Funding and Resources

Conexión Latina Newport received a $12,500 micro-grant to create a 6-month educational program on intimate partner violence, aiming to serve the Hispanic community of Newport and specifically Hispanic youth and LGBTQ+ youth and adults. The program will include a series of educational workshops, facilitated in partnership with Day One, that focus on both the participants’ own relationship health and the community work needed to prevent domestic violence. Participants will also create a social media and print campaign in Spanish, to be distributed in collaboration with Newport Out, the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center’s LEAD Program, and the Newport Health Equity Zone. The campaign will be designed by the community it aims to serve, with a goal of reaching 70% of Newport’s Spanish-speaking community.

The Step Up Center received a $9,500 micro-grant to build a community of youth and elder mentors who are trained to assist victims of domestic violence. The goal of the project is to expand on the work of The Step Up Center, empowering victims and assisting them along their healing journey. The program will include a series of empowerment workshops, the distribution of educational materials, and healing through art and play therapy and other holistic techniques. The program will be co-led by a member of the RICADV survivor task force SOAR (Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships), who has advocated with SOAR for over 20 years.

East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP) received a $7,000 micro-grant to deliver a queer-centered intimate partner violence prevention and safer sex education program to RI high schools and colleges. The main goals of the project are to increase the number of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults who have access to queer-focused IPV and sexual health educational materials, and to empower students to make healthier decisions around relationships, dating, sex, reproductive health, and seeking support. The program will be run by EBCAP’s Trans Whole Health Program Director (TWHD), whose presentations will provide a valuable opportunity for students to connect with an adult who has been where they are now. The program is in large part based on Advocates for Youth’s Rights, Respect, Responsibility: A K-12 Curriculum (3Rs), an LGBTQ+ inclusive sexual health curriculum.

Young Voices received a $14,000 micro-grant to expand their 2023 Youth-Led Summit, which will serve more than 100 low-income youth in Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket, and Central Falls. A main goal of the summit is to create a safe, welcoming, youth-led space for young people to discuss and train in topics related to Domestic Violence Prevention Fund priority areas, such as affirming LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming youth, healthy relationships, and intimate partner violence prevention. Young Voices will create educational packets containing resources about domestic violence and provide group facilitation in both English and Spanish.

Refugee Dream Center received a $15,000 micro-grant to continue and expand a program to empower a cohort of refugee youth of color and train them in domestic violence awareness. The Refugee Youth Domestic Violence Prevention Project was originally established through a 2022 DVPF grant, and because of its popularity, is being expanded to more participants this year. The goals of the program are to build awareness among the participating youth and broader community about domestic violence in culturally appropriate ways, reduce barriers to accessing resources and services, equip participants with the knowledge and skills to educate their peers, and ultimately prevent domestic violence amongst Rhode Island refugees.

Sojourner House received a $15,000 micro-grant to pilot a Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM) program for athletic coaches and staff in RI. CBIM is an evidence-based prevention program developed by Futures Without Violence and rigorously evaluated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The purpose of CBIM is to train and motivate high school coaches to teach young male athletes healthy relationship skills and that violence never equals strength. This program will consist of virtual and in-person training sessions, as well as monthly office hours to further support and motivate coaches. The goal is to train at least 50 coaches, who will in turn reach young athletes in partnered school districts with diverse populations of students, such as Woonsocket.

ARISE (Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education) received a $15,000 micro-grant to expand the Junior Flames program and implement the middle school-level Identity Series. Junior Flames is a student-centered leadership, academic, and social-personal development program for middle school-aged youth, co-created by ARISE team members and youth as part of a 2022 DVPF micro-grant. The goals of this year’s program are to build dialogue around healthy relationships, build awareness about identity development, improve school culture, and foster youth empowerment around relationships. ARISE will implement elements of the evidence-informed One Circle Foundation model and will serve middle school students of color in public and private schools in the Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket, Warwick, and East Greenwich districts.