Feb. 16 is deadline to apply for more than $260,000 in grants
Nonprofit organizations serving Newport County’s six communities have until Feb. 16 to apply for more than $260,000 in grants from the Rhode Island Foundation.
The Newport County Fund (NCF) offers grants of up to $10,000 in eight key funding areas: arts and culture, basic human needs, children and families, education, economic security, environment, health and housing.
“This fund is focused on serving the unique needs of these communities. Collaborating with partners who have deep, local roots gives us the resources and context to address local priorities,” said Adrian Bonéy, the Foundation’s grantmaker for special programs.
The eligible uses include developing new programs, strengthening or expanding established programs and municipal planning or leadership. Applicants should focus on significant problems or opportunities, strategic partnerships or collaborations, innovation and measuring results.
NCF grants can be used to develop new programs, to strengthen or expand established community programs or services and for municipal planning or leadership.
The NCF does not fund individuals or scholarships, medical research, debt reduction or fundraising. Grants may support faith-based organizations for secular programs or projects. These are annual grants; NCF does not make multi-year commitments.
Recent grant recipients include the Newport Partnership for Families, which received $5,000 for its Reading Reaps Rewards “R3” Summer Learning Initiative; Lucy’s Hearth of Middletown, which was awarded $10,000 to provide emergency shelter, supportive transitional housing and self-sufficiency-focused services for homeless mothers and their children; and the Visiting Nurses Services for Newport and Bristol Counties, which received $5,000 for staff development around improving patient care.
Over the years, the NCF has invested more than $3 million in funding programs and services for residents of Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth and Tiverton.
The NCF is supplemented by the Jamestown Community Fund and the Jamestown Fund for the Performing Arts. Over the years, the two funds have awarded nearly $100,000 in grants.
The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in the state. In 2016, the Foundation awarded a record $45 million in grants to organizations addressing Rhode Island’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities. 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 about applying for the grants, visit rifoundation.org.