How the Black Philanthropy Initiative began

Nellie Gorbea, of HousingWorksRI, makes a point during the panel discussion. Also on the panel were (l to r) Marion Orr, of the Taubman Center at Brown University (moderator); Keith Stokes, of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce; and Kenneth Wong, also of Brown University.

On February 10, 2009, some 100 members of the community joined the Foundation for the public launch of the Black Philanthropy Initiative. Foundation President and CEO Neil Steinberg stated, “We’re excited to be launching a million dollar fundraising campaign for BPI. This has been a long time coming. On behalf of our board of directors, I would like to thank Judge Edward Clifton, Linda Newton, Walter Stone, and Michael Van Leesten, along with former Rhode Island Foundation board chairman George Graboys for their leadership on this important initiative.” The Foundation will match every dollar raised up to $1 million through December 31, 2010.

The kickoff event, held at Providence Black Repertory Company, featured a panel discussion moderated by Marion Orr, director of Brown University’s Taubman Center and professor of political science, with Keith Stokes, executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, Nellie Gorbea, executive director of HousingWorks RI, and Kenneth Wong, Brown University professor of education and lead author of Black Community in Rhode Island, an environmental scan commissioned by the Foundation in 2008.

Panelists discussed highlights of the scan findings, which shaped the initial grantmaking focus of BPI: economic sustainability and the Black family in three specific areas: housing, financial literacy, and job training.

Among the scan's findings:

30% of Black Rhode Islanders live in poverty, compared to 11% of White Rhode Islanders. 13% of Black children live in poverty, compared to 5% of White children.
6.3% of Blacks in Rhode Island were unemployed in 2007, compared to a statewide unemployment rate of 4.9%.
Blacks in 2005 represented 28% of the prison population but only 5% of the overall state population. This trend has shown little or no change in the last three decades.

Learn more by downloading the case statement.