This year marked our 98th anniversary, and together, we have built stronger families and stronger nonprofits. It is your personal and professional contributions – giving of your time, talents, and treasures — that are game-changing in our beloved state. Our community has been United in Action. 

In this report we highlight some of our collective achievements. For example: Our two call centers; 211 and Rhode Island’s senior and disability resource center, the Point, handled 190,000 contacts from Rhode Islanders looking to find help, stability, and resources. We make a difference one individual at a time, but multiply this exponentially, and you get a sense for what a tremendous impact our programs have in the community. 

In January of 2021 we launched our strategic plan, Live United 2025, and we committed to investing $100 million dollars over five years. And in four years, we have invested over $90.7 million through our Community Impact Fund and programs like 401Gives, Summer Learning Initiative, and our grantmaking endeavors. 

Thanks to a partnership with the City of Providence, the recently launched Providence Equity Fund has selected 15 Providence organizations to continue closing the racial wealth gap, addressing the negative impacts of urban renewal and providing high quality and culturally relevant education to our youth in non-traditional settings.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) helped over 10,000 low and middle-income taxpayers file their taxes, and helped put $21 million dollars back into the pockets of Rhode Island taxpayers, to pour back into their households and the local economy.  

Last year, we successfully advocated to put a $120 million housing bond on the ballot. This bond will help community partners buy land that will support the construction of housing for people who are at the highest risk of homelessness, and allow more affordable housing to be built in Rhode Island. 

When you, our donors, give to the United Way, you allow us to provide critical funding to many nonprofits who proudly serve Rhode Islanders. In January of 2024 we launched the Alliance for Nonprofit Impact, which now has over 350 member organizations and provides RI nonprofits with technical support, resources to improve their networks and connections, and the know-how to bolster their operations when they need to pivot quickly because of external circumstances.  

All of this work is done in unity with our partners, and our beloved donors and supporters. 

As our Centennial approaches, I have been thinking a lot about our legacy. Leaving the world better than I got it for my sons Jacob and Ian, and for all the youth in our state is my personal driving force. I want our collective legacy to be that every family is thriving, with an affordable and stable home. I want every Rhode Islander who seeks access to a high-quality education and a high paying job to get just that. I want all Rhode Island nonprofits to become sustainable, well-funded organizations, collectively capable of serving the needs of all Rhode Islanders in their preferred languages, with staff that shares and understands their cultures, and guided by strong and stable leadership that reflects the rich diversity of people who live in our state. And to leave that legacy, we need you. 

We need you to continue to advocate along with us, and to give of your time, talents and treasures to United Way of Rhode Island. Like Democracy, building community is not a spectator sport. There’s more to do and I can’t wait to continue our work together!