Organizations of color leverage the power of collaboration

Jill Pfitzenmayer, PhD, vice president of capacity building

The childhood memories of Providenceraised James Monteiro are inundated with Black-led organizations and leaders who looked like him.

He grew up on Howell Street. From his backyard, James watched construction crews build the East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA. His street was just outside the Lippitt Hill neighborhood of predominantly Black homes and businesses that were destroyed in the 1960s via eminent domain.

The late Billy Taylor nurtured James and his friends’ passions by holding talent shows so they could flaunt their Michael Jackson “Beat It” moves and convincing the city to shut down a street so they could race the wooden go-karts they built. Later in his life, James saw Barry O’Connor Jr. running enrollment services at the Community College of Rhode Island. That was his “aha moment” to pursue his calling.

There was also the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Rhode Island (OIC) that the late Michael Van Leesten created and led, as well as the Urban League of Rhode Island and the John Hope Settlement House, among others, that were thriving then.

“Those organizations that everybody went to were Black led,” said Monteiro, now 53 years old, “and now, I don’t know what happened. If you look at the major organizations that serve our people now, for the most part, we don’t lead them anymore.”

Launched in October 2021, the Rhode Island Foundation’s capacity building for nonprofits of color program is helping 11 organizations led by Black, Hispanic or Latino, Indigenous, Asian, and multiracial people (also referred to as BIPOC) to strengthen and extend their reach. The three-year program is part of the Foundation’s $8.5 million investment—above and beyond the existing annual funding—to address racial equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Thirty organizations applied for the first cohort, and the selected represent a diverse group of organizations in different stages of their development. They include a Providence community center, a youth-centered travel program, women’s refugee care organization, and an Indigenous land trust.

The Reentry Campus Program (RCP), which James Monteiro is the founder and director of, was also chosen. The Providence-based nonprofit’s mission is to improve access to and completion of post-secondary education for individuals who are transitioning from the incarceration system back into their communities. In addition to creating degree pathway plans for this population, the RCP also has a mentorship program and provides critical wrap-around services, continuous support, and resources specific to their individual needs.

“I love having the support of big foundations outside of Rhode Island, but it’s entirely another thing to be supported at home,” James shared. “That means the world, especially for people of color who are working in these spaces.”

He continued, “So when you are talking about building capacity, especially for minority-led organizations, I think you have to have the support of places such as the Rhode Island Foundation.”

This program and the Foundation’s Equity Leadership Initiative (ELI)—which cultivates, mentors, and seeks access for BIPOC individuals from across sectors to build a pipeline of leaders of color in positions of influence in Rhode Island—are part of the solution to close the many equity gaps plaguing our Ocean State. In both programs, the meetings are monthly, and the training and topics are shaped by the needs of the organizations who collaborate and give continuous feedback to program leaders.

In year one, a strategic communications planner gave a course to all the organizations and then met with each individually for an audit, with recommendations for improvement, of their current communication operations. They also had experts come in to improve fundraising efforts and strategies as well as data management and how to use data in storytelling. A retreat was also held for the organizations’ leaders to learn more about restorative/self-care practices.