All posts created by nancy.wolanski@unitedwayri.org

Effective October 1, 2025, clients are no longer required to go through Coordinated Entry to access shelter. Instead, seven Regional Access Points are now available to help connect households experiencing or at risk of homelessness to shelter and housing resources.

What Are They:

Regional Access Points (RAPs) are local, "one stop shops" where individuals and households experiencing homelessness can begin the process of accessing housing, supportive services, and emergency shelter. In addition, RAPs provide prevention and diversion support, such as employment navigation and connections to critical community resources. Why They Matter:

RAPs make the housing and emergency shelter system easier to navigate by taking a person-centered approach-prioritizing each individual's unique needs, easing access to emergency shelter and services across the state, and connecting people more quickly to the right support. By addressing the most immediate needs through referrals to appropriate emergency shelter and housing related services, they ensure that help is tailored to the person, not just the process. Who They Serve:

Individuals and families experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness How to Reach a RAP:

You can reach a RAP by working with your case worker, visiting in person during the hours listed or calling the main number to schedule an appointment.

Learn More and Find a Regional Access Point near you

You can also encourage Rhode Islanders in need of emergency housing to call or text 211 at United Way of Rhode Island.

From Center for Responsible Lending:

Payday loan apps issue small, short-term loans that are typically repaid on the consumer’s next payday either directly from a bank account or as a payroll deduction. Consumers access these loans using an app on their smartphone by linking their bank accounts or by enrolling through their employer.

While these products are sometimes referred to as “Earned Wage Advances” (or by similar names), we use the term “payday loan apps” throughout this report, given the essential characteristics they share with payday loans obtained from physical storefronts. These credit products are marketed as ways to help workers weather financial shocks, but new analysis reveals a different reality.

This latest research report uses transactions data to track users’ borrowing over a full year after their initial loan. We find that borrowing from these apps is rarely a one-time event. Instead, many users return for additional loans soon after their first, with borrowing frequency increasing over time. As these loans accumulate, so do the associated fees and risks of overdraft, pushing many households deeper into financial precarity.

Key Findings

Borrowing from payday loan apps escalates over time. On average, users doubled their borrowing frequency within the first year of tracked usage, rising from two to four loans per month.

Simultaneous borrowing across multiple apps increases over time. Most users (53%) borrowed from more than one lender during their first year. The share of payday loan app users who borrowed from multiple apps in a single month more than doubled from 16% in the first month to 38% in month four, and increased to 42% by month twelve.

Heavy users face much higher costs. During the first year of tracked payday loan app usage, heavy users paid $421 in total loan and overdraft fees, almost triple the costs for moderate users and more than six times those of light users.

Payday loan apps come with steep costs. The average APR for observed loans that were repaid in 7 to 14 days was 383%, a rate comparable to a typical storefront payday loan (391%).

Read full report

In a new analysis, Urban Institute researcher Jack Smalligan explores how regulatory changes under development by the Social Security Administration (SSA) could reshape how disability eligibility is determined for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income.

The anticipated regulation—which includes occupational data sources and age weighting—could significantly reduce eligibility for disability benefits, particularly among older workers.

The analysis estimates that if enacted: Eligibility for new applicants to the SSDI program could be reduced by as much as 20 percent overall, and up to 30 percent among older workers. A 10 percent reduction in SSDI eligibility for new applicants could result in 500,000 people losing access after 10 years, including 80,000 widows and children. An additional 250,000 beneficiaries could lose eligibility for part of the period. A 10 percent reduction would reduce benefits by $82 billion, with ripple effects on Medicare and Medicaid eligibility. Many denied older workers may eventually claim early retirement benefits, reducing their lifetime retirement income by up to 30 percent. Read the full analysis for a better understanding on how these technical changes can have profound policy and human consequences.

Relatedly, you may be interested in a recent Urban Wire blog post that seeks to better understand the current reduction in the SSA disability claims backlog, pointing to fewer new claims and higher denial rates.

THRIVE General Operating Support Grants

Thanks to funds from the State of Rhode Island, RI Humanities is excited to announce the third cycle of our THRIVE general operating support grantmaking program.

THRIVE will offer 20 grants of $5,000 each to the small cultural heritage organizations and local historical and preservation societies that support and strengthen Rhode Island’s many diverse, dynamic communities.

Please read below and visit our website for details on the program, including key dates, eligibility, use of funds, priorities for funding, and application resources.

Program Timeline:

The application opens Monday, September 29, 2025. The deadline to apply is 11:59 pm EST on Monday, November 10, 2025. Applicants must submit a completed application form online through the RI Humanities grants portal by the application deadline to be considered.

Applicants will be notified of decisions by Friday, December 12, 2025. Awardees must conclude their grant-funded activities by Tuesday, June 30, 2026, with a required final report due Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

Questions? If you have questions about the THRIVE program, please contact Grants staff at grants@rihumanities.org.

One Big Beautiful Bill Becomes Law: What Nonprofits Need to Know From KLR:

In July 2025, President Trump signed into law the much-anticipated One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA), a sweeping tax reform package with several provisions impacting nonprofit organizations and their donors.

While certain proposals were adjusted during the legislative process, the final version includes significant changes around charitable giving, endowment taxation, and nonprofit compensation rules.

Here’s a Breakdown of the Key Nonprofit-Related Elements in the Final Law:

Charitable Deduction for Non-Itemizers: Beginning in 2026, the law provides up to $1,000 in charitable deductions for single filers and up to $2,000 for married couples filing jointly who do not itemize their deductions through the end of 2029.

Corporate Charitable Giving Limits: Corporations now face stricter limits on deductible charitable contributions. Donations are deductible only to the extent they exceed 1% of taxable income, with an overall cap at 10%. Unused deductions can be carried forward for up to five years. This change may significantly affect corporate giving strategies, especially for companies with lower taxable income or those accustomed to larger philanthropic commitments.

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Embrace Boston’s Good Trouble Podcast's goal is to inform and inspire using the stories of the people fighting the good fight today.

"Inspired by civil rights leader John Lewis’ words of encouragement, the show will connect with our region’s noisemakers and key stakeholders to learn about their paths to becoming “good troublemakers” and what we can all do to join them."

Listen to the episodes on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

An Anti-Authoritarian Playbook for Donors with Joe Goldman

This is not a “wait and see” moment — we are already living with authoritarianism, says Joe Goldman, president of the Democracy Fund, in the latest episode of the Giving Done Right podcast. In conversation with hosts Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette, Goldman offers both clarity and urgency as he shares a playbook for donors to respond effectively to democratic backsliding.

Noting the importance of taking action despite feelings of fear or overwhelm, he also shares why he feels hopeful right now and the opportunities for transformation that this moment offers: "Courage brings courage. Solidarity breeds solidarity."

Listen now

Also, make sure to check out TechSoup for discounted and free software and tech!

Microsoft Tech for Social Impact is dedicated to providing affordable and accessible technology to help nonprofits of all sizes achieve their mission. That’s why Microsoft offers grants and discounts for our products and services to eligible nonprofits around the world, including products like Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365. To learn more about Microsoft’s nonprofit offers, download the Microsoft Nonprofit Grants Proposal.

To get started with Microsoft nonprofit grants and discounts, register and confirm your organization’s eligibility. Already registered as a nonprofit? Login to your Microsoft Nonprofit page and access Admin Center.

From Venable LLC:

Nonprofits and other federal grant recipients have struggled through 2025, a year of fiscal tightening in federal grant programs, from the termination of numerous grants and programs the current administration perceives as unaligned with either the United States' or the administration's priorities, to a formal presidential rescission notice under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA) affecting USAID and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and now a "pocket rescission" of $5 billion in foreign aid and international organization funding.

With federal fiscal year 2025 (FY25) coming to a close at the end of September, we issue this client alert to briefly explain the concept of a "pocket recission" and to address the less-discussed matter of pending grant applications with respect to which agency action remains uncertain.

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