Nonprofit organizations serving the state’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) communities will share more than $100,000 in grants through the Equity Action Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation. The funding will support organizations engaged in efforts ranging from civil rights advocacy for families and youth to improving the delivery of health care.
“Thanks to the continuing generosity and commitment of donors to our Equity Action Fund, we have the resources to support work that helps every Rhode Islander feel safe and embraced being their authentic selves,” said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO.
Guided by a volunteer advisory committee comprised of leaders in the LGBTQ+ communities, the Equity Action Fund supports projects that meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ communities in Rhode Island. Over the years, the fund has made more than $1.3 million in grants to dozens of organizations working on behalf of Rhode Island’s LGBTQ+ communities.
The recipients include GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders in Boston, which received $10,000 to support its ongoing civil rights advocacy in Rhode Island; Haus of Codec in Providence, R.I., which received $10,000 to provide emergency housing for LGBTQQIA+ youth ages 18 to 24; and Newport Pride, which received $4,500 to support its work strengthening queer connections through regular social activities.
Also receiving grants are:
- Providence Gay Flag Football League
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center,
- Meals on Wheels of RI
- Newport Community School
- Newport Sings
- Options Magazine
- Planned Parenthood of Southern New England
- Pride in Aging RI
- Project Weber/RENEW
- Providence Public Library
- Queer.Archive.Work
- Riverzedge Arts
- Sojourner House
- Stages of Freedom
- The Steel Yard
- Brown University
The Equity Action Fund is just one of the ways the Foundation supports Rhode Island’s LBGTQ+ communities. In recent years, the Foundation has awarded nearly $1.5 million in additional funding to provide housing and health services for LGBTQ+ people among other programs.
The announcement comes as the Foundation has released a multi-year research project on the experiences of the LGBTQ+ communities in Rhode Island, which includes a set of priorities for the future. The study – featuring oral interview transcriptions and a timeline of significant LGBTQ+ milestones – is posted at rifoundation.org/lgbtqinri.
The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Through civic leadership, fundraising and grant-making activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders. For more information, visit rifoundation.org.
— from a Rhode Island Foundation press release
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