Grants for Nonprofits Serving Disabled in Rhode Island

The Coca-Cola Foundation is our company's primary international philanthropic arm.

Since its inception in 1984, The Foundation has awarded more than $1.4 billion in grants to support sustainable community initiatives around the world.

Giving Back to Communities

The Coca-Cola Foundation, the independent philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company, is committed to a charitable giving strategy that makes a difference in communities around the world. In 2021, The Coca-Cola Foundation contributed $109.2 million to approximately 350 organizations globally.

Read more about our priorities in the 2021 Business & Environmental, Social and Governance Report.

Hearst Foundations' Mission

The Hearst Foundations identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives.

Hearst Foundations' Goals

The Foundations seek to achieve their mission by funding approaches that result in:

• Improved health and quality of life
• Access to high quality educational options to promote increased academic achievement
• Arts and sciences serving as a cornerstone of society
• Sustainable employment and productive career paths for adults
• Stabilizing and supporting families

Funding Priorities

The Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of interests – culture, education, health and social service – and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Culture

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those which enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Education

The Hearst Foundations fund educational institutions demonstrating uncommon success in preparing students to thrive in a global society. The Foundations’ focus is largely on higher education, but they also fund innovative models of early childhood and K-12 education, as well as professional development.

Types of Support: Program, scholarship, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Health

The Hearst Foundations assist leading regional hospitals, medical centers and specialized medical institutions providing access to high-quality healthcare for low-income populations. In response to the shortage of healthcare professionals necessary to meet the country’s evolving needs, the Foundations also fund programs designed to enhance skills and increase the number of practitioners and educators across roles in healthcare. Because the Foundations seek to use their funds to create a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health, support for medical research and the development of young investigators is also considered.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, endowment support

Social Service

The Hearst Foundations fund direct-service organizations that tackle the roots of chronic poverty by applying effective solutions to the most challenging social and economic problems. The Foundations prioritize supporting programs that have proven successful in facilitating economic independence and in strengthening families. Preference is also given to programs with the potential to scale productive practices in order to reach more people in need.

Types of Support: Program, capital and general support

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

NOTE: Applications may be submitted at any time during this funding cycle, open from Feb 1 to the deadline above. Please note that applications will only remain active in our system for 90 days, and at the end of this period they will be automatically rejected.

Guidelines

Local Community grants range from a minimum of $250 to a maximum of $5,000. Eligible nonprofit organizations must operate on the local level (or be an affiliate/chapter of a larger organization that operates locally) and directly benefit the service area of the facility from which they are requesting funding.Organizations may only submit a total number of 25 applications and/or receive up to 25 grants within the 2019 grant cycle.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

NOTE:

Application forms must be requested each year online prior to submitting an application. When you submit an LOI, a member of the foundation staff will be contacting you within the next five business days regarding the status of your request.

Full applications are due at the "full proposal" deadline above. 

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general the Foundation guidelines are broad to give it flexibility in providing grants.

Over the past decade, approximately 28% of our grants have been related to education, 28% to social services, 22% to hospitals and healthcare, 17% to civic and cultural with the remaining percentage spread out in the above categories. The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook.

There is no limit on grant amounts; however, on average, our grants range from $5,000 to $25,000.

Background

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 total more than $114 million over the next 18 years.

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.

Rhode Island Foundation has partnered with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to award grants – fully funded with settlement dollars – in two categories: Capacity Support for Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose Prevention, Harm Reduction, and Recovery Agencies and Community Prevention Services for Youth Opioid Mitigation. Organizations are eligible to apply for a grant from both programs.

Capacity Support for Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose Prevention Grant

This grant program aims to support nonprofit organizations who provide services in Rhode Island for people who use drugs, those who are seeking or in treatment, and those who are in recovery. Specifically, this program seeks to aid small, grassroots groups without the tools that larger agencies have to keep them afloat during tough times – like endowments, a long-standing major donor structure, or a rainy day fund.

This program will provide unrestricted funding to small, grassroots organizations that are carrying out key opioid mitigation activities like the ones described in Rhode Island’s Opioid Settlement Agreement.

Proposals may be made to address organizational successes and challenges as defined below that require $100,000 in funding, for one year.

Project Examples

Here are some examples of organizational successes and challenges that organizations could address with this capacity-building funding:

• Creating new funding models for sustainability
• Staffing needs: investing in recruitment, retention, and capacity, addressing burnout and trauma response, or planning for staffing compensation changes, including benefits
• Governance: strengthening board capacity
• Fiscal needs: addressing cash on hand needs; creating a 2 to 3 month rainy day operating fund; addressing operational overhead cost needs
• Addressing facility/space related issues including accessibility
• Helping with supply chain related issues
• Building communications capacity including linguistic capacity
• Supporting technical assistance needs, including strategic planning
• Addressing technology-related needs
• Building evaluation capacity, including data collection capacity

Principles

These nonprofit capacity building grants will be made based on these principles:

• Dollars will be unrestricted – with one requirement: they should focus on addressing organizational successes and challenges, and cannot be tied to direct service delivery.
• Grants will be for one year, with the possibility of a no-cost extension if agreed to by the Rhode Island Foundation and EOHHS.
• Dollars can be spent on both front-line staff and organizational leadership.
• Organizations can consider using these dollars to fund time off (sabbaticals) for staff (front line and leadership) who need to recharge.

In addition to the priorities listed above, we request that applicants pay close attention to the following statement from EOHHS, our partner in this grant program:

• EOHHS acknowledges the history of institutional and structural racism and its impact on health. We are committed to improving the quality of life for all Rhode Island residents while eliminating the inequities that threaten the lives of low-income and communities of color who are disproportionately affected by substance use, chronic diseases, and their risk factors. Applicants to this Opioid Settlement-funded grant program shall describe in detail how your organization acknowledges and addresses institutional and structural racism, and how your project aims to improve the health of Rhode Island’s BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, as well as people with disabilities and veterans – and how it seeks to eliminate these disparities through programming and policies.

EOHHS has identified the following priority populations of focus for our equity considerations:

• Members of High Density Communities
• BIPOC Children/Youth
• Children/Youth w/ Incarceration History
• LGBTQ+ children/youth
• Children with Disabilities
• Children Experiencing Homelessness
• Transition-Aged Youth

Background

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 total more than $114 million over the next 18 years.

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.

Rhode Island Foundation has partnered with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to award grants – fully funded with settlement dollars – in two categories: Capacity Support for Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose Prevention, Harm Reduction, and Recovery Agencies and Community Prevention Services for Youth Opioid Mitigation. Organizations are eligible to apply for a grant from both programs.

Community Prevention Services for Youth Opioid Mitigation Grant

This grant program aims to support evidence-based or evidence-informed community-based opioid prevention services targeted towards children and youth (up to age 21).

Proposals may be for projects that are up to two years in duration and up to $500,000 for two years

Priorities for Funding

• Effective and evidence-based.
  • Projects that are evidence-based or evidence-informed and that can impact a significant number of individuals, with a particular focus on reducing racial and ethnic disparities and reaching other high need populations, including members of the LGBTQ+ community.
• Identifies and implements innovative models.
  • New promising models and partnerships that have been piloted both within and beyond Rhode Island.
• Focused on “hot spots.”
  • Activities can be in one or more municipalities, with a focus on the most affected hot spots (see here and here).
• Aligned with other settlement-related funds.
  • Projects that are aligned with activities happening in cities and towns that are also receiving settlement dollars.
• Prioritizing evaluation.
  • Projects that include specific metrics to evaluate how they reach outcomes and eliminate disparities.
• Considers sustainability.
  • Proposals that include plans for long term sustainability.

In addition to the priorities listed above, we request that applicants pay close attention to the following statement from EOHHS, our partner in this grant program:

• EOHHS acknowledges the history of institutional and structural racism and its impact on health. We are committed to improving the quality of life for all Rhode Island residents while eliminating the inequities that threaten the lives of low-income and communities of color who are disproportionately affected by substance use, chronic diseases, and their risk factors. Applicants to this Opioid Settlement-funded grant program shall describe in detail how your organization acknowledges and addresses institutional and structural racism, and how your project aims to improve the health of Rhode Island’s BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, as well as people with disabilities and veterans – and how it seeks to eliminate these disparities through programming and policies.

EOHHS has identified the following priority populations of focus for our equity considerations:

• Members of High Density Communities
• BIPOC Children/Youth
• Children/Youth w/ Incarceration History
• LGBTQ+ children/youth
• Children with Disabilities
• Children Experiencing Homelessness
• Transition-Aged Youth