UWRI provides $90,000 in grants to community organizations

ANTHONY MAIONE is the president and CEO of the United Way of Rhode Island, which has provided nine local organizations with a total of $90,000 in grants from its Olneyville Community Fund. / PHOTO COURTESY UNITED WAY OF RHODE ISLAND

PROVIDENCE – Nine local organizations were the recipients of a shared total of $90,000 in grants from the United Way of Rhode Island’s Olneyville Community Fund in late June.

The 10-year-old fund, which was created when UWRI moved its headquarters to the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence in 2008, aims to support community-based organizations that benefit local residents and businesses.

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Recipient organizations in the most rewarding grant round were:

  • The Manton Avenue Project, which received $15,000 to partner with the Wilbury Theatre Group to develop the shared Olneyville Community Performance Space – a 2,500-square-foot rehearsal studio in a new facility off Delaine Street.
  • Recipient of a $12,000 grant, the Providence Housing Authority hopes to expand its digital-literacy program called Get Connected RI by connecting more low-income neighborhood residents to computer instruction classes and access to technology.
  • Meeting Street received a $10,000 grant to support the school’s free, six-week Olneyville Kindergarten Readiness Program focused on language, literacy and numeracy.
  • A $10,000 grant was awarded to ONE Neighborhood Builders, to further support its Olneyville Collaborative program, which convenes 25 organizations for the betterment of residents and businesses in the area.
  • Recipient of a $5,700 grant, the Center for Resilience will put the money toward a program that sees William D’Abate Elementary School first-graders learn social and emotional mindfulness-based techniques to improve stress reduction, emotional regulation, perseverance and resilience.
  • A $15,000 grant was awarded to Clinica Esperanza/Hope Clinic to fund primary care and health education for uninsured Olneyville residents.
  • The Manton Avenue Project received $7,500 to support the delivery of year-round, after-school, tuition-free playwriting courses culminating in public festivals of student-written work.
  • A $7,300 grant was presented to the Providence Community Library to support a partnership between PCL and Libraries Without Borders to connect Olneyville patrons to legal information and resources through pop-up legal resource centers throughout the community.
  • Sojourner House received a $7,500 grant to support the placement of a bilingual victim advocate at the nonprofit’s Olneyville community-based domestic and sexual-violence services program at the Clinica Esperanza/Hope Clinic.

In a statement, UWRI CEO Anthony Maione said the investment fund has made “tremendous change” in the neighborhood since its launch in 2008.

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“When we moved here, our goal was to become a catalyst in revitalizing the community – and as proud as we are of the progress made, we are equally excited about the impact these latest grants will have on the lives of our neighbors,” he said in prepared remarks.

Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.

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