When David N. Cicilline became the Rhode Island Foundation’s new chief executive and president in May 2023, he and the rest of the nonprofit’s staff set about reviewing its mission and 2018 strategic plan with fresh eyes.
While the 6-year-old plan’s focus on education, health care and economic opportunity still resonated, much had changed in the community, from the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to the renewed attention on racial justice issues. The foundation spent a year gathering feedback from local stakeholders and community members and then assembled a new strategic plan to address the essential needs of the Ocean State.
Now the foundation is ready to launch it.
It’s a five-year agenda that has the potential to be influential in the future of the state, setting a framework for how the foundation – which has more than $1.4 billion in assets – will deploy its resources.
The new plan contains six community priorities: advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; expanding civic and cultural opportunities that bring diverse groups of people together; reducing the effects of climate change; improving education for all by strengthening student experiences and educator support; lowering the barriers to affordable housing and generational wealth building; and working for more equitable access to quality health care to build healthy and strong communities.
Read details about the Foundation's action plan at the end of this story.
The foundation says diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility are the common threads running through the plan.
“I wanted to be sure that what we’re developing is reflecting what the community identified as their priorities,” Cicilline told Providence Business News, “and what they saw as the biggest challenges in areas where the Rhode Island Foundation could play a deeper role than what it is playing.”
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GIVING GOALS: Rhode Island Foundation CEO and President David N. Cicilline is unveiling a five-year strategy for the state’s largest funder of nonprofits. The new plan identifies six community priorities that will guide the foundation’s grantmaking.
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO[/caption]
In your time going around the state to better prepare this action plan, what are some of the biggest concerns that residents and organizations have brought to your attention? And, in general, how will this plan help address those concerns? Two new things we heard a lot about is this idea of, [is there] more the foundation can do to bridge some of the divisions [within the community]? People felt this was a very divided time in the country and in our state. We’re hoping to see if we can play a role in bringing people together to be reconnected to the community and neighbors. So, we’re putting together [an] increased focus on civic culture and life. That’s everything from supporting civics education, media literacy and local journalism. The other is responding to the climate crisis. People shared that the natural beauty of Rhode Island is an important strength. Also, and this will be part of all the work we do, it is [diversity], equity, inclusion and accessibility. If we’re going to make real progress in health care or education … we have to address the racial inequities that exist.
In the strategic action plan backgrounder, there’s mention of looking at the 2018 strategic plan with fresh eyes. How successful was that 2018 plan? Did it accomplish the priorities? Where was it most successful? Where was it lacking? The areas within the 2018 plan that focused on education, health care and economic opportunity were successful, and we’re now building on those areas in the new plan. The [diversity, equity and inclusion] work, we’re looking to really deepen and add to it so we do DEIA work in a serious way. Now, we’re identifying upfront these focus areas where we’re going to invest money. There’s going to be more transparency with this plan.
How much funding will it take for all of these goals within the action plan to become fulfilled? How will the foundation pitch this plan to donors for that needed financial assistance? We will raise resources to do this work. The more resources I can raise to do this work, the faster we can get it done and have more success. It’s not a campaign where we say we’re going to raise “X” amount. We’re going to raise as much as we can because all of this work is multiyear and requires millions of dollars. What I’m going to ask people to do is if you believe in any of the priorities we developed and in the action plan we developed, to [help contribute to those causes]. We’ll have a separate fund that will support our climate work. If you say education is important, we have a fund that’s available for that.
Various entities across the U.S., including colleges and universities, have discontinued their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and practices for multiple reasons, including backlash over how those policies are implemented. What is your response to that, and why do you feel such initiatives should continue and remain vital here in Rhode Island? We believe, as a community foundation, very strongly that we address issues of equity and [that] we do our work in an inclusive way so that people have access to the things we provide. We can’t achieve all the outcomes we want for Rhode Island if we don’t confront and overcome the terrible inequities that exist. We’re developing a very comprehensive diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility plan, both internally in how we operate and externally in engaging the community. The other half of the story is the community has been robbed of what that person can do if they were given a full opportunity and not excluded. It’s both a benefit for the individual and a benefit for the state.
Do you feel that there are some flaws within DEI? If so, what are they and how should they be improved so that DEI is not eradicated? I don’t know the answer to that. I will say that when DEI efforts began and there was a reaction to some national events, I think a lot of organizations were in desperate need to get someone to do this work. I think there were a lot of people doing DEI work who did not necessarily have the expertise in this space and I heard from many people that this was the case. There was never [a] thought here [at the foundation] that we would back away from those commitments on how we operate.
How will the foundation advance DEI in this state? Will it be solely funding these causes for organizations or by introducing DEI-specific programming for the state to benefit from? We’re going to be looking at ways we do grantmaking in an equitable way, making sure there isn’t implicit bias in making grantmaking decisions. We’re looking at how we raise money as the community foundation to make sure we’re fully inclusive, offering just as many opportunities for communities of color, Indigenous communities and people that have been historically marginalized to be part of the ways we raise resources. We’re examining, with the help of a consultant, every part of how we operate to make sure we’re living our values and we’re an inclusive, equitable, respectful organization.
Regarding civic and cultural life, you said the foundation sees increases in physical health, employment rates, and resilience and response to emergencies when communities are better connected with each other. Can you provide evidence of where the foundation saw these increases? We engaged with the National Civics League, the oldest civics association in America. They worked with us and our partners to develop a civics plan that will be part of our work. Research from the Knight Foundation says cities and towns that have higher levels of “community attachment” have higher rates of economic growth and employment. It’s part of mental health and well-being. If you live in isolation or in an angry state, being disconnected from the community, you don’t function as well as someone who is connected.
In which communities have you seen a lack of strong connection among its members? How will the foundation help improve that? I wouldn’t say civics is lacking. But I also think some of this is creating good healthy communities where people can have their voices heard, understand how government functions and who is responsible for things that are important in their lives. There [are] a lot of organizations that have helped bridge some of those divides. One is a veterans organization where they’re doing exercises and activities to reteach people not to hate their neighbor. The bulk of our work is grantmaking, so we will do that to advance that work. We’ll also do a fair amount of capacity building, helping nonprofit organizations that are doing this work do it better and having a greater capacity to be more effective through a variety of different programs to enhance the focus of these areas to do excellent work.
How will improved civic and cultural life increase employment rates? If you feel isolated or disconnected from everyone else, it’s not a healthy place to be. We invest in workforce development. We invest in supporting small businesses. We make a number of investments targeted toward employment, making sure people have the skills for the jobs that are available for the 21st century. I think there will be some benefit from the civic health work that puts people in a better position to get employment and stay in a job when you are part of a community.
You saw and experienced political division firsthand as a U.S. representative. How will your experience both help the foundation’s civic engagement push here locally and possibly get detractors onto your side? Rightly or wrongly, people think elected officials are part of the problem where the divisions play out. I think what we have to show [is] the plan doesn’t have to do with politics or political parties but making sure Rhode Islanders have all the tools they need to be effectively engaged in their communities, have their voices heard, and making sure the things they’re most concerned about are being discussed by people at the local, state and federal levels. One example is something called a National Neighborhood Day that actually started in Rhode Island. It was one day a year where everyone was encouraged to have a barbeque in their neighborhood. What they learned is that there were people for the first time meeting their neighbors. They lived in a neighborhood for years and kept to themselves. There’s a lot of small things we can do to help the community.
In early 2020, the foundation introduced a 10-year plan, with a $1 million commitment, to support improvements to Rhode Island’s public education system. What progress has the foundation made with that plan since then? We have invested in a number of areas, including diversifying teachers entering the workforce. We have focused on research [that shows] when students see teachers that look like them, they have much better academic outcomes, better attendance and less behavioral problems. We’ve invested deeply in that with considerable success. We’ve done a lot regarding principals within Providence public schools and the R.I. Department of Education. We’ve also seen it in Woonsocket. We will play a role in promoting some revisions to the school’s funding formula. We have a long-term education planning group … to talk about education in the state. We still have a lot of work left to do.
What will this new strategic plan do in a new way to help set all Rhode Islanders up for educational success? What more can be done? We plan to focus on further diversifying the teacher workforce by helping to expand recruitment and retention. We’ll also focus on improving secondary student learning experiences, especially in high-needs populations, and focus on mentorship and leadership opportunities with increasing out-of-school support. We want to use the action plan to govern how we work and do our grantmaking, but also want to leave room to develop something really innovative that can have real impacts on education.
The Providence Public School District will remain under state control for another three years. Are you concerned that more work is needed to fix the district’s problems? It’s pretty clear from the recent progress report that more work needs to be done. The pandemic set back everyone’s plans, but, big picture, at least the Harvard study found that things seem to be moving in the right direction. Agreeing on equitable and responsible funding streams, recruiting more teachers of color and boosting community engagement are crucial for achieving the improvements in student success that we all hope for.
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David N. Cicilline / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO[/caption]
It is still unclear as to how the business community should help PPSD recover despite pleas from R.I. Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green for help. What do you feel businesses should do to help solve that problem? I think there are a number of ways we want to ensure that the business community is motivated to be part of this work. This is something that I feel everyone needs to be involved in. Business leaders, philanthropic leaders, parents, education leaders, everyone has a role to play. Everyone has a stake in ensuring the success of Providence’s students, but particularly the business community because they have a vested interest. The students of today are their employees and customers of the future. Business leaders should support more funding and accountability to ensure the district is producing better outcomes for all students.
The foundation has provided monetary support toward Providence schools to hire teachers, but PPSD recently experienced teacher layoffs. Does that throw a wrench into both the foundation wanting to help the schools and also getting PPSD back in good standing? When we make investments to diversify the teacher workforce, that only works if teachers get to be part of the workforce. It’s a real issue, so that’s part of our evaluation on the commitment we make. The good news is we have regular conversations in the school community about that. Obviously, there are collective bargaining agreements, which are complicated. But we want to make sure that any investments we make have the impact we intend when we make them.
What barriers has the foundation identified regarding the creation of affordable housing? What will the foundation do to improve housing financial stability and wealth building for Rhode Islanders? Rhode Island [has been] the lowest in the country in housing production for three years in a row. Secondly, we’re the third-most-regulated housing market … a lot of rules and regulations in place that make it next to impossible to create affordable housing. We need housing for the chronically homeless, people who need supportive service and workforce housing. I think the Rhode Island Foundation can play a role in advocating the passing of housing bonds and policies to help make [building more affordable housing] happen. We have got to change the narrative of people saying [affordable] housing is a bad thing. We ought to view it as a celebration.
Are you optimistic that these goals outlined in the plan can be achieved? Yes, I’m very optimistic. What you’re going to see as we go along is a report showing what progress we have made. It’s important to the community and to the donors that we share that progress. It’s a way to hold ourselves accountable. But I’m confident these are the right areas of focus.
THE FOUNDATION’S NEW ACTION PLAN
The Rhode Island Foundation has identified six community priorities that will guide its grantmaking for the next five years, starting in 2025. Foundation leaders have spent a year developing these priorities after getting feedback from community stakeholders.
Diversity, equity, inclusion and access
• Implement a DEIA strategic roadmap for the foundation to ensure a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization, embed a DEIA commitment in all efforts to address community priorities, and maintain accountability.
• Advance transparent strategies to engage and encourage participation from diverse grantees, donors, partners and communities.
• Continuously improve and adapt the Equity Leadership Initiative program in alignment with the organization’s work as a community foundation and its focus on priorities for a thriving Rhode Island.
• Enhance systems and policies to support a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible work environment, and vendor, grantee and investment relationships.
Climate action and sustainability
• Support the implementation of policies that strengthen climate resiliency and adaptability and maximize access to historic federal investments for climate change mitigation.
• Preserve the natural environment and improve access to green and open space, especially in environmental justice communities.
• Support circular food systems and improve food sustainability, with a focus on creating networks to connect local producers and consumers.
Education and student success
• Strengthen educator capacity, including efforts to diversify the teacher workforce by expanding recruitment and retention initiatives.
• Improve secondary student learning experiences, especially high-needs populations, focusing on youth development, mentorship, and leadership opportunities.
• Collaborate on policy, procedure and use of resources at the state and local level, particularly centering on revisions to the school funding formula, multilingual student supports, creating relevant student opportunities and addressing workforce challenges.
Civic and cultural Life
• Enhance access to trusted news and information sources, including support of independent local journalism.
• Create spaces and opportunities for community connection, volunteering, and arts and cultural activities.
• Improve K-12 access to high-quality civics learning opportunities and greater access to civics professional development for educators.
Healthy and strong communities
• Improve equitable access, utilization and coordination of primary care and behavioral health care services, with a particular focus on ensuring a representative workforce across diverse care settings.
• Support efforts to mitigate key health disparities that focus on addressing underlying root causes, shifting institutional practices and advancing systemic improvements.
• Sustain and expand comprehensive community-based efforts that help individuals and families meet their basic needs and address inequities in the determinants of health for historically marginalized communities.
Housing and economic mobility
• Expand availability and access to affordable housing and support for Rhode Islanders experiencing housing insecurity.
• Increase access to effective workforce development programs, including those with wraparound services and training and credentialing for high-demand jobs and industries.
• Enhance financial well-being in underserved communities through initiatives that increase access to financial education and the ability to apply that learning to achieve long-term financial security.
