$220,000 in grants available for services for Tiverton/LC residents

Nonprofit organizations that serve residents of Tiverton, Little Compton and the other four Newport County communities have until March 28 to apply for $220,000 in grants from the Rhode Island Foundation.

“This is just one of the ways the Foundation focuses on serving the unique needs of the residents of Newport County. Working together with partners that have deep local roots ensures our help reflects the needs and priorities across every community," said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO.

The Newport County Fund (NCF) offers grants of up to $10,000 to develop new programs, to strengthen or expand established programs and for municipal planning or leadership. Applicants should focus on significant problems or opportunities, strategic partnerships or collaborations, innovation and measuring results.

The program does not fund individuals or scholarships, medical research, debt reduction or fundraising. Grants may support faith-based organizations for secular programs or projects. These are annual grants; there are no multi-year commitments.

The fund complements the Foundation’s three core grant programs. It is just one example of the Foundation’s grant-making programs that are topic- or geography-specific such as the Program for Animal Welfare and the Jamestown Community Fund.

Last year’s recipients include the Katie Brown Educational Program – Teaching Relationship Violence Prevention, which received $7,000 to provide relationship violence prevention education to Tiverton students in grades 4-12; the Herren Project in Tiverton, which received $10,000 to support and expand its recovery and family services programs; the Little Compton Food Bank, which received $10,000 to restock its shelves; and the Little Compton Community Center, which received $10,000 to support its Senior Lunch Program.

Over the years, fund has invested $6 million in funding programs and services for residents of Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth and Tiverton. It is supplemented by the Jamestown Community Fund and the Jamestown Fund for the Performing Arts.

The fund is just one of the grant programs the Foundation uses to support nonprofits that serve the Newport County communities. In 2024, alone, the Foundation awarded $3.7 million in grants to Newport County nonprofits.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Through civic leadership, fundraising and grant-making activities, together with neighbors and partners, the Foundation is helping to create progress that lasts. For more information about applying for an NCF grant, visit rifoundation.org.