Nonprofit

YANA of Newport County will partner with the Rhode Island Public Defender’s Office to offer a free expungement clinic for individuals seeking to clear their criminal records. The clinic will be held on Thursday, December 4, from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. at YANA’s clubhouse, located at 770 Aquidneck Avenue. Expert legal advisors will meet one-on-one […]

The Edward King House Senior Center and No Wrong Door Behavioral Health are teaming up to collect food for local families and older adults struggling with food insecurity this holiday season. The community food drive runs Monday through Nov. 13, with donations accepted at the Edward King House Senior Center, 35 King St. The effort […]

Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank has approved $377,500 in Community Project Assistance Fund grants to eight municipalities statewide, including $77,500 for projects in Jamestown and Middletown. The grants will provide technical assistance for design, feasibility analysis and strategic planning for projects advancing community resilience, stormwater management and public infrastructure improvements. Jamestown received $27,500 for a Wastewater […]

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center is ramping up its hunger relief efforts and calling on the community for support as uncertainty around SNAP benefits threatens to leave thousands of Rhode Islanders without food assistance beginning Nov. 1. The center, which distributed nearly 1.4 million meals last year, relies heavily on community support […]

Newport Mental Health has been designated a Regional Access Point by the Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing, becoming part of a new statewide network aimed at preventing and ending homelessness. Regional Access Points are community-based hubs that help individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of losing their homes. The primary goals […]

Rhode Island teenagers will gather at Roger Williams Park Zoo on Nov. 8 for a daylong climate action conference designed to empower young leaders to tackle environmental challenges in their communities. The Rhode Island Youth Climate Conference, hosted by the Rhode Island Environmental Education Association, will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is […]

The Aquidneck Food Pantry will host a comedy fundraiser Nov. 1 at VFW Post 5390 to support its mission of feeding community members in need. The Funny4Funds Comedy Fundraiser will feature stand-up comedy, raffles and opportunities for guests to learn about the pantry’s work. Doors open at 5 p.m., with the show starting at 6 […]

Six local restaurateurs who helped establish Newport as a premier dining destination will be honored at the 42nd Annual Taste of Newport on Nov. 2 at the Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa. The event will recognize Sue Lamond of Salvation Cafe, Richard “Biggy” Korn and Maria Ranftle of Yesterday’s, Peter Crowley of La Forge Casino […]

Newport Elks Lodge #104 will host a Halloween party fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 6-10 p.m. to benefit two local organizations that serve individuals with disabilities. The event at the lodge, 141 Pelham Street, will feature live music from local band Bar Fly, raffles, silent auctions and snacks. Tickets are $20 at the door, […]

West Place Animal Sanctuary has been named a finalist in the fifth annual Defender Service Awards presented by Chase, marking the fourth time in five years the Rhode Island nonprofit has reached the finals. The organization, which rescues and rehabilitates farm animals, is competing in the Honorees category against nonprofits from across the United States […]

The Norman Bird Sanctuary’s annual Harvest Fair will return Oct. 4-5 with an expanded focus on sustainability, thanks to lead sponsor 11th Hour Racing’s continued partnership. The two-day event, which has drawn thousands of visitors to Aquidneck Island for more than 50 years, will feature traditional autumn activities alongside new environmental initiatives designed to promote […]

This Thursday, September 25, 2025, Newport Mental Health will host its 11th annual gala at the Newport Beach House beginning at 5:30 p.m. The event has become one of the most anticipated evenings in Newport County, drawing around 300 guests to celebrate compassion, community, and recovery. A handful of tickets remain available, offering the opportunity […]

The Newport Restoration Foundation recognized four exemplary historic preservation projects in Newport County at its 19th Annual Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards on Thursday. The sold-out ceremony at Rough Point honored Hope Street Barn, Honeysuckle Carriage House, Ochre Court’s Cignaroli Ceiling Painting and OVERLAP Gallery. The 2025 awardees were selected in collaboration with the City […]

The Newport Tree Conservancy will plant a clonal replacement of a historic American sweetgum tree at Morton Park on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 2 p.m. The original sweetgum, estimated to be over 150 years old, was lost during a weather event in September 2024. The tree stood during the Olmsted Firm’s survey of the land […]

Three Newport County communities will receive more than $1 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding to support public facility improvements and essential services, Gov. Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing announced Wednesday. The awards, totaling approximately $1.05 million for the region, will fund projects ranging from senior center renovations […]

The IYRS School of Technology & Trades received two national honors from the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, the school announced in a press release Monday. The Newport-based trade school earned the 2025 ACCSC Commitment to Student Success Award, the commission’s highest institutional recognition, according to the announcement. Additionally, Athena Vieira, a 2024 […]

NEWPORT — The Women’s Resource Center raised $65,000 at its annual Seaside Sips fundraiser last week, bringing together more than 100 guests at The Bohlin for an evening supporting domestic violence survivors and prevention efforts. The dockside event featured testimonials from survivors posted throughout the venue, highlighting the center’s impact on those it serves. One […]

Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co. CEO Brendan O’Donnell delivered a $70,486 check Tuesday to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, representing complete proceeds from Jay Leno’s four sold-out comedy shows in July. The donation came from Leno’s July 9-12 performances at the brewery as part of its 2025 Summer Series. Tickets were […]

PORTSMOUTH — The Aquidneck Island community gathered Tuesday evening at Green Valley Country Club to support two local teens whose lives were forever changed by a tragic building collapse last month. The “Portsmouth Strong” dinner, hosted by the Four Hearts Foundation and sponsored by Green Valley Country Club and Little Rhody Pasta, raised more than $35,000 […]

The Redwood Library & Athenaeum announced Monday it has successfully reached its $5 million endowment campaign goal, concluding a fundraising effort that began in 2019 but was interrupted by the pandemic and restarted in 2023. The campaign’s success brings the nation’s first purpose-built library’s total endowment to approximately $17 million, which will fund the upkeep […]

A 15-year-old Virginia girl with a nervous system disorder received the key to Newport this summer as part of her Make-A-Wish experience to visit the historic city. Isobel, a Make-A-Wish recipient from Virginia, traveled to Newport with her family — brother Jacob, 16, and parents Margaret and Phillip — to fulfill her wish to explore […]

During the pandemic, while filming the documentary NEWPORT: In This Together, I discovered that the majority of Newporters managed to pull together, rather than apart, when faced with the challenges of COVID-19. As I conducted over 200 video interviews for the film, I realized that there are many people working in nonprofits, businesses, and government […]

More than 300 swimmers will plunge into Narragansett Bay next Saturday morning for Save The Bay’s 49th annual Swim, the organization’s biggest fundraising event of the year. The challenging two-mile open water swim will take participants from the shore of the Naval War College in Newport across the East Passage of Narragansett Bay to Potter […]

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County celebrated another successful fundraising milestone last month, welcoming over 300 guests and raising $464,000 at their 12th annual Newport Yacht Rendezvous on June 27th at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard. Under clear evening skies, the waterfront event combined the organization’s signature yacht hopping experience with dinner, dancing, and […]

The Rogers High School athletics program is gearing up for its annual fundraising golf tournament, inviting the community to support student-athletes while enjoying a day on the links. The Rogers Invitational Golf Tournament will take place on Friday, August 8, at Green Valley Country Club, located at 371 Union Street in Portsmouth. The event features […]

The Newport Restoration Foundation and the City of Newport have announced the recipients of the 19th Annual Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards, recognizing four outstanding preservation projects that exemplify craftsmanship, community engagement, and adaptive reuse. The awards ceremony will take place on Friday, September 5, 2025, at Rough Point in Newport, marking the foundation’s largest […]

The Four Hearts Foundation is proud to announce “Portsmouth Strong”, a community fundraiser event taking place on Tuesday, July 22 at 5:30 PM at Green Valley Country Club. They have graciously provided the venue and food for a community sphaghetti dinner. This heartfelt evening will raise critical funds to support the victims of the recent tragedy at the Portsmouth Portuguese […]

The Aquidneck Island community is coming together to support a local teenager whose life was forever changed by a tragic accident that shocked the state earlier this month. Aaron Delgado, who suffered critical injuries in the Portsmouth stairwell collapse during a graduation party on June 15, remains in the ICU facing a long road to […]

Nonprofits that serve the state’s LGBTQ+ communities have until August 15 to apply for grants of up to $10,000 through the Equity Action Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation.  “In times as challenging as these have become, supporting organizations that serve the state’s LGBTQ+ communities is vital,” said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “We are […]