RIFoundation

RI Foundation's Newport County women's grants deadline April 6

13sep30_rif.pngThe Rhode Island Foundation is offering grants and scholarships through the Miss Swinburne Fund. Female students from Newport County and nonprofits that support the self-sufficiency and independence of Newport County girls and women have until April 6 to apply.

In 2017, the Miss Swinburne Fund awarded $42,200 in scholarships to 24 students and $22,000 in grants to local nonprofits, including Boys & Girls Club of Newport County, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and Lucy's Hearth.

The fund memorializes Elizabeth H. Swinburne, a civic-minded woman of the early 1900s who established a school in her Newport home to educate young women. Following her death, the Civic League of Newport continued her mission until transferring its remaining assets to the Foundation in 2002 to establish a permanent endowment.

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 $38 million and awarded $43 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities in 2017. 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, visit rifoundation.org.

Editorial note: Written from a news release.

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Portsmouth community-building dog park wins $10K grant from Rhode Island Foundation

The town of Portsmouth is among the organizations that will share $500,000 in "Centennial Community Grants" from the Rhode Island Foundation, according to a release sent to media this afternoon.

The town received $10,000 to help create a dog park for its 1,672 registered dogs and their owners as a place to gather and interact, thus building community in a 2-acre section of Melville Park, centrally located in the town, that will be dedicated to preserving the natural beauty that typifies Newport County.

"This dog park will be a welcoming place for residents of Newport County and beyond, including visitors to the Melville Ponds Campground, and also provide opportunities for community volunteers as well as education and training to dog owners," said Bunny Miller, of the Portsmouth Dog Park Planning Committee.

The project is among 43 that received funding from the Foundation. All the work that is being funded is expected to be completed before the end of the year. The maximum grant was $15,000.

The Centennial Community Grants program is just one in a series of activities to mark the Foundation’s 100th anniversary this year.

“We are celebrating our Centennial by funding projects that will bring life to every one of Rhode Island's remarkable cities and towns. Communities will blossom and grow stronger as this works rolls out,” said Jessica David, the Foundation’s senior vice president of strategy and community investments.

“Our work would not be possible but for the visionaries who came before us, the donors who generously invest in Rhode Island and the community leaders who convert the resources into action,” said Neil Steinberg, president and CEO of the Foundation.

The Centennial grants were funded in part through a generous gift from long-time Foundation donor Anne Sage.

“This is such a wonderful way to celebrate the Foundation’s 100th anniversary. What an amazing opportunity to cast a wide net and benefit people from every corner of Rhode Island,” Sage said.

Founded on June 13, 1916, with a $10,000 gift from industrialist Jesse Metcalf, the Foundation’s assets have grown to nearly $800 million. Over the past five years, the Foundation has awarded more than $165 million in grants.

The centerpiece of the centennial celebration is a $10 million campaign to restore Roger Williams Park. The work will include improvements to the park’s entrances, new signage, expanded walkways and bicycle paths and repairs to the Museum of Natural History, the Bandstand, the Casino and the Temple to Music.

The Foundation has already raised $5 million. The support includes $1.5 million from the Foundation itself as well as a $1.15 million gift from The Champlin Foundations to restore the historic Bandstand and Museum. In addition, more than four dozen other donors have contributed to the campaign.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. In 2015, the Foundation awarded $41.5 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities. Through leadership, fundraising and grant making activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential. For more information, visit rifoundation.org.

Editorial note: Written from a press release.

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RI Foundation supports Portsmouth students and area nonprofits

13sep30_rif.pngProvidence, RI – Three Portsmouth residents are among the Newport County students and nonprofit organizations that received $52,000 in grants from the Rhode Island Foundation through the Miss Swinburne Fund.

Victoria Oman attends Bristol Community College and Kayla M. Kemper and Meredith D. FitzGerald attend the University of Rhode Island.

The fund memorializes Elizabeth H. Swinburne, a civic-minded woman of the early 1900s who established a school in her Newport home to educate young women. Following her death, the Civic League of Newport continued her mission and, 10 years ago, established the fund in her name. The Miss Swinburne Fund has provided nearly $600,000 in scholarships and grants to benefit young women from Newport County since 2002.

The other scholarship recipients are Camille I. Bobiak of Middletown, Jessica White, Kaori G. Oneil, Brittany N. Howellel and Alexandra R. Brown of Newport, Alexandra D. Corr of Tiverton and Caitlin L. Schnack of Jamestown.

In addition, the following nonprofit organizations received grants.

  • Star Kids Scholarship Program
    A grant of $3,500 for the tuition expenses for one Newport County Star Kid female student to attend a non-public school for the 2013-14 school year.

  • Boys & Girls Club of Newport County
    A grant of $2,000 to expand the American Girl Club program for the 2013-2014 school year. This grant is earmarked for CPR and babysitting expenses.

  • Girl Scouts of Rhode Island
    An award of $2,000 will be used to support Newport's Urban Outreach program benefitting at-risk girls grades K-12 who might otherwise not have the opportunity to participate in Girl Scouts through after-school and summer community programming.

  • Women's Resource Center
    A $2,000 grant to support the Court Advocacy Program in Newport County to educate and empower victims of domestic violence, validate their concerns, represent their wishes, and promote their access to services.

  • Child and Family Services of Newport County
    The $2,000 grant will support the Groovy Girls Program to involve girls in activities to improve self-esteem, provide emotional support, and inspire confidence.

  • East Bay Community Action Program
    A $2,000 grant to use toward the cost of staffing and materials for Even Start's Children's Room.

  • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center
    A $2,000 grant for the Strong Woman Series to provide information, support and empowerment to the women of Newport County on matters of health, finances, education, art and seeking employment.

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State
    A grant of $1,500 to support mentoring services for 30 at-risk girls living in Newport County. This grant is earmarked to purchase educational materials as listed in your itemized budget.

  • Social Enterprise Greenhouse
    A $1,500 grant for the SVPRI-Newport Program will be used to recruit women and girls to participate in programs to develop the skills to start and maintain their own social enterprise and micro enterprise businesses.

  • Newport Community School
    The $2,500 grant will support a vocational training program for Certified Nursing Assistants.

    The Miss Swinburne Fund will seek applications from Newport County nonprofit organizations and students again in the spring of 2014. A full list of scholarships offered by the Rhode Island Foundation is available at www.rifoundation.org/scholarships.

    The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. In 2012, the Foundation made grants of more than $30.4 million to organizations addressing Rhode Island’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities. Through leadership, fundraising and grant making activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping our state reach its true potential. For more information, visit www.rifoundation.org.

    Editorial note: Written from a press release.

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02871, Localblogging, RIFoundation