Together RI

One of the hard problems we face here in Rhode Island is our school funding formula. The current system is broken, unfair, unpredictable, and insufficient.   Last year, the Rhode Island Foundation and the Annenberg Institute at Brown University formed a blue-ribbon commission devoted to designing a more equitable approach to paying for public education.   On January 22nd, we discussed our recommen...

This week, we're doing something a little different- letting you listen in on a conversation our host, David Cicilline, had on another podcast.   Earlier this year, he spoke to Victor Baez, the host of Club Ambition. His show is the most popular podcast and YouTube channel in Rhode Island. This is an edited version of their conversation.  Learn more about the Rhode Island Foundation at https://rif...

Providence Bishop Bruce Lewandowski says he entered the priesthood to be a missionary. So, when he got the call to become the auxiliary bishop of Baltimore, he asked, 'Are you sure you have the right person?' This year, he was promoted to become the Bishop of Providence. He joins host David Cicilline to talk about his impression of the Ocean State and his vision for serving the Providence communit...

Occasionally, the Rhode Island Foundation connects with thought leaders who are doing interesting work that might inform our efforts. We had our latest conversation with John Palfrey, the President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Host David Cicilline interviewed him in front of a live audience last week. This is an edited version of their conversation. Learn more about the Rh...

More than 140,000 Rhode Islanders rely on supplemental nutrition assistance, known as SNAP, from the federal government to buy their food. But, because of the government shutdown, they won't be getting those SNAP benefits in November.   We can't let our neighbors go hungry. So, the Rhode Island Foundation is awarding one million dollars in emergency grants to address this crisis through our Commun...

Rhode Island schools throw away nearly 2,500 tons of food into the landfill every year. And nearly 400 tons of that food is perfectly edible. That's a problem for a lot of reasons. The landfill is running out of space. Rotting food creates methane gas, and that food isn't going to families that struggle to buy groceries. But the RI Schools Recycling Project has a solution. It goes into schools and...

Affordable housing is one of Rhode Island's most pressing issues. According to a recent poll, more than 90 percent of Rhode Islanders say housing costs are a problem, and the state is the 18th most expensive place to rent in the country.  Joe Garlick and Meghan Rego are trying to change this. They're with NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley, a group working to make housing more affordable in Nor...

This has been a rocky year for members of the LGBTQ+ community and organizations that serve them. Earlier this year, Opendoor Health, the state's only LGBTQ+ Health Clinic, lost about a million dollars in Federal Funding. But they're continuing to move forward with their mission. David Cicilline talks to Open Door's Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Amy Nunn, about how the organization is coping in thi...

Virtual assistants. Chat GPT. Facial recognition. Artificial intelligence is all around us. And it's creating a lot of anxiety- will it replace our jobs? Make it easier for students to cheat? Use up all of our energy? But Sam Azar, the founder of Ascend Impact Advisors,  says there are opportunities to use AI that are thoughtful and ethical. He talks with host David Cicilline about ways to help no...

 Every year, the Rhode Island Foundation awards scholarships to hundreds of students, ranging from middle schoolers to people in graduate school. In 2025, we were able to give more than 4 million dollars to make their academic dreams a reality.  We wanted to celebrate all of the recipients, so we brought them together for a celebration. Take a listen to what some of them had to say about the impac...

It's a frightening time to be an immigrant or a refugee in the United States.  Kathy Cloutier stands in the middle of this chaos. When we spoke, she was the executive director of Dorcas International, providing support and services for newcomers to this country.  Now, she's the executive director of the Refugee Women's Alliance in Seattle, Washington. She joined host David Cicilline to talk about...

If you want to talk about strengthening our communities, it's hard to find a better expert than Robert Putnam. The Harvard social scientist is best known for his book Bowling Alone , but he's spent his entire career thinking about the link between a strong democracy and spending time together, in person. He joins host David Cicilline to talk about his vision for a different America. Learn more abo...

This year, the Rhode Island Foundation hosted leaders from the 40 largest community foundations in the U.S. for a day of dialogue, action planning, and building relationships. David Cicilline pulled a few of them into the podcast studio to talk about the work they're doing to build community, rethink the role of philanthropy, and respond to federal funding cuts.   Learn more about the Rhode Island...

Listen in to the Rhode Island Foundation's event with Rhode Map Live. President and CEO David Cicilline and Board Chair Ann-Marie Harrington discuss the foundation's new five-year plan with Globe RI's columnist, Dan McGowan.   The second half of the event features a discussion with the leaders of three nonprofits that receive support from the Rhode Island Foundation- Lamont Gordon from College Vis...

It's been said that the best social program in the world is a good job.  Andrew Cort é s has made those kinds of jobs happen for more than a thousand Rhode Islanders. He is the founder, president, and CEO of  Building Futures- a non-profit that prepares people from historically underserved communities for jobs in the trades. Andrew joins David in the studio to talk more about his organization and...

Investments in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are starting to fizzle across the country, but at the Rhode Island Foundation, we're committed to bucking that trend. We've just completed a comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Needs Assessment with DEI expert and author Dr. Sandra Upton. Dr. Upton joins David in the studio to talk about those efforts and her new book- Make It Last: A Road...

Paul Grogan, the former CEO of the Boston Foundation, likes to say he's had many employers, but he's always done the same job-making a difference in cities. Now, he's out with a memoir called "Be Prepared to Be Lucky." He co-wrote the book with Kathy Merchant, who was the CEO of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation. They join David in the studio to discuss the book and Paul's career. Learn more about...

It's Women's History Month, so we're taking this opportunity to talk with a leader who is devoted to understanding and empowering female donors- Jeannie Infante Sager, the director of the Women's Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Learn more about our work at https://rifoundation.org/ .

I first met Rajiv Shah when he was the administrator for USAID under President Obama, where he did extraordinary things all over the world- including leading the US response to the earthquake in Haiti and the West African Ebola pandemic. Now he's the President of the Rockefeller Foundation- a global institution devoted to promoting the well-being of humanity around the world. He's also the author...