— Woonsocket Pride —
Community Assistance Fund
It was never just about an event.
Woonsocket Pride began as a joyous protest, opposing a (now) long-gone Mayor who worked against the queer community at every turn. And it has persisted as a community festival - one part resource fair, one part colorful, joyful celebration, and 10 parts safe community gathering place.
And in that spirit, we’re very excited to be launching our newest program, something we’ve been working on for two years - the Woonsocket Pride Community Assistance Fund!
Thanks to a generous seed grant from the Rhode Island Foundation and a percentage of every dollar contributed to our organization, we have the resources needed to take this exciting step.
Woonsocket Pride’s most important value in the formation of our official organization is to make changes to support our community. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration’s 2023 data on Rhode Island. 10.8% of individuals in Rhode Island live in poverty. Within the four “poorest” cities, including Woonsocket, the poverty rate of residents is 30.2%.
The National Network for Youth reports research that LGBTQ+ individuals have a 120% higher risk of experiencing some form of homelessness, with Black, Indigenous, or youth of color at an 83% higher risk than their white peers. 40% of the 4.2 million youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+.
According to a 2014-2017 University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Williams Institute, survey of 35 States, determined that the poverty rates among trans and gender non conforming peoples where as high as 34%.
Knowing that queer people are at risk and knowing that risk grows every day, we hope receiving support from the Woonsocket Pride Community Assistance Fund can make a difference.
The queer community has a legacy of caring for its community. We saw it in the 1960s when Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, considered the “foremothers” of Pride, were founding members of the Gay Liberation Front and activist group STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) which provided mutual aid and housing to transgender sex workers and homeless LGBTQ+ youth in Manhattan. In the late 80s and early 90s, the formation of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) achieved lasting victories in medical treatment, healthcare access, and building powerful activist tactics for revolutionary movements. Rhode Island’s own Youth Pride Inc. in Providence meet the needs of queer youth under 25 at its historic nonprofit and drop-in center, where youth can receive food, clothing, peer support, community activities, and more.
Woonsocket Pride intends to extend that history of solidarity, nurturing, and change in our efforts as an organization. We created the Community Assistance Fund to provide direct financial mutual aid to LGBTQ+ individuals in Woonsocket to make an immediate impact on the economic challenges LGBTQ+ people are shown to be facing. Through the Community Assistance Fund, and other programming and events, we aim to be a key resource for the Woonsocket LGBTQ+ community to carry on the spirit of those who came before us, and the work and lives given, for us to be here today.
The Woonsocket Pride Community Assistance Fund is a program of need-based, direct cash disbursements to LGBTQ+ folks in Woonsocket disproportionately affected by economic hardship.
Starting May 1st, folks will be able to request assistance to help them with the skyrocketing costs of essentials like food and rent. We’re especially excited to be partnering with our long-time friends at Rebuild Woonsocket Community Movement, who will help us get the fund out to those who need it.
How It Works
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“Mutual aid, rather than competition, is the driving force behind social and economic progress.” -Peter Kropotkin, philosopher and author of “Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution” (1902).
Mutual aid takes on many forms, such as creating neighborhood safety networks, exchange of labor services, food sharing programs, and more. As a nonprofit, we can engage in direct action to utilize our fundraisers, sponsorships, grants and programming to make a direct impact for LGBTQ+ people of Woonsocket. Our goal, since our very first protest, has been to shift the focus of Pride to be more than a party, but a pillar of community support. A huge part of the Community Assistance Fund comes from our individual donors who want to engage in mutual aid via cash assistance. Mutual aid happens when people work together locally to strengthen our community, and our survival depends on each other!
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Woonsocket Pride commits a portion of every donation from our fundraising efforts and utilizes designated grant funding for the Woonsocket Pride Community Assistance Fund. Donations to support the fund directly can be made here.
LGBTQ+ Woonsocket residents can apply on our form below. Only applications through this method will be considered. Anyone claiming to represent our organization but sending you to another site is fraudulent. Please never agree to meet someone claiming to be a Woonsocket Pride representative, unless their outreach comes from an @woonsocketpride.org or @rebuildwoonmovement.org email address.
The Community Assistance Fund operates on a monthly basis. Applications for the month open on the 1st, and close on the 7th. The chair and board review the applications by the 14th of the month, and requested or available funds will be sent to applicants between the 15th and last day of the month. Funds are available in two formats: through your PayPal account, or a Visa gift card. A Visa gift card is an acceptable method of payment for individuals who cannot make a PayPal account, or cannot open a bank account. If you require a physical gift card, a representative of our partners at Rebuild Woonsocket Community Movement will reach out to coordinate.
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Applicants can request up to $100. We will prioritize requests based on meeting as much need as possible and maximizing impact. At this time, the Woonsocket Pride Community Assistance Fund is a small group of volunteers. We would love to meet the needs of every applicant each month! However, if our applications exceed the amount available at that time in the Community Assistance Fund, some applications may be postponed to the next period. If your application is postponed, you go to the top of the list for the next month.
If you have applied for and received funds within the prior two calendar months, other applicants who did not receive funds will be considered first, and you are welcome to reapply at the next period. The Board has made this choice to try and ensure the greatest number of applicants possible have a chance to receive funds.
If we cannot fulfill your full request, and you have not received funds within the past two calendar months, our Board will vote to
Grant as much as we can of your request,
Flag your application for next month, or
Put out a request for donations to the specific amount requested to our email list and social media, with your consent.
In any of these events, you will be contacted by a member of the Community Assistance Fund Committee or a member of the Woonsocket Pride Board.
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To request more information, email leia@woonsocketpride.org.