Twenty-two local nonprofits have been awarded a total of $64,150 in charitable grants by Bank Rhode Island (BankRI). The funding, which focuses on supporting human services, education, and health initiatives will impact residents statewide with grants ranging from $1,000 to $7,500.

As food insecurity remains an issue for tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders, Farm Fresh Rhode Island received $5,000 for its Bonus Bucks program. The effort helps low-income families double their buying power of nutritious, locally-grown foods at farmers markets while simultaneously supporting the state’s small farm businesses.

“This grant is important to families eager to stretch their monthly benefits and bring as much nutritious food as possible into their homes. It’s an incredible incentive to promote healthy eating,” said Thea Upham, director of programs and operations for Farm Fresh RI. “We’ve seen a tremendous increase in people turning to farmers markets to shop, and the impact of Bonus Bucks is a large part of that.”

With Bonus Bucks, individuals receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits identify the amount they would like to spend at a farmers market, swipe their EBT card for that amount, and Farm Fresh doubles it using special market tokens for food purchasing. The organization facilitates the Bonus Bucks program at 22 farmers markets in the state, including at its own year-round market in Providence. On average, families receive $20 to $25 in Bonus Bucks redemptions per shopping experience.

Other organizations to receive funding include Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation for its Gloria’s Angels meal delivery program for patients undergoing cancer treatment; Teach for America in support of educational equity; and Operation Stand Down Rhode Island to fund essential services for veterans and their families.

“Helping our community during difficult times is not only important to all of us at BankRI, it’s the right thing to do,” said Mark J. Meiklejohn, BankRI’s President and CEO. “The work of local nonprofits touches thousands of lives and we want to ensure they have the resources their programs need.”

The complete list of grantees is as follows:

AccessPoint RI, American Cancer Society: RI Chapter, Angels’ Care Closet, Art Connection Rhode Island, Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket, Clinica Esperanza/Hope Clinic, College Visions, Connecting for Children & Families, David Louis Cunha Foundation, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, FirstWorks, Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, Good Neighbors, Nonviolence Institute, Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, Prout School, Rhode Island Ovarian Cancer Alliance, Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and Music School, Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island, Teach for America, United Way of Rhode Island, and Warren Heritage Foundation.