Rhode Island

RI Foundation wants your feedback to guide its mission | Opinion

Published

2 years ago

February 4, 2024

Press Room

RI Foundation wants your feedback to guide its mission | Opinion

David N. Cicilline
| Guest columnist

David N. Cicilline became president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation on June 1, 2023.

At a time when conflict often overshadows collaboration and hinders progress, community foundations serve a unifying purpose. They possess the unique ability to mobilize generosity and financial resources, to build and activate networks of people, to provide an enduring safe harbor during times of uncertainty, and to celebrate and leverage differing experiences – all with the aim of solving critical community challenges.

Community foundations are a vehicle that anyone can use to turn their generosity into a powerful force for good.

As nonpartisan public charities, community foundations, like ours here in Rhode Island, accept charitable gifts of all shapes and sizes, invest those gifts in financial markets so that they grow over time, and use a responsible portion of the proceeds from those invested charitable dollars each year to make grants, provide scholarships, and support organizations and efforts focused on strengthening our communities and enhancing the quality of life in our state. The design is intended to provide a permanent source of funding to help improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders now and for generations to come.

More: Rhode Island awards $5.9 million in community development grants. Who got funding?

As the primary focus of my first six months as president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, I’ve been in the community and working alongside our able team and Board of Directors on a series of activities intended to meaningfully inform the way we work and how we can best serve the state going forward. 

We are assessing the Foundation’s fundraising, grantmaking and programmatic efforts. We’ve travelled the state to see first-hand the impact of our investments – from Westerly to Woonsocket to Newport. We’ve studied and have been in conversations with peer foundations from across the country. We’ve spoken at length with many generous Rhode Islanders who have terrific ideas, and financial capital, to share. And we’ve sought the opinions of stakeholders and the public on the growing need in priority areas where we have focused grantmaking and beyond-grantmaking efforts for several years – health, education and economic security.

We’ve also heard the call to do more to address the state’s housing crisis, mitigate the persistent root causes of inequity, support climate action efforts and help communities form stronger connections to civic life.

In the months ahead, we will chart a course for the Rhode Island Foundation informed by all we’ve been learning, and we welcome further participation in this effort from the community we serve.

To capture your perspective, we hope that you will respond to a brief survey, available at www.rifoundation.org/survey. The survey is available for response in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

By engaging with us as we map the Foundation’s next steps, you will be actively sharing your thoughts on what matters most to Rhode Islanders and helping inform our work. Your feedback will help guide the Foundation’s grantmaking investments and our efforts beyond grant funding, from community engagement activities to the development of research and the convening of partners and policymakers. You’ll have a stake in our collective work to improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders.

More: The RI Foundation is giving $530K in grants to help animals. Here’s how it will be spent.

My team and I, along with our Board of Directors, approach the work we do with genuine humility. We do not have all the answers, resources, experience, or expertise to alone address the challenging issues we face as a state. We work best and have the most impact when we listen to, learn from, and collaborate with the community we serve.

This spring we’ll further discuss what we’ve learned at a series of in-person conversations about the Foundation’s future focus. At those events, we hope to hear more from you, and to talk about ways we can address shared priorities together as we strive to continuously improve and adjust to the needs of the community.

I am so honored to serve as president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation – and I look forward to the work ahead where, together, the things we hope for can become reality.

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Rhode Island

Thousands drop public health insurance coverage in RI after premiums spike

Published

3 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Thousands drop public health insurance coverage in RI after premiums spike

Thousands of Rhode Islanders dropped their health insurance plans after federal subsidies expired.
Enrollment in HealthSource RI, the state’s marketplace, fell by 20% in early 2024.
The average premium for enrollees more than doubled as federal funding ended.

Thousands of Rhode Islanders dropped health insurance coverage through Rhode Island’s public insurance marketplace instead of maintaining plans with rising premiums and lower subsidies, HealthSource RI said.

Enrollment through HealthSource, Rhode Island’s “Obamacare” exchange, plunged 20% between the end of last year and the close of the annual enrollment period a month later, as federal funding for premium tax credits expired, according to a HealthSource new release.

There were 48,060 individual and family enrollments on Dec. 31 of last year, the day the premium subsidies from the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act ended.

On Feb. 1, there were 38,557 enrollments.

Before this drop, HealthSource has posted enrollment increases almost every year since Affordable Care Act exchanges launched in 2013.

How did we get here?

Last year, the Republican-controlled federal government declined to extend premium tax credits after a protracted budget battle with congressional Democrats, who are now negotiating to restore the health insurance subsidies.

The lapse in subsidies coincided with an increase in premiums, driven by a combination of factors, which sent the total cost of coverage climbing.

The average premium across HealthSource enrollees more than doubled (101%,) the exchange said, or $111 per person, per month.

Many enrollees opted for cheaper insurance plans despite their higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs.

Others dropped coverage altogether.

“The increase in premiums, combined with the decrease in federal supports, makes this an incredibly challenging year for folks depending on HealthSource RI for health coverage,” HealthSource Director Lindsay Lang said in the release. “Having health coverage helps protect against one bad turn of luck becoming years of financial burden. We will work with every customer to find options that are best for their needs and budget, and continue to work with state leaders and our federal delegation to find long-term solutions.”

Could help be on the way?

Gov. Dan McKee included $9.5 million in his proposed state budget for the year starting July 1 to subsidize coverage for some of the lowest-income exchange enrollees.

The enrollment declines show that may be too little for some Rhode Islanders, and too late for others.

“It is disheartening but not surprising that, as President Trump’s policies have caused health insurance costs to skyrocket, more Rhode Islanders are struggling to pay for health coverage,” McKee said.

Since the exchange opened in 2013, Rhode Island’s uninsured rate has declined by two thirds, down to 2.2%, HealthSource said.

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Rhode Island

RI Lottery Powerball, Numbers Midday winning numbers for March 9, 2026

Published

15 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 9, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 9 drawing

22-23-28-36-54, Powerball: 13, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from March 9 drawing

Midday: 5-7-4-4

Evening: 2-1-3-2

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from March 9 drawing

02-14-16-34-35, Extra: 10

Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 9 drawing

06-16-26-41-43, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
Winners of the Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.

When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Rhode Island

Spring And Summer Concert Guide: 10 Can’t-Miss Shows In Rhode Island

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Spring And Summer Concert Guide: 10 Can’t-Miss Shows In Rhode Island

Whether with a stop on a national or international tour or a regional favorite, the spring and summer concert calendar is filling up in Rhode Island.

The Ravers, Newport’s reggae band, comes to Rhode Island in April. There are plenty of concerts in the area that will have you dancing all spring and summer long, including some regional favorites.

We’ve rounded up 10 concerts in Rhode Island that are worth getting on the calendar. And speaking of calendars: Are you planning an event this spring? Feature it, so nearby readers see it all across Patch — including in roundups like this!

Here’s what you need to know about upcoming concerts:

Candlelight: Tribute to Queen and The Beatles, March 20, Bishop McVinney Auditorium, Providence
Soulful Sounds in Pawtucket, April 3, Hope Events on Main, Pawtucket
Ravers Night! April 11, Newport Vineyards & Winery, Middletown
Corvettes — Doo Wop Revue, April 19, Courthouse Center for the Arts, Kingstown
“Dancing at the Forty Steps” – Newport Irish Heritage Month flagship event, March 29, the Forty Steps on Cliff Walk, Newport
Newport Classical: Yevgeny Kutik & Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, April 10, Newport Classical Recital Hall, Newport
Newport Classical: Zijian Wei performs Ravel and Liszt, May 8, Newport Classical Recital Hall, Newport
Newport Classical Finale: Amir Hoshang Farsi and Chelsea Wang, June 5, Newport Classical Recital Hall, Newport
An Evening With John Legend, April 26, Providence Performing Arts Center, Providence
Ani DiFranco with Special Guest Valerie June, May 8, Providence Performing Arts Center, Providence

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