Five Questions With: Adam Greenman

Adam Greenman joined United Way of Rhode Island as executive vice president and director of community investment in 2014. He is responsible for programming, grant making, public policy and research work. Here he addresses key issues the agency is facing in the coming year.

PBN: United Way of Rhode Island has released its requests for proposals for its new three-year grant cycle, making $12 million available to local nonprofits. What are the primary areas of focus with this funding?
GREENMAN:
Since shifting to a competitive grants process 10 years ago, United Way of Rhode Island has learned a great deal about effective programming and grants that produce outcomes. This process reflects those lessons. Overall, our goal is to create a diverse set of grant opportunities that address children’s success in school, adult’s preparation for careers and the workforce, and programs that provide stable affordable housing, make Rhode Islanders financially secure, and improve the health of our neighbors.
Equally important, we are focused on encouraging partnerships and collaboration in the nonprofit sector that most effectively address these areas. Through this new grant cycle, we are committed to funding innovative ideas that can create significant change through our Piloting Promising Practices Fund. We also want to work with nonprofits to expand successful programs that help them serve more people through our Scaling Up Success Fund.
Finally, we know that there is great work happening throughout the state that needs to continue. Through our Providing Operational Supports Fund, we’ve made funds available to sustain that work.

PBN: A continuing issue in Rhode Island is homelessness and permanent affordable housing. How is United Way supporting this work?
GREENMAN:
We have been a leader in this area for a long time. We funded the first Housing First pilot designed to house individuals and provide wrap-around supports that help break the cycle of homelessness. That model has now been adopted statewide. We no longer think about building more shelters, we think about creating and providing more housing.
United Way has also worked with our partners to pass two affordable housing bonds that have produced nearly 2,000 additional units of affordable housing throughout the state. Our work is not done, however. With the “Zero: 2016 Campaign,” we believe that together with nonprofit partners, our leaders in state government, and other funders, this state can end veteran and chronic homelessness by the end of next year. We plan to take a leadership role in this effort, and our annual celebration on Oct. 7 will serve as a kickoff for our work towards this goal.
The annual celebration at the Pawtucket Armory will feature stories of success in this effort thus far, outline the work still to be done, and really highlight how we can effectively end chronic and veteran homelessness. The event is free and open to the community. It’s something that everyone engaged in this work should attend.

PBN: United Way recently kicked-off its 2015-16 annual campaign. What are some of the key accomplishments that came out of the organization’s investments over the past year?
GREENMAN:
Last year, thanks to the generosity of our community, we raised $12.5 million. And thanks to a permanent trust that covers our fundraising costs, 100 percent of that $12.5 million went directly to local nonprofits and programs.
These dollars funded 18 Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative programs statewide that served 1,700 students. On average, students in those programs achieved 35 percent gains in reading and 47 percent gains in math during the summer — instead of the typical two months of learning loss.
It also funded the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which provides free tax preparation to working Rhode Islanders earning less than $53,000 per year. Last year, this program helped our partners complete 11,500 tax returns that put $17 million in refunds and credits back into the pockets of Rhode Islanders and back into our economy.
It also funded the 2-1-1 helpline, which handled more than 200,000 requests for help, connecting Rhode Islanders to critical information and services.
This year our goal is to raise $12.8 million to expand on these successes and move closer to our vision of changing the lives of 250,000 Rhode Islanders by 2020.

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PBN: What are your main goals for 2016?
GREENMAN:
This year, we are focused on four priorities that build on the successes of the last few years.
We want to expand summer learning opportunities to even more children by encouraging municipal leaders to rethink the summer school and other summer programs they currently offer.
We also plan to increase the number of Rhode Islanders participating in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. As part of this effort, we will advocate for an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is recognized as the most effective anti-poverty program in the country, putting real money back into the pockets of Rhode Islanders. It’s our hope that by increasing the tax credit and growing the number of working individuals receiving free tax assistance, we can bring over $20 million back to Rhode Island.
Beginning with our annual celebration on Oct. 7, we will also spend the year shining a light on Rhode Island’s high cost of housing and working with the community to develop solutions to this critical problem.
Finally, we will continue to grow 2-1-1 so all Rhode Islanders have a single place they can turn to get help.

PBN: How do you encourage donors to direct their resources to the United Way?
GREENMAN:
Several things set our United Way apart and make us a worthwhile organization to invest in. We only support proven programs that have demonstrated success either locally or nationally, and we are dedicated to analyzing data that ensures the programs we invest in are effective.
Equally important, our fundraising and administrative costs are covered 100 percent by a permanent trust, so every dollar we receive goes directly to programming that improves the community. We also stand at the crossroads of business, government and the nonprofit sector in Rhode Island, giving us a unique view and ability to bring people together to solve our state’s most pressing problems.
Finally, through 2-1-1, we are constantly receiving data about the biggest issues Rhode Islanders are facing. This information allows us to allocate resources to meet those needs as they change in real time while working with our partners to develop long-term solutions that truly make a difference.

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