RI Foundation Awards $53k In Grants To LGBTQ Organizations

The following was submitted by the Rhode Island Foundation:

PROVIDENCE, RI — Eight nonprofit organizations serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Rhode Islanders will share $53,000 in grants through the Equity Action Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation. The funding will support work ranging from civil rights advocacy for families and youth to improving the delivery of health care.

“These organizations work to ensure the health, safety and fair treatment of all LGBTQ Rhode Islanders,” said Adrian Bonéy, who oversees Equity Action at the Foundation. “This important work is enhanced by strengthening alliances between nonprofits working to address the most critical needs of Rhode Island’s LGBTQ communities, including investments in health, education and the arts, as well as issues critical to young and elderly members of the community.”

Family Service of Rhode Island (FSRI) received $5,000 to support its Emergency Financial Assistance program for LGBTQ+ individuals living with HIV under its AIDS Project Rhode Island program. The grant comes as FSRI seeks to replace the loss of about $800,000 in state funding.

“This funding will enable us to continue providing short-term payments to assist with emergency expenses such as essential utilities, housing, food and medication,” said FSRI CEO Margaret Holland McDuff. “This support is critical as our services are faced with a sudden and unexpected cut in funding. Now we have a brief reprieve in which to continue client care while identifying alternative sources of funding.”

Girls Rock! RI received $3,000 to support a re-branding effort that will result in a new name for the organization in order to make it more welcoming to trans and non-binary participants and volunteers. Last year, 40 percent of its volunteers, 16 percent of its participants in middle school and 23 percent of its participants in high school reported identifying as LGBTQ, according to the organization.

“It has become apparent that the very name under which we function is no longer empowering to LGBTQ participants, staff and volunteers,” said Rikki Davis, Girls Rock! RI’s co-executive director. “We intend to make it clear that we offer a space that was created specifically for critical thought around gender-based oppression and empowerment for all marginalized individuals across the gender spectrum, not just ‘girls.’”

GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) received $8,000 to support its ongoing youth and civil rights advocacy. The work includes holding semiannual roundtables of LBGTQ advocates, providing legal support to families of LGBTQ students and strengthening the state’s protective legal framework for the LGBTQ community.

“While our outreach has increased substantially, LGBTQ families and youth still face discrimination in critical areas of their lives. We aim to ensure that Rhode Island youth and families are respected and cherished for who they are,” said Janson Wu, executive director.

New Urban Arts received $5,000 to support the Untitlement Project, a summer program in which low-income youth use writing and art to explore issues of identity, including gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Students meet four days a week. About one-third of its 700 students identify as LGBTQ, according to the organization.

“Our students investigate stereotypes, media awareness, violence, anger, vulnerability, loneliness, love and relationships. The goal of the Untitlement Project is to raise consciousness and explore inequities around privilege, power and language,” said Daniel Schleifer, executive director.

Project Weber/RENEW received $8,500 for its Transgender Outreach Project. The funds will be used to support a trans peer outreach worker who will focus on high-risk trans individuals on the streets.

“Trans persons experience numerous structural barriers to social and health care services, as well as significantly higher HIV incidence compared the general population. We will mitigate these disparities by providing accessible and welcoming harm reduction and linkage to health care services,” said Colleen Daley Ndoye, executive director.

SAGE-Rhode Island received $9,000 to train nurses, social workers, community service providers and other healthcare staff working in long-term care, acute care facilities and community agencies. The goal is to train at least 100 staff members from long-term care facilities, hospitals and community agencies. SAGE-RI will provide at least six hours of workshops, focused on developing LGBT cultural competency

“LGBT elders experience health care disparities as a result of societal stigma and the effects of a lifetime of discrimination,” said Steering Committee Chair Catherine Gorman. “As the number of LGBT older adults increases, there is a growing need for improving quality of health care to this largely invisible, vulnerable population.”

Sojourner House received $6,500 to provide shelter, housing and supportive services to LGBTQ victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. In addition, Sojourner plans to provide training and education on LGBTQ abuse and cultural competency issues to at least 100 law enforcement and social services professionals.

"We are committed to working to end domestic violence in all communities. Intimate partner violence affects the LGBTQ individuals at higher rates than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, yet the issue is seldom addressed in the community," said Vanessa Volz, executive director.

Thundermist Health Center in Warwick received $8,000 to support its Trans Health and Wellness Program. The grant will enable the organization to expand its social- and community-building events to improve the physical and mental health and wellness of the trans community.

“Our patients face many barriers to participating in community events. We focus on fun, engaging activities that promote health and wellness and reduce social isolation,” said Jayeson Watts, who is director of Thundermist’s Trans Health Access Team.

The announcement comes as the Foundation’s Equity Action Fund celebrates its 15th anniversary. The public can support the fund’s work by donating to it on the Foundation’s website or by contacting Adrian Bonéy at abonéy@rifoundation.org.

The Equity Action Fund is guided by a volunteer advisory committee comprised of leaders in the LGBTQ communities. Since 2004, Equity Action has made nearly $1 million in grants to dozens of organizations.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Working with generous and visionary donors, the Foundation raised $114 million and awarded $52 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities in 2018. Through leadership, fundraising and grant-making activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential. For more information, visit rifoundation.org.