Riverzedge Arts gets grant for campaign to build respect for local LGBTQ+ residents

LGBTQ+ young people will work with Woonsocket nonprofit to design the marketing campaign

WOONSOCKET, RI [Oct. 10, 2024] – A Woonsocket nonprofit is among the organizations that will share more than $100,000 in grants to serve Rhode Island's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) communities. The grants are through the Equity Action Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation.

“Thanks to the continuing generosity and commitment of donors to our Equity Action Fund, we have the resources to support work that helps every Rhode Islander feel safe and embraced being their authentic selves,” said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO. 

Riverzedge Arts in Woonsocket will use its grant to launch the "We Say Gay" campaign next spring. The initiative will include designing billboards that promote the visibility of and respect for LGBTQIA+ residents and creating an appropriate-for-all-ages coloring book that supports acceptance across cultural differences.

"Because the products will be created both by and for traditionally underserved teens who self-identify as LGBTQIA+, the project will serve as an educational experience as well as an advocacy campaign," said Kristen Williams, executive director.

Youth participants will design and execute the campaign with the support of professional teaching artists. The billboards will be used to educate the public and raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ individuals' right to visibility and respect, while the coloring books will be distributed to educational and community-based institutions throughout the state to entertain, promote self-pride and spark discussion among youth in Rhode Island. 

"LGBTQIA+ youth are disproportionately un- or under-employed, and more likely to experience houselessness, suicidality and challenges to their health and wellness. All of these conditions are caused by human-made systems of oppression that can be and are being dismantled and their effect reversed. Riverzedge Arts Project is committed to being part of the solution to this problem," said Williams.

Guided by a volunteer advisory committee comprised of leaders in the LGBTQ+ communities, the Equity Action Fund supports projects that meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ communities in Rhode Island. Over the years, the fund has made more than $1.3 million in grants to dozens of organizations working on behalf of Rhode Island’s LGBTQ+ communities. The public can support the fund’s work by donating to it on the Foundation’s website.

The Equity Action Fund is just one of the ways the Foundation supports Rhode Island’s LBGTQ+ communities. In recent years, the Foundation has awarded nearly $1.5 million in additional funding to provide housing and health services for LGBTQ+ people among other programs.

The announcement comes as the Foundation has released a multi-year research project on the experiences of the LGBTQ+ communities in Rhode Island, which includes a set of priorities for the future. The study – featuring oral interview transcriptions and a timeline of significant LGBTQ+ milestones – is osted at rifoundation.org/lgbtqinri.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Through civic leadership, fundraising and grant-making activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders. For more information, visit rifoundation.org.