PROVIDENCE – Gov. Daniel J. McKee along with state officials Thursday announced a new $20 million grant program through the Rhode Island Foundation that will address housing, hunger and behavioral health across the state.
The initiative, the Rhode Island ARPA Support Grants Program, was created in the governor’s fiscal year 2023 budget using money from the state’s $1.1 billion share of the federal American Rescue Plan Act allocation.
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“Supporting local nonprofits that are working on housing, homelessness, hunger and behavioral health is crucial to maintaining Rhode Island’s momentum – that’s exactly why we created this program in our FY 2023 budget,” McKee said in a statement. “These grant dollars will serve nonprofits that are in our communities across the state and are doing crucial work each and every day.”
Grants are expected to range from $50,000 to $150,000 and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all of the available funding is spent. Priority will be given to community-based nonprofits that are located in federally designated low-income neighborhoods.
“The state’s nonprofits are a lifeline for Rhode Islanders most in need. This federal funding gives these organizations the resources to provide the crucial assistance necessary to keep people housed and healthy as they bounce back from the pandemic,” House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, D-Warwick, said in a statement.
This is the largest grant program in the Rhode Island Foundation’s 106-year history, according to a news release. Since 2020, the foundation has distributed more than $11.5 million in federal pandemic relief funding in partnership with the state.
