At an August 12 event in Providence featuring Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, the Working Cities Challenge announced seven Rhode Island cities and towns were awarded grants to pursue initiatives to better their communities. The $15,000 “design grant” awards – decided by a selection committee not including representatives from the Bank – are designed to provide resources to cities to further develop their initial application and collaborative over a six-month period, with the goal of submitting a robust bid for larger multiyear awards in late winter 2017.

Community teams representing Central Falls, Cranston, East Providence, Newport, Pawtucket, Providence, and Westerly were selected to receive these design grant awards. These cities joined President Rosengren, Governor Raimondo, Jessica David of the Rhode Island Foundation and several other selection committee members, Kerrie Bennett of Delta Dental Rhode Island, and Ari Simon of the Kresge Foundation, for the announcement event at AS220—a nonprofit arts center in downtown Providence.

In September 2015, President Rosengren and Governor Raimondo announced that the Boston Fed has selected Rhode Island as the next state in its Working Cities Challenge competition. Funding for the competition is provided by Rhode Island Housing, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training, Rhode Island Foundation, Delta Dental of Rhode Island, AT&T New England, Bank of America, Local Initiative Support Corporation – RI, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Living Cities, NeighborWorks America, Verizon, and Washington Trust Company.