PROVIDENCE – Newport may be known for its seaside mansions, but two neighborhoods in the community are being targeted for revitalization efforts.
Citizens Bank’s charitable foundation and the nonprofit Rhode Island Local Initiative Support Corp., or LISC, are partnering to provide $40,000 in grants for projects to enhance the economic vitality of Newport’s Broadway and North End neighborhoods, organizers said Wednesday.
“I think that’s the misconception that people have with Newport” – that the entire community is affluent, said Pauline Bellavance, the Growing Communities program assistant for LISC.
For those more familiar with Newport, she said, the Broadway and North End neighborhoods are known as low-income areas in need of economic development.
Through the program, individual grants will range from $2,000 to $10,000 to fund projects that foster neighborhood grow and enhance local economic activity.
Grant applications may include proposals that involve creating and sustaining jobs, workforce development efforts, small business development, neighborhood revitalization, and overall efforts for livability, organizers said. The deadline for applications is Oct. 26.
Since the program started in 2011, Citizens and LISC have provided more than $500,000 of Growing Communities grants. Past areas targeted for help have been the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls.
To meet the grant criteria in Newport, proposals must be focused on improving the quality of life in the Broadway and North End neighborhoods. Proposals also must spell out clear goals that will demonstrate measurable outcomes.
Priority consideration may be given to projects that serve low- or moderate-income people that “strongly impact a community in need, that foster collaboration with clearly defined roles for other partners and that demonstrate a plan for long-term sustainability,” organizers said.
They hope to announce the grant recipients by December and expect work to begin on projects over the next few months thereafter.
Providence-based Citizens Bank provides the grant money and LISC, with help from Citizens, review proposals and select the grant recipients, Bellavance said.
In addition to the grants, she said, another purpose is to focus attention on the need for economic development in selected spots in Rhode Island, including those near affluent communities.
“Through Growing Communities, Citizens supports local organizations that are implementing innovative ideas to strengthen our communities and revitalize our neighborhoods,” Citizens Bank Rhode Island Market Executive Barbara Cottam said in a statement.
“By bringing this initiative that has been successful in Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket to the Broadway and North End neighborhoods in Newport,” Cottam added, “we are able to focus attention and funds on these often overlooked neighborhoods adjacent to some of the wealthiest communities in our state.”
Applicants must complete the application and narrative at http://rilisc.org/citizens-bank-announces-growing-communities-initiative/ with the project or program title Growing Communities.
For questions about the program or application process, contact Pauline Bellavance at PBellavance@lisc.org or call her at (401) 519-5608.
Scott Blake is PBN staff writer. Email him at Blake@PBN.com
