2005 Strategy Grants

The Foundation offers “Strategy Grants” for outstanding projects that promise significant improvements in any of three strategy areas: policy, advocacy, and systems reform; organizational and leadership development; and innovative models and proven programs. The following grants were made in 2005, totaling $3.5 million. For more information about any single grant, click on the underlined portion. You also will be directed to the organization’s website, if available.

Policy, Advocacy, and Systems Reform
Twenty grants totaling $947,500 were awarded in 2005 in this strategy, representing approximately one-fourth of all the Strategy Grants. Policy, Advocacy, and Systems Reform grants for 2005 range from $25,000 to $135,000; the average grant award was $47,375.

Together, these grants encompass a wide range of focus, approach, specific activities, and geography.  A majority of the projects are working in the areas of child and family support and advocacy; community development and affordable housing; and environmental protection and conservation.

Two of the Foundation’s largest grants again this year in this strategy: the Poverty Institute at Rhode Island College and Rhode Island Kids Count.  Each serves as the principal research and policy arm in the state on poverty issues for adults and children, respectively.

American Institute for Social Justice, Washington, DC, $40,000, for ACORN’s (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) efforts to organize low- and moderate-income families in Rhode Island’s urban areas around such areas as education and financial literacy.

Church Community Housing Corporation, Newport, $50,000, for pre-development costs for the Anchorage Housing Project, which proposes mixed use development on a 27-acre site of former US Navy housing in Middletown.

Common Cause Education Fund, Washington, DC, $25,000, to support the Separation of Powers effort that will broaden representation on, and advocate for development of a new system for legislative oversight of Rhode Island’s boards and commissions.

Conservation Law Foundation, Boston, MA, $25,000, for the Blackstone River Initiative, an effort to address runoff and industrial pollution of the Blackstone River.

Department of Corrections, Cranston, $40,000, for the Corrections/Community Dialogue project, which will conduct public forums and generate media interest in corrections, offenders, and alternatives to incarceration.

Direct Action for Rights & Equality, Providence, $35,000, for a statewide campaign to redirect funds from incarceration to prevention for some nonviolent crimes.

Gray Panthers of Rhode Island, Pawtucket , $40,000, for the Senior Agenda Consortium to monitor public policies affecting the state’s low-income elderly.

Grow Smart Rhode Island, Providence , $55,000, to implement the 2004 Housing Act and to promote additional housing initiatives throughout the state.

Grow Smart Rhode Island, Providence , $41,000, for this statewide group’s research and communications activities around such issues as affordable housing and property tax reform.

Housing Network of Rhode Island, Providence , $40,000, for a project to create a statewide ‘community reinvestment’ coalition and to develop a statewide land trust.

Ocean State Action Fund, Cranston, $32,500, to support the policy development, legislative work, and constituency organizing of the Health Care Organizing Project that is advocating for universal health insurance in Rhode Island.

Ocean State Action Fund, Cranston , $30,000, for Marriage Equality Rhode Island, an effort to gain legal recognition of same-sex couples through civil marriage in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island College Foundation/Poverty Institute, Providence , $135,000, for policy and advocacy work on behalf of low- and moderate-income Rhode Islanders.

Rhode Island Family Life Center, Providence, $79,000, for the Rhode Island Right to Vote Coalition that, through a November 2006 ballot question, is seeking to restore felons’ voting rights at the end of their incarcerations.

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, Providence , $100,000, for its statewide policy research and advocacy on behalf of Rhode Island children in such areas as childcare, affordable housing, mental health, dental services, and education.

Rhode Island Parents for Progress, Providence , $25,000, to alert low-income Rhode Islanders about adult education opportunities and to monitor the state’s success in delivering high-quality, accessible services.

Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group, Providence, $30,000, to support the organization’s work in air quality issues, with a focus on diesel pollution and engine idling in the state’s core cities.

University of Rhode Island Foundation/ Washington County Regional Planning Council, Kingston, $60,000, to support the Council’s work in open space, affordable housing, transportation, and economic development, and to formally launch the Washington County Community Development Corporation.

Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council , Providence, $25,000, to promote the maintenance, preservation and effective programming of parks and public spaces in Providence.

Woonsocket Neighborhood Development Corporation, Woonsocket , $40,000, for the Northern Rhode Island Affordable Homes Action Coalition which seeks to lay the groundwork for the development of 1,000 new affordable homes and apartments in northern Rhode Island’s cities and towns by 2010.

Organizational and Leadership Development
Forty-six grants were awarded in 2005 in this strategy, representing slightly more than half the number of Strategy Grants.  In dollars, the funded proposals total $1,608,289 or just less than half the dollars awarded overall.  The range of the Organization and Leadership Development grants for 2005 was $10,000 to $200,000; the average grant award was $34,963.

These grants represent a continued commitment to building the capacity and infrastructure of the nonprofit sector, whose work ensures that the most vulnerable residents of our state are able to access educational, economic, health, social, and cultural resources to lead productive and meaningful lives. Under this strategy, the Foundation has supported diverse organizations – promising and proven, grassroots and established – representing a broad range of fields and issues.

The Foundation is supporting organizations’ efforts to update long-term strategic plans, create comprehensive fund development plans, develop formal assessment systems, and improve organizational facilities. The Foundation also invested in a number of collaborations in which organizations and groups with overlapping missions and constituents come together to share resources and create efficiencies to strengthen a field in ways otherwise impossible.

Arts & Business Council of Rhode Island , Providence, $25,000, for ArtTix, a comprehensive web-based marketing, ticketing, and box office service for arts and cultural groups.

Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Smithfield , $50,000, to conduct strategic planning.

Blackstone Academy , Pawtucket, $30,000, to bring author/educator Patrick Finn to Rhode Island to share his literacy model with New England educators.

Blackstone Valley Education Foundation, Whitinsville , MA, $10,000, for Leadership Blackstone Valley which, through leadership development and community outreach, cultivates Rhode Island and Massachusetts residents to explore issues of mutual concern and joint problem solving.

Block Island Health Services , Block Island, $20,000, to support renovation and expansion of the Block Island Medical Center.

Boys & Girls Club of Newport County, Newport , $30,000, for a youth counselor to provide on-site preventive mental health services to Club members and to train staff.

Bradford L. Dunn Institute for Learning Differences , Providence, $50,000, to expand its professional development and training for teachers working with students with language-based learning differences.

Community MusicWorks, Providence , $20,000, to help this organization provide music education for low-income Providence children and families and to enable its resident musicians to devote more time to teaching and performing.

Corporation for Supportive Housing, New Haven, CT, $45,000, to increase the capacity of Rhode Island public and non-profit agencies to finance, develop, and operate supportive housing for individuals and families who face chronic homelessness.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, Newport , $30,000, to support the agency’s Teen Center and its youth development programs in Newport.

Education Partnership, Providence , $50,000, to support afterschool activity centers for middle school students in Olneyville and the West End/Upper South Providence.

Festival Ballet, Providence, $25,000, to support a marketing initiative.

Homefront Health Care, Providence , $15,000, to recruit and train 160 disadvantaged Providence women to become certified nursing assistants through study and fieldwork.

International Institute, Providence, $40,000, for a fundraising and marketing campaign
for Rhode Island’s largest resettlement agency for new immigrants and refugees.

International Yacht Restoration School , Newport , $25,000, for continuing education programs in the marine trades industries to help both entry-level and experienced marine employees to advance their skills.

Island Moving Company, Newport, $10,000, to expand its educational programming and increase income by providing workshops for school districts’ professional meetings and conferences throughout the region.

Landmark Medical Center , Woonsocket, $25,000, in a challenge grant to aid the hospital in raising individual donations to purchase cardiac care equipment.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Providence , $200,000, for its core operations and the Neighborhood Development Fund that supports CDCs (community development corporations) to revitalize neighborhoods and create affordable housing.

Meeting Street Center , East Providence, $50,000, for planning and developing a ‘National Center of Excellence’ which will expand this statewide organization’s role as a local and national laboratory for educational studies, clinical trials, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

New England Grassroots Environment Fund, Montpelier , VT, $25,000, for a grassroots grants, training, outreach, and one-on-one consulting program for Rhode Island groups.

Newport Art Museum, Newport, $10,000, to support the start-up of a room rental program for local meetings and private events.

New Urban Arts, Providence , $20,000, to build this Providence organization that seeks to empower youth as artists and leaders through afterschool youth development programs.

Olneyville Housing Corporation, Providence , $25,000, for the Olneyville Collaborative, a coalition of local merchants, nonprofits, and residents committed to revitalizing this neighborhood.

Pawtucket Citizens Development Corporation, Pawtucket , $20,000, for the Pawtucket Neighborhood Revitalization Project’s outreach and education activities.

People’s Power and Light, Providence , $20,000, to provide affordable clean energy.

Providence Black Repertory Company, Providence, $38,000, to support production costs and artists’ fees for three stage productions and one staged reading of a new play in 2006.

Rhode Island Children’s Crusade for Higher Education, Providence, $50,000, to help this organization, which works to keep children from the state’s low-income communities in school and on a path to post-secondary education, develop a comprehensive strategic marketing communications plan.

Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Warwick, $75,000, for a statewide collaboration to build abuse prevention programming for children and youth.

Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Providence , $35,000, to enable this statewide organization to distribute food to pantries at high rises for elderly, to neighborhood food pantries, and through mobile farmers’ markets.

Rhode Island Historical Society, Providence, $20,000, to support the space planning and development of materials for the Museum of Work and Culture’s capital campaign.

Rhode Island Natural History Survey, Kingston, $50,000, for the Ecological Inventory, Monitoring, and Stewardship (EIMS) Program which provides ecological information and environmental management expertise to assist with land stewardship and management.

Rhode Island Natural History Survey, Kingston, $45,000, as fiscal agent for the RI Rivers Council’s work to improve state rivers and to growing the capacity of watershed councils.

Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre, Pawtucket, $30,000, to expand staff to allow this Pawtucket-based theater to meet its subscription, development, and audience diversification goals.

Save the Bay, Providence , $40,000, to begin organizational restructuring.

2nd Story Theatre , Warren, $32,000, to implement a new business plan and increase the funding base of this Warren-based theater.

South Kingstown Land Trust, South Kingstown, $24,000, to work with landowners to explore land protection options in Washington County.

St. Teresa’s Church Corporation, Providence , $30,000, for the Olneyville Neighborhood Association to empower residents as advocates, community leaders, and decision-makers.

Thundermist Health Center, Woonsocket, $25,000, for its capital campaign for a new health center in Woonsocket.

Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum , Exeter, $31,819, to hire a teacher for grades 4-8 at the Nuweetooun School in Exeter which was established in 2003 to provide culture-based learning to help Native American children succeed.

Toxics Action Center, Boston , MA , $20,000, for start-up costs of the Rhode Island Neighborhood Assistance Project which will, by partnering with statewide environmental groups, urge public policy reforms and action against toxic hazards.

Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program , Providence, $50,000, to support fundraising for this school for at-risk middle school students.

VNS Home Health Services, Narragansett, $30,000, for the Washington County Coalition for Children, a collaboration that works to fill gaps in services to children and their families.

Westerly Area Rest Meals (WARM), Westerly, $20,000, to help this organization develop further fundraising skills that will help it serve the homeless and needy in Westerly.

Westerly Land Trust, Westerly , $30,000, to support the Infrastructure Collaborative, a project through which a number of grassroots environmental organizations will share resources, such as computer software and personnel.

YMCA of Westerly-Pawcatuck, Westerly , $25,000, to develop a master plan for expanding and upgrading Camp Watchaug to allow year-round programming and increased participation by underserved populations, including the disabled.

Youth Pride, Providence , $37,470, to strengthen the fundraising of this LGBT youth-serving organization.

Innovative Models and Proven Programs
Twenty-one grants were awarded in 2005 in this strategy, representing approximately one-quarter of the Strategy Grants made in number and dollars.  The range of the Innovative Models and Proven Programs grants for 2005 was $10,000 to $135,000; the average grant award was $44,322.

A number of the projects are looking to reform, through the development of new models or the adaptation of existing ones, the delivery and quality of complex social systems.  Others are, by contrast, focused on individual neighborhoods, developing the case for new approaches from the ground up.

A number of projects are working in the following areas: access to quality health care, including dental and mental health; adult education and employment development; and youth development and engagement.  The Foundation also is supporting the efforts of several nonprofits to develop revenue-generating businesses that support their bottom line while advancing their social mission.

Amos House, Providence , $135,000, for the Amos Culinary Education (ACE) Program and the start-up of Amos House Works, a for-profit food preparation and delivery enterprise employing ACE Program graduates.

Autism Project of Rhode Island, Cranston , $30,000, for the statewide Parent Coaching Program that offers training, skill building, and support to families of children with autism.

Brown University Center for Environmental Studies, Providence, $42,500, for Farm Fresh Rhode Island to increase the production and consumption of locally-grown foods as a way to preserve open space and strengthen the local economy.

Comprehensive Community Action Program , Cranston, $75,000, to start up a new dental program, Westbay Smiles program, an effort to provide dental services to children in Warwick’s Head Start programs and public schools.

Crossroads Rhode Island, Providence , $55,000, to operate a copy center which trains homeless Rhode Islanders for entry-level positions in the printing business.

Dorcas Place Learning Center , Providence , $98,400, for the Career Academies for Low-Income Adults, an employment-centered workforce development program for Providence residents with low literacy levels.

Everett Dance Theatre, Providence, $20,000, to connect middle and high school youth from Providence with dance, theater, writing, and video production professionals.

Family Service of Rhode Island, Providence, $40,000, for a school-based mental health program in three North Kingstown schools: Davisville Elementary, Davisville Middle, and North Kingstown High School.

Family Service of Rhode Island, Providence, $35,000, for the Providence Child Development-Community Policing Program, in partnership with the Providence Police Department, to aid Providence children and families who are victims or witnesses of violent crimes or domestic abuse.

Kids First, Providence , $42,000, for a program that results in healthier food for students in the Pawtucket public schools.

Little Compton Community Center Corporation, Little Compton, $10,000, for a program for local teens with outdoor recreation, arts, community service, and cultural activities.

Newport Historical Society, Newport, $30,000, to produce a traveling photographic exhibit, book, and website about a 1,000-photo collection which documents Newport County’s diverse 20th century history.

Northwest Community Health Care, Pascoag, $25,000, to equip an additional dental suite in the Pascoag-based health center that serves residents of Burrillville, Foster, and Glocester.

RiverzEdge Arts Project, Providence, $40,000, to offer Woonsocket youth creative and entrepreneurial experience, pay, leadership training, and a voice in the larger community.

Sexual Assault & Trauma Resource Center , Providence, $60,000, for start-up costs of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program that will create a pool of registered nurses specifically trained to conduct examinations of sexual assault victims in all 11 hospitals in Rhode Island.

Southside Community Land Trust, Providence , $30,000, for Urban Edge Farm, a 50-acre former

dairy farm in western Cranston that is home to a new farmer incubator and community-supported agriculture programs.

Urban League of Rhode Island, Providence , $46,100, to provide education to adoptive and foster parents.

Westbay Community Action, Warwick , $20,000, to develop the Westbay Market Place, a food distribution system that allows low-income Kent County families to select their own groceries based on nutritional value and family size.

Woonsocket Neighborhood Development Corporation, Woonsocket, $25,000, to support renovation of a former mill building for a new afterschool program and six apartments, the latter which will be home to “community builders” charged with instructing and mentoring in the afterschool program and learning center activities.

Year Up, Providence, $40,000, to prepare urban youth/young adults for technology careers.

Youth Pride, Providence, $31,758, for the statewide Safe Zone Initiative which focuses on empowering youth and their adult allies in schools and the community to improve school climates to ensure the safety of gay and lesbian students.