BankNewport Gives $276K in Grants To 3 Newport Nonprofits

CRANSTON, RI — Three Newport nonprofits received a combined $276,000 in grants from BankNewport.

"As a true community bank, supporting those who support our neighbors is essential to our mission," BankNewport CEO Jack Murphy said in a statement. "We are extremely proud to contribute to the nonprofit community throughout Rhode Island who perform tireless and selfless work to care for those in need."

FabNewport received a $38,000 grant. It is a nonprofit which aims to "inspire the maker in all of us." The organization serves both the Providence and Newport areas and offers classes and workshops for students during the school day, after-school programs for middle and high school students, evening workshops for older students and adults and facility rentals for local companies and entrepreneurs.

FabNewport is using the grant money to support its hunger relief program.

"Providing campers with quality food is a way of showering the youth with care and lays the foundation to building trust," said Steve Heath, the executive director of FabNewport.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center also got a grant, which was worth $200,000. The grant supports the center's Building Hope Campaign, which includes the naming rights for its new food pantry.

"BankNewport's incredible generosity to the Building Hope Campaign will transform the Center," Executive Director Heather Hole Strout. "This grant will double the size of our food pantry, increasing food access and equity for thousands of people in our community. We are profoundly grateful."

Newport’s St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph’s Conference also received a $38,000 grant.

The organization is a Catholic nonprofit who need food, emergency assistance or other resources. BankNewport’s grant will fund emergency financial assistance for individuals and families facing emergencies, including eviction, homelessness, utility shut off, lack of home heating oil, need of prescription drugs, medical expenses and clothing.

Correction: A previous version of this story omitted a grant St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph’s Conference received.