The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island has released a new research report, titled “An Uneven Path: State Investments in Women’s Economic Self-Sufficiency 2019.”
The report and accompanying executive summary drew on state budget documents, Rhode Island’s Standard of Need report, the U.S. Census Bureau, and other publicly available information to gauge the state’s progress on gender equity. Report and summary
As part of the 2018 Business Women Awards, Providence Business News recognized a number of leaders at GCRI member organizations. Highlighting the event were Kathleen Malin, vice president of technology and operations at Rhode Island Foundation, honored as Outstanding Mentor; and Sandra J. Pattie, President and CEO of Bank Newport and Chair of the Board of United Way of Rhode Island, honored as Career Achiever.
In addition, Carolyn Belisle, Managing Director of Community Relations at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, was recognized as Professional Services Woman to Watch (and featured in a separate PBN article), and Jeanne Cola, Executive Director of LISC Rhode Island, was recognized as an Achievement Honoree.
Congratulations, all! We see your tremendous impact every day and are glad to have your partnership in GCRI!
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) is teaming with the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation to bring breast health and breast cancer education to schools, businesses, and community centers through the Foundation’s Pink Spirit Program.
BCBSRI awarded Gloria Gemma a $10,000 charitable gift to help fund the Pink Spirit Program, which will enable the Foundation to visit more sites throughout the state.
“Bringing education as important and as focused as what is found in the Pink Spirit Program is essential to raising awareness of the importance of good breast health and early detection of breast cancer. We applaud the work done each and every day by the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation and we are honored to provide our support for their vital work,” said Carolyn Belisle, BCBSRI managing director of community relations.
The program is designed to educate students (middle through post-secondary) and employees at local businesses about the risk factors, symptoms, and screening methods for good breast health and early detection of breast cancer.
Many of you are concerned with the current debate around the federal immigration policy on family separation. Although an executive order has been released to address the components of the policy, there are still reports of separations, lack of clarity about the courts’ response to the EO, and the challenges of reuniting families.
Children, Youth and Family Funders Roundtable is hosting an “Immigration Funder Strategy Discussion” on Friday, July 13 2:30-3:30pm for funders interested in learning more about how your organization can use its expertise to enter the immigration space. The webinar will have ideas for ways to communicate differently with peers and colleagues about the effects of immigration policy, and to better align strategies across issue areas. This strategy discussion will be focused on supporting immigrant children and families!s, and four funders will share their strategies, including how they developed them and how they are linked with other issue areas.
Speakers:
· Denise Dell Isola, Irving Harris Foundation
· Sandra Martinez, The California Wellness Foundation
· Laura Speer, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
· Kavitha Sreeharsha, Emerson Collective
This webinar is part of the Children, Youth & Family Funders Roundtable conversation on the impact of immigration action on children and families. The Roundtable’s immigration work is done in partnership with Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Grantmakers Income Security Taskforce, and Early Childhood Funders Collaborative to ensure we are exploring our understanding of the cross section of issues faced by immigrant children and families. Register
Our partner in United Philanthropy Forum, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) has released a sign on statement on family separation and immigration enforcement policies, signed by 160 philanthropic organizations. GCIR has also released a document with ideas for philanthropic responses to the family separation crisis.
Our Forum partners, Hispanics in Philanthropy and Associated Grant Makers, have gathered resources for funders who want to learn more and/or get involved.
Statements Issued:
Dave Biemsderfer, CEO of United Philanthropy Forum, released a blog piece on the family separation policy
United Way of Mass Bay, The Boston Foundation, Jewish Philanthropies and Catholic Charities released a combined joint statement
Philanthropy California released a combined statement from Northern California, Southern California and San Diego Grantmakers
Hispanics In Philanthropy Resources
Hispanics in Philanthropy have launched an Emergency Response Fund, and issued the following statement on ways funders can respond.
5 Ways You Can Stand Up for Immigrant Children & Families TODAY
Ana Marie Argilagos, president and CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy
It was 136 years ago when the funds to build the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty ran short. New Yorkers took action. They formed fundraising committees and collected donations from people across the city, including a kindergarten class that donated $1.35. Poet Emma Lazarus wrote a sonnet, “The New Colossus,” to help raise money. Her words — “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” — have inspired America’s approach to immigration ever since.
Today, these words etched into the Statue of Liberty are at risk. This month is Immigrant Heritage Month, intended to recognize and celebrate the vast contributions of immigrants in this country which was founded by immigrants. Instead, we are witnessing the worst human rights violations in generations.
Despite President Trump’s executive order ending his administration’s policy of separating immigrant children from their parents, the government will continue to treat all immigrants as criminals and to lock families in cages along the U.S.-Mexico border. Make no mistake: this executive order does not fix the damage inflicted on children or their families. Nor does it prevent future trauma. The Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy is intended to inflict pain, fear, and suffering on children and their parents.
We are better than these xenophobic government policies. We cannot stay silent. We cannot sit by and allow thousands of children and families to suffer traumas that will last a lifetime.
We must remember the lessons learned by our predecessors. We must look back at how Americans mobilized to bring our nation’s beacon of freedom, Lady Liberty, to our shores. Her existence is a constant reminder that we were once a country unified by the immigrant experience. We were and still are proud to be a country of immigrants.
Today, we must once again mobilize to show the world that new immigrants are cared for and welcomed with open arms. You do not have to be wealthy or a government official to take action. Just like the children who donated money to help raise the Statue of Lady Liberty two centuries ago, you too can do your part to ensure we remember our shared values.
Thank you, and may we all remember: We are in this together.
Associated Grant Makers Resources
The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island (WFRI) announced its 2018 grants totaling $50,000 to support gender equality advocacy and female leadership development. The six recipients are doing impressive work for women and girls in Rhode Island. One of the grantees, Young Voices, has been providing leadership training to low-income youth of color for ten years. The organization gives kids tools, skills, and experiences that will enhance public speaking, networking, analysis, critical thinking, and leadership.
Another grantee, The Center for Women and Enterprise (CWE) has been working with female entrepreneurs in New England since 1995, preparing them for the business world. It educates, trains, supports, and certifies women starting businesses, giving them the tools necessary to getting their foot in the door. With this approach, CWE levels the playing field and opens doors for women business-owners.
A third grantee is doing significant work for refugees, work that is needed now more than ever. Aline Binyungu and Clement Shabani started Women’s Refugee Care in 2016 to provide services and support to refugees, and their work has expanded to encompass gender equality for women and girls as well. Their proposed project receiving funding from WFRI will provide counseling sessions to educate and support female refugees experiencing unplanned pregnancies.
Grant recipients were Blackstone Valley Prep (summer camp in 2019 to cultivate civic engagement and leadership for 8-11th grade girls); Center for Women and Enterprise (‘Community Classrooms: Spanish Language Entrepreneurship Training’);Planned Parenthood (RI Coalition for Reproductive Freedom);Sojourner House (programming to all 10th grade health classes in Providence Public Schools);Women’s Refugee Care (counseling, contraceptives and education); and Young Voices (#RaiseOurVoices effort to address the root causes of educational disparities).
In addition to announcing a new slate of grants, on June 13, WFRI hosted a Gubernatorial Candidates Forum at the RI Nursing Education Center. The session was be moderated by Maureen Moakley, political science professor at University of Rhode Island, and was focused on issues facing women and families in Rhode Island. More info
The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island will be offering a full slate of programs in the coming months:
The Women’s Fund’s 2018 Grant Cycle has also been announced, with $50.000 in grants available for nonprofit initiatives that use a “gender lens” to focus on the unique needs of women and girls in Rhode Island and provide gender specific solutions to societal problems. More information
The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island recently announced the six recipients of its 2017 grant funding, totalling $50,000:
“We had 31 organizations submit proposals for a combined request of $261,000 in funding, so the process was very competitive,” said Executive Director Kelly Nevins. “Using a review team of volunteers from the community with training in gender lens giving, these organizations clearly rose to the top.”
Grant recipients will be highlighted at the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island’s upcoming Cocktails & Conversations event on Wednesday, October 25. More information
Kelly Nevins, Executive Director of the Women’s Fund, was also featured on GoLocal LIVE to talk about the need to address unconscious bias in the workplace and WFRI’s initiatives in this area. View
GCRI Members Hasbro and United Way of Rhode Island teamed up again to support 14 summer learning programs across the state, which provide enrichment activities, service learning, and experiential education. GCRI Board Member Diana Perdomo, from United Way joined the Rhode Show on WPRI to talk about the valuable program (Watch video), and the North Providence Kids Klub site produced their own video (watch) detailed their great summer experience. For more information on Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative, contact Bobby Gondola at Hasbro or Joseph Morra at United Way.
GCRI Member CVS Health joined with WPRI and the Pawtucket Red Sox for the third year of Community Heroes, a program that provides $55,000 in grants to Rhode Island nonprofits. Since all three organizations are committed to helping youth lead tobacco-free lives, this year’s program encouraged youth to create a Public Service Announcement video campaign on what it means for them to be the first tobacco free generation.
Ten PSAs were selected and each organization will receive a $5,000 Community Heroes grant.
In the second phase of the program, which goes until August 23, the public is invited to vote on their favorite video. The winner will receive an additional $5,000 grant, and will be featured on the Rhode Show and at a Pawtucket Red Sox Game. View and vote
| Women Run As They Are |
| On July 22, over 50 women from RI and nearby states joined GCRI Member Women’s Fund of Rhode Island (WFRI) and VoteRunLead to learn about what it takes to run for political office. Senator Gayle Goldin, Providence City Council President Sabina Matos, East Greenwich Town Council President Suzanne Cienki and Karina Holyoak Wood shared from their campaign experiences, and participants learned about the nuts and bolts of campaigning. Fully 40% attending said they plan to run for office in the next five years, and several more plan to support other women running for office.
Another GCRI Member, Amica Insurance, helped sponsor the event. The workshop was the first in WFRI’s “Through a Gender Lens” training series. In September, a session will address unconscious gender bias, and a November session will focus on making workplaces more successful through gender parity. WFRI will also be hosting a Cocktails and Conversations networking event sponsored by 10,000 Small Businesses on September 13th. More information |