PROVIDENCE – The United Way of Rhode Island announced Thursday it is making $2 million in grants available from the organization’s community impact fund as part of United Way’s five-year commitment to increase support for nonprofits addressing systemic equality in the state.
The funds are part of United Way’s $4 million in grantmaking for the upcoming year and will support nonprofits’ programmatic and operational support, United Way said. Early childhood literacy, housing, workforce development, out-of-school learning programs, adult education, diversity, and nonprofit capacity building are some of the leading priorities for the funding opportunity.
United Way said organizations interested in grant program, in which up to $75,000 is available for individual programs and up to $50,000 is available for general-support grants, must submit a letter of intent to the organization by Dec. 17. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by Feb. 2, 2021 and applications must be submitted online.
United Way Rhode Island CEO and President Cortney Nicolato said in a statement that the funds align the organization’s community investments with its Live United 2025 strategic plan. The organization, Nicolato said, is also committing to target the root causes of racial inequalities that have plagued Rhode Island for an extended period.
“In order for Rhode Island to thrive in the post-COVID world, we must go deep, rather than wide to dismantle the barriers that hold back our neighbors,” Nicolato said.
The grant period will begin March 2021 and end February 2023. The organization will also announce a subsequent three-year grant opportunity that will take into account evolving community needs in 2022.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
