The Rhode Island Foundation awarded more than $5.2 million in grants to Newport County nonprofits in 2025, helping push the organization to the best year of grant-making in its 109-year history.
Among the recipients are the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County, Newport Community School, the East Bay Community Action Program, Conexion Latina Newport, the Little Compton Community Center, the Jamestown Community Food Pantry and the Newport County YMCA.
Also receiving grants are Strategic Prevention Partnerships, or SPP, in Portsmouth and Turning Around Ministries in Newport.
SPP received $125,000 to help Newport County firefighters, EMTs and police officers address trauma-related anxiety, PTSD and depression through its No Wrong Door initiative.
“Behind their uniforms, many first responders face mental health challenges stemming from the high-stress nature of the job,” said Rebecca Elwell, SPP’s executive director. “The mental well-being of firefighters deserves attention and action.”
Turning Around Ministries received $70,000 to support efforts helping residents with financial challenges access affordable housing, workforce development programs and long-term financial security.
“The number of unhoused and un- or under-employed people in Newport County is increasing, and so is the number of people needing our help,” said Cheryl Robinson, the organization’s president.
Statewide, the foundation awarded a record $93 million in grants to more than 2,600 nonprofit organizations in 2025 — the same year it launched a new five-year action plan. The foundation also raised $82 million in gifts last year, its third-best fundraising year ever.
The action plan focuses on five priorities: civic and cultural life, climate action and sustainability, education and student success, healthy and strong communities, and housing and economic mobility. The foundation also introduced three new grant programs: community priority grants, catalyst grants and capacity building grants.
“Our work last year reflects what the community identified as their priorities and what they saw as the biggest challenges,” said foundation President David Cicilline. “We are grateful to the generous Rhode Islanders who trust us to guide their philanthropy.”
The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. More information is available at rifoundation.org.
