RI Foundation Awards $53K in Grants to 8 Organizations Serving LGBTQ Communities

RI Foundation Awards $53K in Grants to 8 Organizations Serving LGBTQ Communities

The Rhode Island Foundation has awarded $53,000 in grants to eight nonprofit organizations serving the state’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities.

The funding will support work ranging from paying for emergency housing to improving the quality of healthcare.

Grant Recipients

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Family Service of Rhode Island (FSRI) received $5,000 to support its Emergency Financial Assistance program for LGBTQ+ individuals living with HIV under its AIDS Project Rhode Island program. There are about 2,400 people living with HIV in Rhode Island, according to the state Department of Health.

“This funding will enable us to continue providing short-term payments to assist with emergency expenses such as essential utilities, housing, food, and medication,” said FSRI CEO Margaret Holland McDuff.

SAGE-Rhode Island received $9,000 to train nurses, social workers, community service providers and other health care staff working with elderly LGBT clients in long-term care, acute care facilities and community agencies. The goal is to help at least 100 workers improve their LGBT cultural competency.

“LGBT elders experience health care disparities as a result of societal stigma and the effects of a lifetime of discrimination,” said Steering Committee Chair Catherine Gorman. “As the number of LGBT older adults increases, there is a growing need for improving the quality of health care to this largely invisible, vulnerable population.”

Thundermist Health Center in Warwick received $8,000 to support its Trans Health and Wellness Program. The grant will enable the organization to expand its social- and community-building events to improve the physical and mental health and wellness of the trans community.

“Our patients face many barriers to participating in community events. We focus on fun, engaging activities that promote health and wellness and reduce social isolation,” said Jayeson Watts, who is the director of Thundermist’s Trans Health Access Team.

Girls Rock! RI, GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, New Urban Arts, Project Weber/RENEW and Sojourner House also received grants. Descriptions of all eight grants are posted on the Foundation’s website.