2008 Grants Awarded

In 2008, the Women's Fund of Rhode Island completed its seventh annual round of making grants to level the playing field for Rhode Island women and girls. The Women's Fund received grant proposals from grantee organizations totaling $88,900, well over the $60,000 available to award. It was a challenge for the Grants Review Team to narrow this field, but after careful deliberation they determined the following five programs best able to create real change for the women and girls of Rhode Island.

Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County: A $5,000 grant to expand a library program "Healthy Dating Relationships" addressing healthy relationships and dating violence for teenage girls and their parents. The program intends to disseminate research and information within the gender lens framework, and ensure that materials are made available in the public library system to initiate the ground work for conversations between teenage girls and parents. (www.dvrcsc.org) Support for this grant comes from the Verizon Foundation.

George Wiley Center: A $8,000 third-year grant to continue the project Empowering Women to Advocate for Socio-Economic Justice, which trains fifteen low-income women negatively impacted by energy company and government bureaucracy policy along with fifteen women who will become advocates for socio-economic justice. These thirty women will in turn help and encourage forty other women to become advocates and trainers. (www.georgewileycenter.org)

National Coalition of 100 Black Women- RI Chapter: A $9,000 second-year grant to strengthen the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program through which successful black women provide mentorship, leadership training, and academic support to African-American high school and middle school girls and young women. (www.ncbwri.org)

RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence: A $10,000 second-year grant to support the program Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships (SOAR): Child Custody and Visitation Solutions. This program trains survivors of relationship abuse to advocate for policy change and general awareness that protect abuse victims made vulnerable by current protocol in custody and visitation suits. (www.ricadv.org)

RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence: A $10,000 grant to support the Domestic Violence/Firearm Task Force. This Task Force was created to address gaps in the state firearms/domestic violence policies and protocols in order to make Rhode Island safer for victims of domestic violence. This project is designed to hold the law enforcement accountable for their role in protecting victims of domestic violence and preventing domestic violence related to homicides. Support for this grant comes from the Verizon Foundation.

RI Latino Civic Fund: A $9,000 third-year grant to develop and sustain the Latina Leadership Institute (LLI). The institute provides an eight week leadership development and training program to teach Latinas about community organizing, leadership skills, public policy, political engagement, and advocacy as well as race, class and gender issues. (www.rilcivicfund.org)

Young Voices: A $9,000 second-year grant to support their infrastructure and the project Our Voice Matters, which will create a special subgroup and a Speakers' Series for girls participating in the 100-hour Leadership Transformation Academy. The program trains in debate, public speaking and familiarizes them with public policy issues and how public policy decisions are made.