RI Foundation, Aquidneck Land Trust seek grant proposals. How to apply

The Rhode Island Foundation is offering local libraries, neighborhood groups and nonprofit organizations grants of up to $10,000 to fund proposals that bring people together as a community. March 22 is the deadline to apply.

"Communities thrive where people, places and traditions meet. We want your best suggestions for enhancing the quality of life, building relationships, enlivening neighborhoods and improving community connections," said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation's president and CEO, in a statement.

Since launching the Community Grants program in 2016, the Foundation has awarded $3 million to hundreds of projects across Rhode Island. Work has ranged from creating performance spaces and urban farms, to hosting neighborhood meals and making historic places and nature preserves more accessible to the public.

Previous recipients include the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County, which received $2,628 to offer diversity training to Middletown High School students; Newport Classical, which received $10,000 for its 2023-24 Community Concerts Series; the Conanicut Island Land Trust in Jamestown, which received $5,000 to add six community garden beds at Godena Farm; the town of Middletown, which received $10,000 to sponsor summer music nights at Second Beach; and the town of Tiverton, which received $14,974 to restore Grinnell’s Beach.

Proposals should build social networks, improve the quality of life, promote collaboration and increase community engagement within a neighborhood, city or town.

Priority will be given to proposals that include community support such as matching grants, the participation of volunteers and donated space and other forms of in-kind contributions. Other considerations may include whether projects are led by or serve historically marginalized groups, including people who identify as Asian, Black, Hispanic or Latino, Indigenous or multiracial.

While both new initiatives and enhancements to existing projects are eligible, the grants are intended to support one-time costs and expenses. Applicants will not be eligible for renewed funding for the same project in future years. Capital campaigns, endowments, for-profit entities, individuals, political groups and lobbying efforts are not eligible.

Merritt Neighborhood Fund grant proposals sought

Aquidneck Land Trust is now accepting applications for grants from the Merritt Neighborhood Fund, an endowed fund which seeks to support the preservation of small parks, community gardens, and other natural spaces on Aquidneck Island.

Established in 1999 to honor the late Peter M. Merritt, the Land Trust’s president emeritus, the Fund supports projects that strengthen community identity and character, and which model the ethic of land conservation and stewardship through community volunteerism. Grants provide up to $2,500 to each awardee.

“The Merritt Neighborhood Fund is a wonderful program,” Terry Sullivan, ALT executive director, said in a statement. “It provides the Aquidneck Land Trust the opportunity to support community-based efforts to protect and enhance small green spaces in neighborhoods. Giving a little love, in the form of small grants, to these projects helps people connect to the land around them and beautify the community for years to come.”

The projects funded in the 2023 grant cycle were: Aquidneck Community Table (community garden art signage); Battle of Rhode Island Association (Butts Fort Hill walking path); Clean Ocean Access (vermiculture compost bins for classrooms); God’s Community Garden (herb garden materials); Emmanuel Church (creating a community garden); FabNewport (garden tools and plants); Four Hearts Foundation (landscaping for new Portsmouth Playground); James L. Maher Center (pocket park creation); Newport Tree Conservancy (100 trees at Miantonomi Park); Newport Spring Leadership Committee (Spring Park amenities); Norman Bird Sanctuary (Hügelkultur Beds and cut flower garden); and Portsmouth Dog Park (trees for new walking path expansion).

Applications for the 2024 Merritt Neighborhood Fund grants can be found on the Land Trust’s website https://ailt.org/our-work/merritt-fund/. Applications must be received by April 1, 2024. Award decisions will be made by the end of April.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI Foundation, Aquidneck Land Trust seek grant proposals. How to apply