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Nonprofit Innovation Lab Hosts Funding Awards, Riverzedge Arts Launches New Program

February 1st, Providence, RI—Ten nonprofit organizations from across Rhode Island compete today in the Social Enterprise Greenhouse’s (SEG’s) Nonprofit Innovation Lab Impact Showcase and Pitch Night for a total of $90,000 in program funding.

Participating organizations spent months fine-tuning innovative community programming with coaches, consultants, and special advisors as part of the Nonprofit Innovation Lab (NPIL) program, supported by the United Way of RI. Organizations now have the chance to pitch their ideas live to the SEG and the public.

The top three programs selected by judges from the United Way will each receive awards ranging from $10,000 to $50,00 to help launch their new programming. A fourth Public’s Choice Award gives RI residents a chance to nominate the organization of their choice for a separate $5,000 prize. Interested parties can vote in person at the event or online at: https://segreenhouse.org/npil-public-voting/.

The Impact Showcase and Pitch Night will be hosted by The Guild, located at 461 Main Street, Pawtucket, with food and drinks provided.

Riverzedge Arts, the only organization representing Northern RI, proposes disrupting the “school to prison pipeline” through new programming aimed at youth who have already encountered the criminal-legal system. “Woonsocket is already the second-largest ‘supplier’ of youth to the Rhode Island training school,” said Executive Director Kristen Williams, who will be delivering the pitch, “with no programming specifically for adjudicated youth. We propose giving teens the tools to retake control of their own narratives and make sure they don’t end up in a position to reenter the system.”

Designed in partnership with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), the new program expands Riverzedge Arts’ flagship Arts Education and Training (AET) program with new hours and resources tailored to the needs of adjudicated youth. Youth in the program are paid an hourly wage to work alongside professional artists and designers, building industry-standard skills in their field by taking on contracts for commercial clients.

Other organizations pitching innovative programs include:

  • Asthenis
  • Beat the Streets New England
  • The Center for Dynamic Learning
  • Gnome, Inc.
  • Hands in Harmony
  • Meeting Street
  • Partnership for Providence Parks
  • ReEntry Campus
  • Rhode Island Black Storytellers

 

For more information about the NPIL and participating organizations, visit https://segreenhouse.org/nonprofit-innovation-lab/.

Social Enterprise Greenhouse creates positive social and economic impact by providing social entrepreneurs and enterprises with the tools and networks they need to thrive. It fosters an ecosystem of diverse stakeholders who work to enable a more just, equitable and resilient economy. SEG operates statewide in Rhode Island from three programming sites in Providence, Newport, and Pawtucket/Central Falls. Its network of 600+ social enterprises and 250+ business and community leaders contributes time, expertise, and funding to grow Rhode Island’s social impact ecosystem. To learn more, visit www.segreenhouse.org.

United Way of Rhode Island is uniting our community and resources to build racial equity and opportunities for all Rhode Islanders. A member of the world’s largest nonprofit network, we bring together individuals, business, nonprofit, community leaders and government to tackle the root causes of inequity and achieve specific, measurable goals. Our programs include 211, the statewide front door connecting Rhode Islanders with social services, resources, and vital programs. Both directly and through grants to nonprofits, we are investing to build economic opportunity, advance childhood learning, expand philanthropy, and to drive policy and participation. To learn more, visit unitedwayri.org.