support for diverse communities throughout Rhode Island.
• COLLABORATION: Creating networks of mutual support among individuals, organizations and RISCA to strengthen communities.
• ECONOMIC VALUE: Honoring the time, skills, talents and excellence of artists and arts administrators through fair compensation.
• COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY: Supporting culturally relevant and responsive art to ensure the health and well-being of the arts and cultural ecosystem, beginning with arts education.
• ARTISTIC EXPRESSION: Protecting freedom of artistic expression in Rhode Island.
• LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: Fostering diverse arts and cultural leaders in, from and for Rhode Island.

Project Grants for Organizations

RISCA’s Project Grant for Organizations program provides grants of up to $3,000 in support of arts and culture projects that are relevant and meaningful to a Rhode Island community or communities. The Project Grant for Organizations (PGO) program is RISCA’s entry-level grant program for organizations.

RISCA defines a project as a discrete set of connected activities with a defined beginning and an end. Projects may be one-time events like a festival, show, or exhibition, or a defined series of events such as a roster of classes or series, or thematically connected concerts, productions or arts events.

Core to all funded programs is a connection and value to the community being engaged with by the public, fulfilling RISCA’s charge to facilitate a meaningful cultural life for all Rhode Island residents. Per our partnership agreement with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and our agency values around equity and access, programs that engage “underserved” communities are particularly suitable for PGOs. The NEA defines “underserved” communities as “ones in which individuals lack access to arts programs due to geography, economic conditions, ethnic background, or disability.” Rather than “underserved”, RISCA prefers to use the term “historically and/or continuously marginalized.” In either case, these definitions may include immigrant groups, BIPOC communities, rural populations, aging populations, people living in poverty, people experiencing homeless, people with disabilities, incarcerated populations, communities recovering from trauma or disaster, and military service members and veterans.

Asthma-Related Health Disparities Short Term Project Funding Opportunity

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) Asthma Control Program (RIACP) is offering short-term project funding opportunities of up to $4,999 each to a maximum of three (3) eligible entities that have a 501(c)(3) status and have demonstrated proven engagement with communities affected by asthma health disparities. One application per agency will be reviewed. The Asthma-Related Short-term Project award period will begin immediately after the organization is awarded and will end August 31, 2025.

Short-term Project activities must be completed by August 31, 2025. A final summary report, project deliverables, and project invoices are due within thirty (30) days of the project end date. RIACP will provide all awardees with a project summary and invoice template. The final report must be completed in its entirety prior to receiving reimbursement for project-related expenses.

Awardees would assist RIACP in community engagement practices to ensure wider adoption of the CDC’s EXHALE technical package. EXHALE represents a group of strategies to improve asthma control and reduce health care-related costs. RIACP and awardees will collaborate across sectors with national and local partners to ensure that all people living with asthma can achieve healthy lives.

Awardees will work with RIACP and its partners to engage with communities and implement at least one of the following strategies from the CDC’s EXHALE technical package:

E: Education on asthma self management

X: X-tinguishing smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke among people with asthma

H: Home visits for trigger reduction and asthma self-management education

A: Achievement of guidelines-based medical management

L: Linkages and coordination of care across settings

E: Environmental policies or best practices

Awardees can expect to use EXHALE as a guide to do one or more of the following:

• Engage diverse partners to promote and support social, economic and community change to increase asthma awareness and the availability of management services.
• Educate the public, community leaders, partners, and decision-makers on policy, systems, and environmental changes that can prevent and reduce asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits.
• Implement culturally appropriate interventions tailored for community needs to prevent and reduce asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits.
• Use research, surveillance, and evaluation to measure progress made in increasing asthma management awareness and reducing asthma symptoms including asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits to inform public health action.

Equity Action 

Equity Action is committed to enacting social change by championing initiatives and organizations that encourage justice for, provide support to, and improve the quality of life of LGBTQ Rhode Islanders. 

Project and Capacity-Building Grants

[Requests from $2,500 to $10,000]

Decisions typically take 8-10 weeks.

Awarded annually to support:

• Projects that meet the needs of the LGBTQ communities in Rhode Island
• Board development, strategic planning, program development, nonprofit business development, fundraising, program evaluation, or other activities that build the capacity of organizations that play a vital and unique role in the LGBTQ communities

Organizations can receive one Project or Capacity-Building Grant award per year. 

Equity Action funds a variety of initiatives including, but not limited to:

• Increasing advocacy capacity to address policy issues that affect the LGBTQ community (statewide or at the local level)
• Developing skills and processes to build effective partnerships, coalitions, and alliances to increase program operation and effectiveness
• Providing community education

Rhode Island Department of Health

Community-Driven Outreach for Hypertension Management and Diabetes Prevention

Short-Term Project Opportunity Memo and Application

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) Diabetes and Cardiovascular Health Program (RIDCH) invites applications from eligible organizations and agencies to apply for a Short-Term Project to create and implement products or events that aim to promote hypertension management and diabetes prevention in Providence communities. Products and events should also promote use of available preventive health services and community resources to address social determinant of health (SDOH) needs.

The funding period for this Short-Term Project will begin approximately April 15, 2025 through August 31, 2025.

A minimum of five (5) organizations will be awarded up to $4,999 each.

Scope of Work

The Rhode Island Department of Health Diabetes and Cardiovascular Health (RIDCH) Program aims to prevent and reduce death and disability due to diabetes, heart disease and stroke through evidence-based and evidence informed strategies. Community-based outreach is an effective strategy that supplements standard clinic care for hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes. Therefore, the goal of this Short-Term Project Opportunity is to increase the availability and presence of community messages and events for blood pressure management and diabetes prevention within the city of Providence. Messages and events should also promote use of available preventive health services and community resources to address social determinant of health (SDOH) needs.

During the 4.5-month program implementation period, recipients will:

• Develop and implement multi-cultural, multilingual community messages and events for blood pressure management and diabetes prevention within the city of Providence. To increase the effectiveness of community outreach efforts, recipients are encouraged to promote use of available preventive health services and community resources to address SDOH needs. Examples include:
  • rapid blood pressure and prediabetes screenings within community settings (e.g., barber shops, hair salons, faith-based organizations)
  • community conversations regarding the importance of annual physicals and well visits and booking an appointment with the care manager and/or CHW to navigate resources and systems to address SDOH (e.g., food insecurity, transportation, housing)
  • culturally and linguistically appropriate messaging to encourage blood pressure and prediabetes/diabetes screening (e.g., Know Your Numbers campaign, Diabetes Risk Test)
  • culturally and linguistically appropriate promotion of evidence-based lifestyle change programs such as National DPP, Vida Sana, and SMBP.
• Attend a mandatory evaluation training within the first month of the project period, and implement an evaluation plan to measure effectiveness and reach
• Meet monthly to touch-base with RIDOH Community Engagement Coordinator to discuss progress, challenges, etc.
• As needed or applicable, attend monthly Providence Community Advisory Network (Providence CAN) meetings to share products or messages for feedback and/or distribution support
• Produce a final summary report by September 15, 2025 (template to be provided)
• Attend the September 2025 Providence CAN meeting to provide a project completion report-out, inclusive of efforts for evaluation and sustainability 

Community Giving through the Chelsea Groton Foundation

Chelsea Groton Foundation, Inc. was established in 1998 as a Section 501(c)(3) organization. Initially endowed with a $2 million dollar donation from Chelsea Groton Bank, the Foundation has awarded over $6.79 million in grants to non-profit organizations in the Bank’s Connecticut and Rhode Island market areas.

The Foundation’s mission is to support the ongoing commitment in partnership to the long-term growth of our community. Along with Chelsea Groton Bank, the Foundation is committed to belonging, equity, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring an ongoing sense of belonging for all, today and in the future.

Since its inception in 1998, the Chelsea Groton Foundation has awarded over $6.79 million in grants to non-profit organizations in the Connecticut and Rhode Island market areas. Throughout that time, there have always been two grant cycles per year. Due to the rising increase in requests, and after careful consideration, the Chelsea Groton Foundation Board has decided to make a few changes to the Grant Procedures EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2025 in order to best support our community partners.

The John Hazen White Jr. family and their family business – Taco Comfort Solutions Inc. – believe in empowering the individual. They actualize their values through the White Family Foundation’s partnerships with local non-profit organizations. Through its grant-making, The White Family Foundation chooses to work with organizations whose focus utilizes all forms of Art or Artistic elements to support programs that serve a diverse population and that enable the growth of the individual.

The purpose for establishing our family foundation is to foster connections among family members and encourage collaboration on causes that are meaningful to us. We aim to inspire active involvement in the community through philanthropy, allowing our family members to work together to make a positive impact.Building Stronger Communities Together 

Taco Comfort Solutions has a strong social responsibility to the communities in which it has business concerns. The Taco/White Family Foundation Board is made up of White family members, community leaders and Taco Corporation employees who engage in the community and organizations that are served by the Foundation. Through its grant-making, the Taco/White Family Foundation seeks to work with organizations whose programs build a foundation for growth for the individuals it serves.

Areas of Focus

The Foundation supports non-profit organizations whose programs/projects or services use art or artistic elements to enrich and strengthen their constituents or community.

Access to the Arts in all forms is an important tool of a rich and vibrant community. The White Family Foundation supports non-profit organizations whose programs/projects or services expose under-served populations to the Arts in order to:

• Empower a community.
• Develop cultural awareness.
• Provide economic benefit.
• Educate youth.
• Develop leadership skills.
• Improve individual well-being.

Programmatic Areas of Interest

The White Family Foundation seeks to create possibilities by providing meaningful and thoughtful support for the arts and art education programs in non-profit organizations serving our community. * Guided by a strong set of values the White Family Foundation believes that the arts:

• Foster enrichment
• Provide opportunities for individuals to grow
• Build a strong community, and
• Make a positive impact on the lives of others

Organizations should submit a request for programs that focus on the power of the arts to impact lives, bring cultural awareness, provide economic benefit, educate youth and/or teach leadership skills.

Mission

To prevent disease and protect and promote the health and safety of the people of Rhode Island.

Leading Priorities

• Address the socioeconomic and environmental determinants of health.
• Eliminate health disparities and promote health equity.
• Ensure access to quality health services for all Rhode Islanders, including the state's vulnerable populations.

Environmental Health Risk Assessment Program Community Outreach, Education and & Assessment Mini-Grant

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is offering mini-grants of up to $4,950 each to eligible entities to support and expand upon Environmental Health Risk Assessment Program’s (EHRAP’s) efforts to engage with and educate communities on the impact environmental hazards have on public health. 

Through EHRAP, RIDOH aims to investigate the public health implications of hazardous chemicals in the environment, educate affected communities and stakeholders about these implications, and proactively manage risks by exploring innovative solutions. Funded through the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR’s) Cooperative Agreement Program, EHRAP evaluates contaminated sites and analyzes potential links between site contaminants and community health outcomes.

EHRAP also develops and implements the Choose Safe Places for Early Care and Education program, which supports practices to ensure early child care and education centers are located away from chemical hazards.

Examples of projects eligible for funding include

• Education for community members and residents about contaminated soil at a brownfield to be remediated and turned into a community garden
• Outreach materials and social media posts targeting Cape Verdean home gardeners about the harmful effects of chemicals in urban soil and using raised beds to avoid those risks
• Developing training for Spanish-speaking family-based daycare providers on transitioning to greener cleaning supplies
• Creating educational materials for private well owners on groundwater contamination from past activities and its impact on human health

Funding

RIDOH will award up to $4,950 to each mini-grantee, for a maximum of $15,000 in total funding between this grant opportunity and the Fishing & Fish Consumption Survey for Diverse Communities Mini-Grant Opportunity.  Some organizations may request and receive less than the maximum mini-grant amount.