Small investments and decisions lead to growth.
What We Do
The Partnership for Rhode Island focuses on initiatives and projects in K-12 Education, Infrastructure, Workforce Development and Business & Investment Attraction to make the Ocean State a better place to live, work and learn.
Highlights
Lead RI Partnership
Helping to provide professional development opportunities for school leaders from across the state.
Highlights
Workforce Education
Partnering with the Community College of Rhode Island and the education of the next generation of employees.
Highlights
School Buildings
Supporting new school buildings in Providence and statewide with a campaign supporting referendum Question 1 on the ballot.
- All Work
- K-12 Education
- Infrastructure
- Workforce Development
- Business Attraction
SMART® Clinics Open
The Partnership, CVS Health and the Rhode Island Foundation funded clinics in two Providence Public Schools providing full-service health care for teachers, staff, students and families, regardless of insurance or immigration status.
Committed to Our Children’s Future
Working with the Rhode Island Foundation, a long-term education plan was developed by advocates and experts to help our state’s pre-K through grade 12 public school system succeed.
Invested in School Leadership
The LeadRI Partnership is a leadership development program for education administrators across the state. Principals, superintendents, and senior leaders can take part in a year-long executive development program. The program will re-launch after a COVID-related pause.
Teacher Projects Funded
The Partnership and venture capitalist Theresia Gouw funded $150,000 worth of projects requested by RI teachers and school staff across the state on DonorsChoose.org at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. 261 teachers had their projects and requests funded.
Focused on Solutions in Public Schools
The Partnership funded the 2019 report on Providence Public Schools by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy that revealed widespread issues and challenges. The report led to the state’s takeover of Providence Public Schools and initiated plans for solutions and change.
CompeteRI Provides Resources
The Partnership for Rhode Island and the McKee Administration launch collaboration to help RI cities and towns maximize federal infrastructure funding. This new program will help the state compete, innovate and build.
- All Work
- K-12 Education
- Infrastructure
- Workforce Development
- Business Attraction
Rhode Island Businesses are Ready to Hire
We need to give them the opportunity to grow.
Growing Rhode Island's economy will require smart investments, programs that educate and train talent and a climate the supports businesses of all sizes.
As we continue our recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, the Partnership for Rhode Island stands in support of a competitive business climate and employment opportunities for all Rhode Islanders.
Rhode Island Foundation Report: Stay the Course
The Rhode Island Foundation is committing $1 million to public education, putting its money behind a new report that calls on Rhode Island to “stay the course” in holding students to high standards.
The foundation released a report, the product of an 18-month study by a team of educators, nonprofit organization leaders and business executives, that sets broad goals for improving public education in Rhode Island.
Executive Director Podcast
At the beginning of 2020, Tom Giordano was excited to share the story about the Partnership for Rhode Island with Bill Bartholomew on his Bartholomew Town Podcast.
7 Things You Need to Know About Providence Schools’ Budget
An analysis released at 12:00 AM Friday morning by the Rhode Island Department of Education conducted by the national consulting group Ernst and Young (EY) analyzed the Providence School system’s budget and identified that there may be more flexibility in how dollars are deployed than previously identified.
The analysis also finds at least one area where the City of Providence paid as much as 300 percent higher than its peer cities for a basic service.
The study was the second major analysis of the Providence Schools. It was released six months after the Johns Hopkins report that identified a school system in chaos and according to researchers among the worst-performing school systems in America.
This EY study cost $295,000 and it was paid for by the Partnership for Rhode Island -- a group of Rhode Island business and non-profit leaders.
The study finds that the cost to improve the physical condition of the schools is daunting for the state of Rhode Island.
Providence schools' budget this fiscal year is $453 million.
The Power of Partnership
The partnership addresses big-picture issues that affect all Rhode Islanders. The lessons we’ve learned can be applied to any group looking to effect change.
For example, our common belief, and one we are most invested in, is that high-quality education for every Rhode Island student is a moral and economic imperative.
To help achieve this vision, we commissioned the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy report and the Ernst & Young LLP financial analysis to provide honest, objective assessments of the issues facing the students of our capital city. While many challenges have been identified, these problems are solvable. Immediately after the reports, business leaders raised their hands to ask: “What’s the next step? How can we help?”
This kind of proactive involvement is at the root of our organization’s mission.
Complex problems aren’t going to be solved with one “big idea” or one person working alone. It takes teamwork and time.
Time, energy and funding must be invested in meaningful ways. Leveraging expert support and getting stakeholder buy-in from across industry sectors are imperative steps to project success.
We encourage the business community to continue to find ways to work together. No matter the size or the scope of the challenge, encourage your employees to keep raising their hands, to keep coming into the room with new ideas, and keep proactively asking what they can do to help.
Supporting Teachers Statewide
Every single teacher in Rhode Island who applied to fund projects through a national non-profit called DonorsChoose.org will get their requests covered, thanks to two large donors, including the Partnership for Rhode Island and a member of the DonorsChoose board.
In a surprise announcement at the Carl Lauro Elementary School Monday, state education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green announced that every school in Providence would get their projects funded, and then went on to say that every school statewide would have their applications financed.
A total of 261 projects costing $131,648 have already been paid for, and there is about $19,000 left for teachers who have something they want, whether it’s books, furniture or a favorite project.
DonorsChoose.org is a national Web-based giving program that matches individual donors with teachers. Charles Best, the organization’s founder, brought the program to Rhode Island in 2008.
Schools don’t get the money. Donors.Choose buys the material and ships it to the teachers. In return, students write thank-you notes, take a snapshot of their project and mail them to Donors.Choose, which sends them to the individual donors. Picture a GoFundMe site for teachers.
The other major funder is Theresia Gouw, who is on the board of Brown University and the DonorsChoose board.
Contact Us
Executive Director Thomas Giordano is an experienced political, fundraising and social impact executive focused on creating spaces for collaboration around sustainability, education and the workforce. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Providence College and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Tom is committed to Rhode Island as a longtime resident, local volunteer and state public school parent.
Tom Giordano
Executive Director
tom@partnershipri.org