E-bike safety, Teen Dance and more reap benefits from Rhode Island Foundation grants

NEWPORT – Dozens of nonprofit organizations serving Newport County residents will share nearly $340,000 in grants from the Rhode Island Foundation. The funding will support work ranging from educational programs for school children and disaster recovery preparation to food pantries and arts activities.    

“We are grateful to be able to help these organizations carry out their crucial work. We are fortunate to partner with passionate donors who make it possible for us to support nonprofits that are on the frontlines of serving the needs of their communities,” said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO, in a statement.   

Bike Newport, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County, the Jamestown Community Food Pantry and the St. Lucy’s Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Middletown are among the organizations that received funding through the Foundation’s Newport County Fund.  

Bike Newport received $5,000 to launch an e-bike safety training initiative. The program will train riders to safely use e-bikes. The organization expects 150-200 residents to participate in the full multi-session curriculum with on-bike training. 

“The exploding popularity of e-bikes underscores the importance for communities everywhere to take timely and effective measures to promote their safe operation. Their increasing use is easy to observe on Aquidneck Island, and indeed everywhere. E-Bikes are dependable, comfortable, and easy to use. E-Bikes are prevalent, growing ever more so, and by all indications they are here to stay,” said Bari Freeman, executive director. 

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County received $3,000 to support its new Teen Dance Program, which was conceived by participants in the Club’s SMART Girls program to provide an alternative to wrestling, which is the only other organized physical activity.  

“By providing participants with a physical activity in performance art, an opportunity to develop confidence and teamwork and the experience of giving back and supporting the community by performing at community events, we keep them returning to the Club to benefit not only from this program and our other activities will help keep them on the path to success and give them a safe place to go,” said Joe Pratt, executive director and CEO. 

The Jamestown Community Food Pantry received $10,000 to support the increased costs of purchasing food and personal care and pet items. The organization provides clients with meat, fish, juice, cheese, yogurt, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, in addition to non-perishables. 

“People often think that a town like ours can’t possibly have a need for an emergency food pantry. We have witnessed the exact opposite of that. The beneficiaries of our program are those individuals and families in Jamestown who need emergency food help when their budgets are tight. Many of our clients are shut-ins, or without reliable transportation, and our services offer them what they need without having to travel across one of the bridges to get help,” said Deb Nordstrom, executive director.  

The St. Lucy’s Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Middletown received $10,000 to provide emergency financial assistance to people facing eviction, utility shut-offs, prescription drugs and clothing among other needs. Last year, the organization helped 137 households with 157 adults and 167 children. 

“In Newport County, there simply is not enough affordable housing to meet the demand. The populations in Newport County who benefit from our mission are the poor, the marginalized, children, the elderly and people who are disabled. The assistance we are able to provide varies according to circumstance and needs, but our most common outcome is keeping individuals or families sheltered in their homes with utilities,” said Judy Weston, president. 

Aquidneck Community Table in Newport, the American Red Cross, Conexion Latina Newport, East Bay Community Action Program, FabNewport, Girl Scouts of Southeast New England, the Jamestown Arts Center, the Katie Brown Educational Program, the Little Compton Community Center, Live and Learn in Jamestown, Lucy’s Hearth in Middletown, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport, Meals on Wheels, Newport Contemporary Ballet, newportFILM, the Newport County YMCA, the Newport String Project, Rhode Island Black Storytellers, Rhode Island Slave History Medallions in Newport, Sail Newport, St. John’s Lodge Food Bank in Portsmouth, Turning Around Ministries in Newport and the Washington Square Services Corporation in Newport are among the nonprofits that also received grants.  

The Newport County Fund awards grants of up $10,000 to strengthen or expand established programs, to support policy or advocacy efforts on behalf of community concerns, to fund new projects that focus on significant problems or opportunities, and to leverage strategic collaborations and partnerships.   

In making the funding decisions, the Foundation worked with an advisory committee comprised of residents from every community in Newport County.  

Established in 2002, the Fund has awarded more than $6 million in grants for programs and services for residents of Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth and Tiverton over the years.   

It is just one of the grant programs that enable the Foundation to serve Newport County communities. Since 2022, the Foundation has awarded more than $10.9 million in grants to Newport County nonprofits.