BCBSRI awards nearly $600K in BlueAngel Community Health Grants

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — For the sixth consecutive year, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) has devoted the entirety of its annual BlueAngel Community Health Grants to an issue that many Rhode Islanders continue to say is one of the most challenging to their well-being and quality of life — affordable housing.

In 2025, BCBSRI is granting nearly $600,000 to community partners focused on enabling access to safe, stable, and affordable housing in Rhode Island. This includes $285,000 for five new organizations and $313,000 for five continuing initiatives from 2024.

The investments support various housing interventions aimed at expanding housing availability and preventing homelessness among at-risk Rhode Islanders. These include creating affordable apartments, providing rent, utility, and legal assistance, and offering wraparound social services for families and children.

“Having a place to call home is essential to health and wellness, but, unfortunately, too many Rhode Islanders struggle to find or maintain housing that is safe and affordable,” said BCBSRI President & CEO Martha L. Wofford. “That’s why we are once again dedicating our annual BlueAngel grants to supporting housing programs led by outstanding community-based organizations. These partners share our unwavering commitment to a healthier and more equitable Rhode Island and are working creatively and effectively to help keep a roof over the heads of some of our most vulnerable residents.”

BCBSRI’s philanthropy is guided, in part, by the annual RI Life Index, a survey of Rhode Islanders’ perceptions of social factors that impact their health and well-being. Administered in partnership with the Brown University School of Public Health, the Index has consistently shown that access to quality affordable housing is a top concern for Rhode Islanders across the state. In 2024, the affordable housing score stood at 31 on a scale of 0 to 100 (with 100 representing a perfect score). It was the lowest result since the Index began and a decline of 13 points since 2020.

“Since its launch, the RI Life Index has shown that accessing affordable, quality housing is one of the most significant barriers to health and well-being for Rhode Islanders. Those early results motivated us to begin directing our BlueAngel grants entirely toward housing programs,” said Carolyn Belisle, BCBSRI Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility. “Unfortunately, the scores have remained low amid soaring property values, high interest rates, and limited new housing creation, compelling us to once again devote these annual grants to housing. We’re pleased to support organizations that are working tirelessly to support Rhode Islanders’ wide range of housing needs.”

The 2024 awards bring the six-year total investment in affordable housing to nearly $3.3 million. Since the grant program began in 2002, BCBSRI has donated more than $7.4 million to local organizations, funding critical work that has impacted the lives of more than 341,000 Rhode Islanders.

These five organizations and projects are being awarded 2025 grants:

• Rhode Island Legal Services – Implement a program to provide legal assistance to low-income families without utilities or facing utility termination.  Utility terminations threaten the health and safety of residents and can result in eviction. This program complements the organization’s Housing Stability Project.
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) Rhode Island: Establish the Healthy Havens of Hope project to offer 50 vulnerable Rhode Island families rental and housing assistance, personal hygiene items, and home essentials.
• The Rhode Island Center for Justice: Partner with Providence Community Health Centers to support the housing stability of more than 1,700 low-income patients through a holistic approach that addresses health care, employment, and education, and provides assistance applying for services. 
• WARM (Westerly Area Rest Meals) Center: With 35 years’ experience providing services to unhoused and marginalized Rhode Islanders, the center plans to redevelop 58 Spruce St., creating two three-bedroom apartments for transitional housing for families.
• Women’s Resource Center of Newport and Bristol Counties: Provide rent and utility assistance and wraparound services for the residents of two transitional housing units dedicated to survivors of domestic violence.

A year after being awarded a BlueAngel Community Health Grant, grantees are encouraged to apply for transitional funding to build upon programs that have demonstrated success. Transitional funding for 2025 has been awarded to Foster Forward, Child & Family Services of Newport County, Thundermist Health Center, Project Weber/RENEW, and House of Hope CDC.

BlueAngel grant funding is made available through the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Community Health Fund, a donor advised fund at the Rhode Island Foundation. The grant selection process began last summer with a call for letters of intent and benefited from a volunteer committee of board and community members to review applications for funding.