Rhode Island Foundation Grants Record Amount to Nonprofits in 2010

Rhode Island Foundation Grants Record Amount to Nonprofits in 2010

The Rhode Island Foundation granted a record $29.2 million to local non-profit organizations in 2010, the largest annual amount in the community foundation’s 95-year history. “So many Rhode Islanders are still struggling to get by and nonprofits are working extremely hard to address the state’s most pressing issues,” said Foundation President and CEO Neil D. Steinberg. “Our staff works in close partnership with both our generous donors and nonprofit organizations to identify opportunities and achieve maximum positive impact for the grants we award. This record amount demonstrates our shared commitment and belief that charitable giving can improve the quality of life in our state over the long term.” Steinberg also praised the Foundation’s donors, noting that they contributed to the record $29.2 million total by granting an additional $1.3 million from their advised funds at the Foundation over 2009’s total ($27.5 million).

Funding Long Term Solutions

The largest and most comprehensive funder of Rhode Island’s nonprofit organizations, the Rhode Island Foundation works in partnership with donors and nonprofit organizations to meet the needs of the people of Rhode Island. The announcement also applauded the 114 Rhode Island nonprofits that received competitive “strategy” grants last year totaling $5.6 million. Through these grants, the Foundation invests in organizations working on long-term solutions to the state’s most critical challenges. The strategy grant program strongly encourages collaborative projects that foster innovation and seek to achieve efficiencies, reduce duplication of service, and provide strategies for long-term sustainability.

“We are encouraged by the forward-thinking and creative approaches the sector has put forth to have a lasting positive impact in Rhode Island, and take seriously our responsibility to support this important effort,” noted David M. Hirsch, chairman of the Foundation’s board of directors.

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Strategy grants fall into six sectors: arts and culture, economic and community development, education, environment, health, and human services. Last year, the Foundation announced an added emphasis on two areas within these sectors that it believes are critical to our state’s economic well-being: public education and primary health care.