Women’s Fund of Rhode Island

The organization is involved in grantmaking, advocacy, and leadership training. It offers activist training and events about the status of women and girls and how to level the playing field. ³ The organization advocates expanding paid family leave programs, increasing investments in child care, having a “living” wage and ending the credit for tipped wages, increasing transparency in state appointments, legislators adopting “Equity Impact Statements,” and protecting “bodily autonomy.”  ⁴

Background

The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island is a nonprofit organization that claims to invest in women and girls in Rhode Island through research, advocacy, grant making and partnerships aimed at advancing gender “equity,” a concept derived from critical race theory. ^{5  6}

The fund says it is a social justice organization that focuses on gender bias. It says it envisions “a community, nation and world where social justice exists for all.”  ⁶

The group wants to close the alleged gender wage, wealth, health, and power gaps between men and women and states that “Getting our community involved in the continuing fight for gender equity is the cornerstone of our organization.” ^{4  7}

WFRI says it works to educate women about economic self-sufficiency, including access to good paying jobs, child care, pay equity, and paid sick time; abortion and contraceptive access; health and well-being; educational attainment; and political representation. ⁸

Its publications have included the “Women’s Well-Being Index,” the “2024 Census of Directors & CEOs of RI’s Largest Nonprofit Organizations,” the “2024 Paid Family Leave Report,” and policy briefs on education, poverty, and health.  ¹

As of 2025, the organization reportedly had reached 3,000 people with community events, briefings, and media engagement. The group had reportedly engaged with about 1,000 individuals through leadership training, policy advocacy, and workshops.  ¹

Political Advocacy

The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island CEO as of 2025, Kelly Nevins, said the organization measures success through helping to pass laws such as paid family leave, sick time, and safe time mandates; increasing abortion access; adopting minimum wage increases; and pushing salary transparency laws. ² WFRI says viewing social issues through a gender lens “is not exclusionary but rather enables us to center women and other marginalized groups” to ensure they get resources. ⁷

In 2025, the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island identified its priorities through its policy and advocacy committee, the Women’s Policy Institute. The priorities were providing Medicaid reimbursement for lactation consultants and midwifery services, ensuring reproductive health care data privacy, increasing the ratio of school-based social workers, and expanding paid family leave.  ⁴

As of 2025, the organization had supported some two dozen female politicians in getting elected to office. ² As of 2025, the group had advocated for 28 state legislative bills, championing five new laws dedicated to gender equity that successfully passed.  ¹

The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island was allied with the Rhode Island Voting Access Coalition to expand voting opportunities in Rhode Island, and lobbied the state legislature to pass the Let RI Vote Act. ⁹

WFRI has come under criticism for promoting the hiring practice known as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The group says it aims to counter the criticism by promoting understanding and fostering opportunities. ²

Philanthropy

The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island has contributed more than $1 million to Rhode Island nonprofits. ² WFRI made a $20,000 grant to the Amos House in December 2024 to fund the Bridge to Career Opportunities program, which includes basic education, job training, career counseling, and financial coaching programs that aim to improve employment outcomes for 25 low-income women. ¹

WFRI made a $10,000 grant to Planned Parenthood of Southern New England in December 2024 to help grow a larger and more diverse base of supporters to shape the “reproductive rights” movement, particularly among the Southeast Asian community.  ¹

WFRI made a $10,000 grant to the Rhode Island Abortion Fund in December 2024 to cover operating expenses.  ¹

Programs

The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island hosts its annual Women Leading Change conference each fall, at which it hosts guest speakers, raffle prizes, and presents awards. ¹⁰ The organization’s programs include the Women’s Policy Institute, Advocacy 101, and campaign training. ²

The WFRI offers workshops in salary negotiation skills and in creating “equitable workplaces.”  ⁸ As of 2025, the group had reportedly conducted training for about 600 individuals on gender equity in the workplace and salary negotiation skills.  ¹

The organization released the first Rhode Island Girls Report in 2025 which highlighted the issues girls in the state allegedly face. It also recommended courses of action to bring change. ²

The Women’s Policy Institute is designed to train female community and nonprofit leaders across the state of Rhode Island, and claims to be the second program of its kind in the nation. Participants in the program learn skills in lobbying, media messaging, community organizing, drafting legislation, and public speaking. The fund says the WPI draws on three philosophical traditions: feminism, social justice, and participatory democracy. ¹¹ The organization had reportedly graduated more than 115 advocates as of 2025. ²

In 2024, the group launched two new programs, the Feminist Activist Book Club and Elevate Your Career.  ¹

Leadership

As of 2025, Kelly Nevins was the CEO of the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island. ¹² Nevins became the CEO in 2016. She has been involved in nonprofits in Rhode Island since 1991. She has a master’s degree in education as well as in leadership. ¹³

As of 2025, Susan Rittscher was the chair of the board for the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island. She has been the interim CEO and executive coach of Rittscher Results, LLC. ¹²

Beverly Wiley is a former chairwoman of the board of the WFRI. Wiley was the director of parks and recreation for the City of Warwick. ¹²

As of 2025, Sandra Victorino was the vice chair of the board for WFRI. At the time, she was also the director of development at the Diversity and Inclusion program of Care New England. ¹²

As of 2025, Christy Durant was the treasurer of the board of the WFRI. At the time, she was the principal owner of Durant Law LLC. ¹²

As of 2025, Susan Diaz Killenberg was the secretary of the board of WFRI. At the time, she was the chief psychiatrist for Disability Determination Services Rhode Island. ¹²