By G. Wayne Miller Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE — A record $45 million in grants awarded in 2016 will be among the highlights of the report that Rhode Island Foundation president and CEO Neil D. Steinberg was to deliver Wednesday evening at the philanthropic organization’s annual meeting. A crowd of several hundred was expected to attend the meeting at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
“Our annual meeting will bring together the diverse and dedicated donors, nonprofits and community stakeholders that contributed to moving our state forward in 2016,” Steinberg told The Providence Journal. “While we will single out four for special recognition, we value every one of the hundreds of partners whose work leads to educational success, healthy lives and the economic security of all.”
The award winners:
■ The Champlin Foundations, to receive the Centennial Champion Award. “It is a great honor to be recognized by the Rhode Island Foundation for the impact Champlin Foundation grants have had in building community in our state while improving the lives of Rhode Islanders,” said Champlin Foundations executive director Keith H. Lang.
■ The Center for Women and Enterprise, the Community Leadership Award. Susan Rittscher, center president and CEO, said, “We share this with all those that help support CWE in our mission to provide opportunities for women entrepreneurs to increase their professional success, personal growth and financial independence.”
■ The R.I. Society of CPAs, to receive the Harold B. Soloveitzik Professional Leadership Award. “We are honored to accept this award on behalf of the countless CPAs who play a vital role in guiding their clients toward informed decisions involving philanthropic investments,” said Robert A. Mancini, president of the society.
■ The family of Frederick B. Wilcox, to receive the Inspiring Partner Award honoring the legacy of the late Wilcox, whose “generosity and foresight led to a $28-million estate gift last year, which is the single, largest unrestricted donation in the Foundation’s 100-year history,” according to the foundation.
“By leaving an unrestricted gift, he showed well-placed confidence in the Foundation’s ability to effectively steward the funds and address the state’s ever-evolving needs,” said Ted Mattis, grandson of Wilcox. “Through his insightful planning and my mother’s prudent stewardship, my grandfather will be helping to take care of community needs for generations to come.”
Steinberg was expected to note that the foundation celebrated its centennial last year, highlighted by a multimillion-dollar campaign to restore Roger Williams Park.
“Including donations related to the Centennial, the Foundation received nearly $60 million in new gifts from individual, family, organizational and corporate donors in 2016, the second-highest total in the organization’s 100-year history,” the foundation said.
Nonetheless, Steinberg warned against complacency.
“These are challenging times,” he said. “It is important for all of us to step up and lead, transform and inspire the state to keep moving forward.”