Grant recipients offer updates Thursday on their economic development efforts at the Rhode Island Foundation offices in Providence. Photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News

By Steve Klamkin WPRO News

Leaders of a dozen small, new initiatives to help improve Rhode Island's economy offered an update Thursday, as the Rhode Island Foundation seeds their programs with $630,000.

The update marks six months since the Rhode Island Foundation began its "Make It Happen RI" program, funding the wide-ranging projects, each intended to help spark a different aspect of economic development.

"We need to cure that self-esteem problem," said Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO Neil Steinberg of the negative feelings many Rhode Islanders have about the state and its economy.

"In many states, if you say something negative, they run you out of town. We've got to get to that in Rhode Island where we're just bragging about what we're doing, focusing on the good things, and everything else will take care of itself," Steinberg said.

The organization listed its 12 grant recipients:

• Buy Local RI: The Rhode Island Foundation will enhance resources to sustain and grow this effort, initiated by the office of Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts with assistance from the Small Business Advocacy Council, to promote locally owned independent businesses, strengthen Rhode Island’s merchant and commercial associations, and provide a public resource for people to connect to local products and services.
• College and University Research Collaborative: A first-of-its-kind partnership to provide data for informed economic policy decisions in Rhode Island. The Collaborative will focus on consensus state economic policy issues identified by public policy representatives from the executive and legislative branches of state government. Foundation funding was matched by the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.
• DESIGNxRI: This group will connect Rhode Island’s vast and talented design sector to form a strategic single voice and leverage its collective resources.
• Emerald Cities Providence: Providence will undertake a deep retrofit of at least five municipal buildings, which will result in reduced environmental impact, cost savings for the city, and quality jobs for local residents.
• Historic Tax Credit Advocacy: A diverse coalition is seeking to restore in modified form Rhode Island’s nationally recognized State Historic Tax Credit program.
• Marketing Rhode Island: A marketing campaign for the state of Rhode Island will highlight the state’s strengths, attributes, and resources with the goal of inspiring positive public conversation and perception of Rhode Island internally and externally.
• MedMates: This group brings together professionals from the state’s med tech sector to enhance connectivity and collaboration and leverage the concentrated diversity that exists in Rhode Island.
• Regulatory Reform: To improve the business climate, Rhode Island’s Office of Regulatory Reform is assisting with the design and implementation of a statewide electronic permitting system to streamline building and fire permitting.
• Rhode Island Manufacturing Renaissance Project: An extensive survey of the top 1,000 Rhode Island manufacturing companies will identify, assess, and evaluate the potential of the state’s manufacturing sector.
• Rhode Island Partnership Project: This group will create a physical and virtual statewide “one stop shop” to ease the path of reentering post-secondary education, focusing on internships/apprenticeships, adult-learners, and loan mitigation.
• Shipbuilding/Marine and Advanced Manufacturing Institute: This new program at New England Institute of Technology will connect employers in the marine trades and manufacturing industries and unemployed individuals.
• Urban Economic Development Planning: Several groups are collaborating to develop and implement strategies inclusive of small and minority-owned businesses to accelerate urban economic development in Rhode Island.