Under the supervision of the Director of Senior Services or designee is responsible for transporting passengers including children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities in a safe manner and in compliance with all rules, traffic regulations, and procedures.

Duties & Responsibilities

1. Drives gasoline, diesel, or electrically powered multi-passenger vehicles to transport passengers including children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities as assigned.

2. Checks the condition of the vehicle’s tires, brakes, windshield wipers, lights, oil, fuel, water, and safety equipment to ensure that vehicle is in good working order.

3. Complies with traffic regulations in order to operate vehicle in a safe and courteous manner; follows rules of safety in accordance with established rules, regulations, and policies.

4. May assist passengers in boarding or exiting the vehicle.

5. Reads maps; follows written and verbal instructions and geographic directions.

6. Regulates heating, lighting, ventilation and/or air-conditioning systems to ensure passenger comfort.

7. Maintains knowledge of first aid procedures.

8. Keeps bus interiors clean.

9. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

High school graduate or equivalent.

Successful completion of basic first aid training and certification in CPR.

Must successfully complete and pass a BCI check.

Must possess and maintain a valid State Commercial Driver’s license.

Ability to work a flexible schedule on an annual basis.

Interpersonal skills developed through public interaction.

Knowledge of the mechanics of gasoline and diesel-powered motors and automotive equipment.

Knowledge of traffic rules and regulations.

Ability to read maps; ability to follow written and verbal instructions and geographic directions.

Must be able to perform all essential functions of the job.

 To apply for this position, click here.

OpenDoors, along with partners Amos House, the Pro Bono Collaborative at Roger Williams University (RWU) School of Law, the Rhode Island Center for Justice and the Center for Health and Justice Transformation (CHJT) was selected by the City through a request for proposals process to provide coordinated driver’s license reinstatement services through this program, providing case management, legal support and financial aid to Providence residents whose driver’s license was suspended as a result of a missed traffic court hearing, unpaid fines from municipal or state court and other monetary-related suspensions.

Through the program, care coordinators at OpenDoors and Amos House will work directly with the Rhode Island Division of Motor vehicles to help participants navigate the process of reinstating their license, providing guidance and resources such as financial aid for fines or license reinstatement fees. In some circumstances, legal assistance from licensed attorneys and law students will be provided through the RI Center for Justice and the RWU Pro Bono Collaborative. Cases will be triaged based on complexity, ensuring that the program funds are used to assist as many eligible individuals as possible.

To be eligible for this program, applicants must have incomes at or below 65% of the area median income. Applicants must also be eligible for identification documents, such as an ID, Social Security card or birth certificate, and provide proof of Providence residency. Unhoused individuals are eligible to apply for the program. In addition, applications will be evaluated for factors like financial need and ability to pay related expenses like car insurance. Applicants cannot qualify for this program if their license was suspended for a moving violation that resulted in a felony conviction.

For more information regarding this program, please visit http://www.opendoorsri.org/startdriving or pick up a paper application at OpenDoors, 485 Plainfield Street.

The Eviction Defense program will operate for a period of one year and will provide services to Providence residents who earn 65% or less of the Area Median Income (AMI) or who live in a qualified census tract. Qualified Census Tracts must have 50 percent of households with incomes below 60 percent of the Area Median Gross Income (AMGI) or have a poverty rate of 25 percent or more. The program will assist tenants through the support of attorney advocates and law students, access to a tenant help desk located in the Sixth District Housing Court in Providence and increased community supports through the DARE Tenant and Homeowner Association (THA), which provides outreach to at-risk families and uses bi-lingual canvassers for outreach in Providence’s low-income neighborhoods to address the root causes of homelessness. HousingWorks RI (HWRI) at Roger Williams University will oversee the data analysis, evaluation and reporting components of the eviction defense program.

For more information about this program, applicants can contact Rhode Island Legal Services at 401-274-2652 or visit the Tenant Help Desk in the Sixth District Housing Court in Providence.

Through this program, Dorcas International will provide free legal assistance to eligible Providence residents seeking U.S. citizenship and other immigration statuses, and help them to navigate other public benefits and programs available.

To be eligible for this program, individuals must have a household income that is at or below 300% of the federal poverty level guidelines or at or below 65% of the area median income, and must be seeking a legal path to U.S. citizenship or adjustment of status.

To apply for this program, please contact Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island by calling 401-784-8607 or email Dorcas International’s Citizenship and Immigration department here.

The Nonviolence Institute has been selected through a request for proposals process to manage a citywide nonviolence training initiative, intended to enhance participants’ conflict resolution skills and proactively identify interpersonal conflicts between individuals and groups at risk of escalating to violence. Through this partnership, the Nonviolence Institute will hold two types of trainings, one targeted at youth and another open to adults.

Opportunity 1: S.E.E.D. (Skills Enrichment Education Development) Training
The Nonviolence Institute will offer monthly S.E.E.D. (Skills Enrichment Education Development) trainings to youth ages 17-24 who are referred to the program by the Nonviolence Institute’s outreach team, as well as from schools, group homes and community agencies across the city​. These weeklong training programs will provide participants an opportunity to develop crucial skills that focus on the interconnectedness of the principles of nonviolence, conflict resolution and mental health and wellness. Community organizations and groups that work with youth are encouraged to refer individuals that they feel may benefit from this program.

Opportunity 2: The Beloved Community Workshop Series
The Nonviolence Institute will hold sessions of “The Beloved Community Workshop,” which is tailored for adult learners. These workshops provide training opportunities for groups of adults to learn and practice nonviolence skills such as mindfulness, mental health awareness and personal development, as well as education around issues of race, class, equity and justice. These workshops will be held bi-monthly until June 2023 and are open to the public.

Stipends for both programs are available to Providence residents. To learn more about workshop dates, and to register for either of these trainings or refer youth, visit https://www.nonviolenceinstitute.orgor email Juan Carter at juan@nonviolenceinstitute.org. 

Through this initiative, the City and its partners have announced new job opportunities for Providence youth. The City has partnered with eight organizations to offer over 450 year-round youth job placements, all with an earning wage of $15 per hour.
Interested youth can find more details here: https://www.providenceri.gov/economical/youthjobs/. 

All bids are now closed.

The Providence Parks Department is seeking bidders for a project to turn an area next to Conley Stadium into a premier splash pad for all ages. Adjacent to the proposed splash pad is the concessions area for games at Conley Stadium, so the design also includes a path and gathering area outside the concessions.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Funding available: $200,000

Released: December 5, 2022

Applications deadline: January 17, 2023 at 2:15pm.

The City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism is seeking a non-profit organization to be the primary project manager and fiscal agent for a re-granting program that will support teaching artists disproportionately affected by the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary intended impact of this project is to improve the financial security of individual teaching artists who are either Indigenous People, of African Heritage or are Indigenous People of African Heritage in alignment with the recommendations made in the Report of The Providence Municipal Reparations Commission. Eligible sub-grantees will be artists with a teaching practice (“teaching artists”) living in qualified census tracts (QCTs) in Providence.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed.

The City of Providence Department of Art, Culture +Tourism (ACT) seeks a vendor to conduct a study on “life at night” in the City. This study should measure the economic and cultural impacts of the nightlife entertainment (inclusive of bars, restaurants, clubs, performance venues etc.) while addressing the ways that workers in the manufacturing, higher education, and healthcare sectors, among others that operate in the evening interact with the City’s built environment, systems and infrastructure. The study will provide recommendations to support and strengthen the nightlife communities that coalesce in entertainment venues while it attends to the transportation, safety, and other needs of stakeholders who comprise the larger “life at night” community. The vendor will work primarily with ACT and will liaise with the office for the necessary task instructions and information required to complete the study and its deliverables.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Funding Available: $6,700,000

 Applications close on January 10, 2023 at 11:59 PM.

The Providence Redevelopment Agency will provide funding to qualified developers to develop affordable rental and homeownership housing within the City of Providence.

Organizations with the experience and current capacity to successfully execute an affordable housing development project on time and under budget may apply for funds. Projects that receive funding through this opportunity must be able to have awarded funds fully contracted by June 2024 and fully expended by June 2026.

For full eligibility details and more information, click here.

The City of Providence will provide funding to non-profit subrecipient organizations to administer home repair programs to provide housing rehabilitation grants to eligible households and properties within the City of Providence.

Organizations operating residential rehabilitation assistance programs for target populations to remain safely and sustainably housed may apply for funds up to $3,000,000. An additional $500,000 in funds is also available to fund pre-electrification upgrades in qualifying households. Programs that receive funding through this opportunity must be able to be fully implemented by June 30, 2024.

All applications are due by January 4, 2023. 

Learn more about the program, click here.

The Empower Providence Microenterprise Accelerator Program comprised eight weeks of business support training offered in partnership with Empower by GoDaddy. The program consisted of 10 online learning modules designed to teach entrepreneurs how to build an online business and establish a marketing presence.

The City of Providence selected the Rhode Island Black Business Association (RIBBA), the RI Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Social Enterprise Greenhouse (SEG) through a request for proposals process to recruit for and administer the training program to an anticipated 120 microenterprise businesses beginning in October 2022 and ending in December 2022.

Learn more about the program and the City’s partners here.

Rhode Island Black Business Association

Phone: 401-383-1179

Email: info@ri-bba.org

Website: https://ri-bba.org/

Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Phone: 401-400-1340

Email: info@rihispanicchamber.org

Website: https://www.rihispanicchamber.org/

Social Enterprise Greenhouse

Phone: 401-272-2558

Email: info@segreenhouse.org

Website: https://segreenhouse.org/

Funding Available: $250,000

All bids and now closed and under review. 

The City of Providence Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) is issuing a Request For Proposals (RFP) to Qualified Bidders to develop a Feasibility Study to aid the City of Providence in developing a plan and a pathway to advance African heritage and Indigenous-owned media firms, (i.e., radio, podcast, television, digital platforms, broadband-access, etc.) as an important means to providing representative media content to the diverse Providence population. Media services may include formats such as online and social media, and broadcast radio. Qualified Bidders are encouraged to recognize innovations in media technology that are adaptable to quickly changing information modes.

The primary and target media audiences include the following populations: African heritage and Indigenous as defined within the City of Providence Municipal Reparations report along with residents within underserved neighborhoods as defined through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) as “Qualified Census Tracts.”

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Applications closed as of December 9, 2022. All applications are under review.

The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) hereby notifies interested applicants of the availability of funds allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for grant funding. The availability and use of these funds is subject to federal regulations and is further subject to the City of Providence’s policies and program requirements. The Expanding Operational Capacity Grant Program is designed to increase the capacity of nonprofit organizations to provide supportive business, cultural, and social services to communities through the provision of capital funding grants. These capital funding grants can be used to improve the physical spaces of those nonprofit organizations. Capital improvement projects have many lasting benefits for nonprofit organizations and communities that they serve, such as increasing a nonprofit’s ability to occupy a dedicated space or building, lessening the chance of displacement, and offering increased visibility, stability, and overall capacity to carry out the mission of the organization.

Funding Available: $300,000

All bids are now closed and under review. 

The City of Providence Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) seeks a qualified firm to conduct and provide the results of a complete and legally supportable Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) disparity study to inform and support the need for programs to enhance participation in City of Providence contracts by business enterprises. The purpose of the study is to assess research and evaluate any disparities that exist between MWBEs becoming qualified to apply for and be considered for the awarding of public contracts and overall utilization by the City of Providence. The successful Bidder will have experience conducting a MWBE disparity and related studies. The objective of the Bidder is to provide complete statistically sound and legally defensible analyses of the City’s contracting and procurement activities to determine any disparities existing in the utilization of MWBEs. The data collection, analysis and report generated by the successful Bidder for the City of Providence Office of Economic Development disparity study will follow and comply with the legal framework set forth in the United States Supreme Court decision. The results of the successful Bidder should be reliable for the reinforcement and reestablishment of standards required for the City to address any significant disparities identified. Qualified Bidders are invited to submit Proposals for the work in accordance with the terms and conditions presented in this RFP.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed and under review. 

The City of Providence Healthy Communities Office seeks to fund a Providence-based organization to continue and expand the African American Produce Distribution Program beyond the pilot phase, to address long-term food insecurity faced by the African American Community, with a specific focus on food insecure households who utilize local food pantries and do not qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“food stamps”). Proposals up to $80,000 to operate the program from January 1, 2023-December 31, 2026 will be considered.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed and under review. 

The City of Providence is soliciting proposals for a park design that will reduce the width or eliminate a number of the asphalt walkways, remove unused features, add some asphalt paving in areas that are in need of it, and add tree plantings to increase biodiversity.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed and under review. 

Proposals are being solicited for multiple qualified entities to implement summer programs that integrate best practices in education, workforce development, and youth development. Programs must:

• Integrate youth development principles into work-based experiences and/or project-based service learning for young people.
• Provide opportunities for youth to understand career pathways and decision points, including the linkages between educational attainment, relevant experience, demonstrable skills and career advancement.
• Include meaningful opportunities for youth leadership and reflection on the personal and social impact of their work.
• Operate between February 6, 2023 and December 8, 2023 for a maximum of 120 hours per youth. (Please note, both year-round and summer programming is allowable and encouraged through this RFP.)

 To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed.

The City of Providence Office of Economic Opportunity is seeking a vendor to further advance the work of expanding high-quality mentoring opportunities in Providence. The successful vendor will provide specialized assessment and technical assistance, issue program improvement grants and advance goals specific to increasing access to high-quality mentoring opportunities. These services must be designed to meet the unique needs of mentoring programs across Providence, RI.

 The successful bidder will work jointly with the City of Providence and with existing mentoring programs on best practices to facilitate mentors in various situations. The vendor will act as a passthrough for grant opportunities.

The vendor will be a central resource for all programs in the mentoring field and will be responsible for supporting community-based programs requesting services.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed.

The City of Providence is seeking one or more bidders to design and launch a pilot of a shared service cohort for home-based child care providers in Providence. This funding originates from the 11th recommendation within the Providence Municipal Reparations Commission, Expansion of Cultural Engagement and Educational Opportunities for African Heritage and Indigenous Communities. In recognizing the facility grants currently available from the State of Rhode Island and the City of Providence, as well as professional development opportunities made available by state departments and the SEIU education and support fund, this RFP is intended to support home-based child care by centralizing key business services and expenses that providers struggle to access consistently.

This shared service cohort will allow member organizations to strengthen back-office expertise and alleviate the financial and capacity burdens that business-side responsibilities present for sole providers and small family-based providers. This shared service cohort will allow providers to focus on education and child-centric care and create a better opportunity for financial stability. This model should be targeted towards providers offering fully subsidized care to families, as subsidy rates remain well below their actual operating costs. The shared service cohort must be designed to meet the eligibility criteria enumerated within the municipal reparations commission’s report. This pilot will encompass recruitment of one or more cohorts of providers, coordination with these providers to prioritize and customize services to meet their unique needs, and evaluation and assessment of the result and impact of this shared services model.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed and under review. 

The City of Providence is seeking a bidder, or a cohort of organizations, to expand the cultural engagement and educational opportunities for youth in the City of Providence. A successful bidder will likely need to formulate strategic partnerships with multiple entities in order to bring the expertise and capacity necessary to bid on three unique projects contained within Section 3: Scope of Services.

The goals for the resulting programs include:

• Development of foundational materials needed for a culturally responsive educational model that will advance an awareness and understanding of the culturally diverse history of Rhode Island and New England.
• Advancement student understanding of their own history and heritage.
• Creation of a K-12 curriculum that allows the “A Matter of Truth” report to be taught in schools located in Providence, in addition to other materials that could be used in afterschool or out-of-time programs.
• Curricula for Providence and Rhode Island schools could be developed within US history, Rhode Island history, Civics, and/or Ethnic Studies coursework & accommodates a wider reach of learners including MLLs, special education, home based, etc.
•  Raising public awareness and appreciation of the city’s history of diverse populations, customs, and practices.
• A feasibility study with the intention of establishing an African Heritage & Indigenous History School
• Principles by which an African Heritage and Indigenous History School be guided.
• Recommended mission, principles, governance model, structure, and impact of said model.
•  Public awareness and appreciation of the city’s history of diverse populations, customs, and practices.
• Capitalize the funds through matching gifts from partnering educational and charitable institutions.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed.

The City of Providence’s African American Ambassador’s Group (AAAG) invites proposals from community-focused organizations to continue the work of the AAAG to transform systems and policies that will decrease and/or prevent continued racism and inequities related to the social determinants of health for African Heritage and Indigenous peoples across the state of Rhode Island.

 To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed.

The primary goal of COVID-19 Equity Program, as established by the reparation commission, is to “close the present-day racial wealth and equity gap.” The “racial wealth gap” refers to the difference in assets owned by different racial or ethnic groups.  This gap results from a range of historical, structural, and economic factors that affect the overall economic well-being of these different groups. Components of the racial wealth gap include, but are not limited to, differences in income, debt, and home-ownership rates. Nationally, the average Black household has approximately 15-20% of the net wealth of the average White household.

In order to understand and assess the impacts of the programs and projects funded through the COVID-19 Equity Program, the City is seeking proposals from qualified research teams to conduct an independent evaluation of the performance and impact of this suite of programs. In particular, the City seeks to better understand the City’s existing racial wealth and equity gap, and how the use of these funds impacts existing disparities.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed and under review. 

The City of Providence is seeking a bidder who must be able to formulate a strategic partnership with a scholarship entity to provide internship placements and scholarships to youth. Additionally, Providence businesses are encouraged to partner with the applicant, to provide structured, work-based, career-potential opportunities for high school and college students during the summer and/or year-round as well. Youth will earn money while doing valuable work in high wage high demand fields such as offshore wind, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, technology etc. in an environment that respects, supports and develops emerging adults while facilitating learning.

In addition to the internship component of this request for proposals (RFP), a successful program will also incorporate a robust scholarship and financial literacy component. Financial literacy is the cognitive understanding of financial components and skills such as budgeting, investing, borrowing, taxation, and personal financial management.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed.

The Providence Parks Department is seeking a qualified consultant/ contractor specializing in the design and installation of exceptional and innovative skateparks to enter into a Design & Build contract for a ‘Street Course’ all wheel skating facility for Neutaconkanut Park, located at 899 Plainfield Street, Providence, Rhode Island. It will be a state-of-the art facility based on the latest skatepark design principles and be constructed of high-quality materials designed to engage and challenge users of all abilities. The selected consultant/ contractor shall work in close collaboration with the designated Parks Department professional on the project throughout the design and installation process.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed and under review. 

The City of Providence seeks consultant services from a qualified contractor, to provide construction services associated with WASHINGTON STREET AND EAST APPROACH IMPROVEMENTS.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed and under review. 

The City’s Art, Culture and Tourism Department and the Providence Art in City Life Commission invite curators and public art managers to submit proposals for designing a program for rotating temporary and permanent public sculpture (“the project”) in accordance with the terms, conditions, and scope of work outlined in the linked RFP below and welcome applicants familiar with writing and editing artist contracts; and curating, installing, and managing public art collections. We invite applicants with national and international experience and networks, as well as those with demonstrable experience working with municipalities. Applicants must be able to demonstrate they are aware of trends in the field of international contemporary art, including efforts such as those of Providence’s Art in City Life Commission.

Funding Availability: The total funding request from a single vendor through this RFP can be up to $75,000.00 (seventy five thousand dollars). The budget outlined in your bid should include all costs needed to make this initiative successful.

This role is a temporary contractual position funded in part by the American Rescue Plan.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed.

Paul Grande Jr Park is a large (51,200 sf) neighborhood park at the intersection of Daniel Ave and Ethan St in the Silverlake Neighborhood. The current park is very disconnected, with a play area in one corner, a basketball court in the middle and a path at one end. Our design will improve the play area and basketball court and connect all the features with a stonedust path.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

All bids are now closed and under review 

The City of Providence Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) seeks proposals that deliver effective and innovative Earn & Learn workforce training programs run by eligible and qualified workforce training organizations. The proposal submissions should clearly define how the grant award will support the applicant organization’s ability to increase the workforce preparedness, career awareness, education and/or skills attainment, and job placement of eligible residents in the City of Providence. The proposed programs and initiatives should include outcomes such as competency-based training curriculum, assessment strategies, recommendations for instructional aides and resume building capabilities.

Bids are now closed and under review. 

The Affordable and Alternate Housing Programming Grant Program will provide funding support to non-profit organizations or quasi-public agencies serving populations directly experiencing housing instability or homelessness. The goal of this grant opportunity is to support demonstration projects that will provide supportive services and/or resources to allow hardest-to-house populations who are underserved by Rhode Island’s existing shelter and housing system to more efficiently transition to and be successful in permanent or long-term housing. Demonstration projects are projects involving innovative housing programs, services, and/or systems that do not meet existing published standards or regulations. Demonstration projects are intended to pilot new service modalities and demonstrate their impact and cost-effectiveness.

Organizations with innovative ideas to increase housing stability, hasten or bridge the transition of households into affordable housing units, or otherwise support people experiencing homelessness to regain and maintain stable housing may apply for funds up to $500,000. Pilot programs that receive funding through this opportunity must be able to be implemented by June 30, 2024.

Notice: The application period for this program closed as of November 18, 2022. Applications are now under review. 

The Department of Art, Culture + Tourism notifies interested applicants of the availability of funds allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The availability and use of these funds is subject to federal regulations and is further subject to the City of Providence’s policies and program requirements.

In releasing this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), the goal is to make financial resources available to nonprofit art and/or cultural organizations that have experienced economic hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since March 3, 2021. This hardship includes periods of shutdown, declines in revenue, and increased costs. This grant program will reimburse eligible costs/expenses up to $50,000.

Bids are now closed. 

The City of Providence Healthy Communities Office seeks proposals for the creation of an Emergency Food Planning and Food Security Prioritization Process. The resulting product will include:

a) identification of immediate food needs to be funded in 2023

b) an action plan to be implemented immediately in case of a weather, public health, public safety or other emergency that impacts immediate food access for Providence residents, and

c) prioritization of activities to address structural gaps in Providence’s food security landscape (e.g. production, transportation, storage, distribution, etc.).

The plan and the process to create it will focus on equity in addressing the emergency food needs and long-term food security of vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations, including specific communities of color, new immigrants and refugees, individuals experiencing homelessness and elders. Provision of culturally and religiously appropriate foods will be included in the equity considerations.

Tasks Include:

• Convening key partners (including Providence Emergency Management Agency, key City and State offices, local nutrition safety net agencies and others) as the Providence Emergency Food Planning Work Group to inform and direct the development of a City of Providence Emergency Food Security Plan.
• Assessing and making recommendations from the City of Providence’s 3-9/2020 distribution experience.
• Reviewing and summarizing existing data and documentation of food distribution efforts led by the City of Providence or in which the City was a key partner.
• Conducting key informant interviews and other actions to document strengths and weaknesses of the 2020 effort in Providence, including in areas of age, racial, ethnic and economic equity.
• Identifying and making recommendations from nationwide COVID-19 emergency food distribution models.
• Assessing and identifying gaps and priorities for action in improving existing storage and distribution infrastructure in City-owned or controlled properties (e.g. refrigeration, dry storage, transportation).
• Assessing and identifying action steps for development of labor infrastructure to be mobilized in case of emergency, including but not limited to volunteer structures and City employees.
• Developing a list of key stakeholders and roles to be activated in case of ongoing food emergency; making initial contact to engage stakeholders in City of Providence Emergency Food Network.
• Engaging and documenting opportunities with institutional/business partners, including but not limited to:
  • K-12 Schools (public, private, charter, parochial); school food service agencies
  • Colleges/universities
  • Hospitality industry
  • Large and small businesses
  • Religious institutions
• By 12/31/2022, identifying and prioritizing actions to address immediate food security needs caused or amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Identifying and prioritizing actions to address structural gaps in Providence’s long-term food security infrastructure.
• Identifying specific priorities and action steps to address senior food security.

Bids are now closed. 

The City of Providence, represented by the Healthy Communities Office (HCO), Department of Arts, Culture + Tourism (ACT) and Providence Housing Authority (PHA) has been accepted as one of nine municipalities in the National League of Cities “Improving Community Resilience Through the Arts” program. This national program leverages the power of the arts to support city leaders’ efforts to improve the health, cohesion and resilience of their communities, with the goals of building sustainable partnerships between municipal government and the health and arts sectors, renewing public space, creating economic opportunities and holistically improving community wellbeing.

Through participation in this program, Providence aims to a) create meaningful jobs for hard hit gig workers, including Community Health Workers (CHWs), b) build opportunity for PHA residents to build social cohesion and overcome isolation, and c) contribute to development of the Providence Alternative Integrated Response & Emergency Diversion (PAIRED) Team, the City’s crisis response system that creates a pathway for community health workers, clinicians, and peer recovery specialists to support individuals in mental health crises in lieu of police engagement.

To better connect residents to care and resources, HCO, ACT, PHA and the PAIRED Team seek to expand connections to CHWs in PHA properties. These CHWs will connect residents to supportive services, medical care, and opportunities for artistic outlet and increased social connection.

Tasks Include:

1. Identifying, recruiting, training, and certifying 3 to 5 certified or prospective CHWs to assist in supporting residents in PHA properties, including:

1. 1. Public housing developments
   2. Senior high-rises
   3. Section 8 housing
   4. Section 811 housing
2. Providing full-time employment to program participants, including wages and benefits aligned with PHA employees, through November 2024. For CHWs who are not yet certified, this employment must be concurrent with and in fulfilment of hands-on training required by the CHW certification process (six months of full-time experience or 1000 hours part-time experience in relevant role).
3. Providing additional supports to participants in completing the certification process, including but not limited to:
4. Payment of certification testing fees
5. Documentation of past participant experience that may be counted toward training and work requirements of CHW certification.
6. Connection and referral to additional training opportunities provided by the City of Providence or other partners that can contribute to fulfilling certification requirements or successful program execution
7. Collaborating with and supporting artists embedded in PHA properties by ACT to develop and carry out art activities that decrease isolation among PHA residents.

All bids are now closed and under review. 

The City of Providence’s Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Program connects certified businesses with opportunities to sell their products and services to City of Providence departments. The goal is to promote fairness and equity in the City’s procurement process to increase M/WBE’s participation and support economic prosperity for minority and women-owned businesses.

The City of Providence Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) is seeking qualified proposals that deliver technical services related to assisting WBE/MBE, and DBEs become certified in the State of Rhode Island. This certification would assist in the City of Providence overarching participation goal.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

The Hardest Hit Community Organizations Fund is designed to provide grants to neighborhood-based nonprofit organizations serving populations experiencing disproportionate socio-economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This grant fund aims to build capacity for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) organizations to better support residents. The City of Providence is dedicated to supporting residents and the nonprofit organizations that strengthen our communities and support economic recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applications closed on October 21, 2022. Check back soon for a list of awardees. 

Bids are now closed. 

The City of Providence Department of Senior Services is accepting proposals from qualified non-profit organizations to manage the Providence Senior Meal Delivery Program.

Tasks Include:

• Developing a plan and process to deliver healthy, nutritious meals to senior residents enrolled in the program. Creating menus that are high quality, nutritious, culturally responsive, and appetizing.
• Creating guidelines for participation. Developing an application for the distribution of meals to participants. Final application criteria and guidelines must be approved by the Department of Senior Services.
• Assessing and identifying gaps in services for Providence seniors who may be experiencing food insecurity. Identifying and making recommendations for ongoing food insecurity needs in Providence’s senior community.
• Collecting and storing all information and required documentation for participant determination; providing the necessary documentation of distribution of funds through required reporting. Making such documentation available for audit by the Senior Services Department, if necessary.

Bids are now closed. 

The City of Providence is accepting bids for park improvements to Jennifer Rivera Memorial Park.

The Workforce Development Funding Program is designed to provide grants to organizations that provide job training for populations hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. This program will make financial resources available to workforce development entities, community nonprofits and associations that provide workforce development programs that have experienced economic hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since March 3, 2021. These hardships include periods of shutdown, declines in revenue, increased costs or the inability to serve those groups and individuals with significant barriers to employment that were most impacted by COVID-19. Only organizations that serve Providence residents can apply for this program. Companies located outside of the workforce development area may submit a proposal as long as the program serves a Providence resident with barriers to employment.

Applications closed on November 10, 2022 and are now under review.

Bids are now closed and under review.

The City of Providence Department of Senior Services is accepting proposals from qualified non-profit organizations to create and manage the Providence Emergency Micro Grant Program (EMG). The Department of Senior Services is seeking a partner or partners to assist Providence’s most vulnerable senior residents with access to emergency micro-grants. The selected organization or organizations will provide emergency micro-grants to assist with food, heating assistance, moving fees, deposits, personal hygiene products, and medical equipment to low-income Providence residents with emergency needs who qualify via the application. The Department of Senior Services will also refer applicants to the program administrator for grants.

Tasks Include:

1. Developing a plan and process to distribute emergency micro-grants to Providence seniors to assist with emergency needs such as food, heating/cooling issues, moving costs, medical equipment and personal hygiene products within four weeks of project commencement.
2. Create final guidelines for participation and application criteria for distribution of emergency micro-grants. Final approval of guidelines created by the program manager must be approved by the Department of Senior Services.
3. Identify and make recommendations of ongoing emergency needs, including those that were caused by or amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. Appoint a liaison to the Providence Age-Friendly Ambassador Group.
5. Assess and identify gaps in services for Providence seniors that can be met with emergency micro-grants.
6. Collect and store all information and required documentation of emergency circumstances necessary for emergency micro-grant determinations; provide necessary documentation of distributions of funds through end-of-the-year reports. Make such documentation available for audit by the Senior Services department, if necessary.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Bids are now closed and under review.

The City of Providence seeks a partner to develop architectural/engineering design services, conduct pre-construction consulting services, construct, operate, and maintain a food pavilion/food vendor space, shaded outdoor seating/dining area and associated landscaping improvements.

The food pavilion and associated landscaping improvements to Kennedy Plaza are envisioned to function as a destination by attracting people to Downtown Providence and serve as an amenity that supports Kennedy Plaza programming and surrounding residential and commercial investments. The building should include year-round restaurant space, including necessary kitchen/back of house space and a fully air-conditioned and heated area connected to the outdoor dining space, with the potential for adaptable indoor/outdoor spaces.

Tasks Include:

Phase 1

• Design, build, operate, maintain building, shaded outdoor seating/dining event area and landscaping improvements, including:
• A 2,000 to 4,000 square foot building in Kennedy Plaza that houses a food pavilion/food vendor space(s) and supporting amenities (location within the plaza is flexible and to be determined through an initial phase of this work);
• An approximately 8,300 square foot shaded outdoor seating/dining and event area attached/adjacent to the new building; and
• Associated landscaping improvements in the Plaza to make the area more sustainable, resilient, and inviting for visitors of all ages.

Phase 2

• Develop three draft conceptual alternatives for a future Phase 2 of this project that will involve demolition of the existing addition to the historic trolley building in Kennedy Plaza and construction of a new, more contemporary building addition, shaded outdoor seating/event area, or combination of the two that complements the other work outlined in Phase 1.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Bids are now closed and under review.

The City of Providence is seeking proposals for a bus for sixteen (16) passengers with two (2) wheelchair accessible seats for the Department of Senior Services.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Bids are now closed and under review.

The City of Providence Healthy Communities Office seeks proposals for the creation of an Emergency Food Planning and Food Security Prioritization Process. The resulting product will include

a) identification of immediate food needs to be funded in 2023

b) an action plan to be implemented immediately in case of a weather, public health, public safety or other emergency that impacts immediate food access for Providence residents, and

c) prioritization of activities to address structural gaps in Providence’s food security landscape (e.g. production, transportation, storage, distribution etc).

The plan and the process to create it will focus on equity in addressing the emergency food needs and long-term food security of vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations, including specific communities of color, new immigrants and refugees, individuals experiencing homelessness and elders. Provision of culturally and religiously appropriate foods will be included in the equity considerations.

Tasks Include:

1. Convene key partners (including Providence Emergency Management Agency, key City and State offices, local nutrition safety net agencies and others) as the Providence Emergency Food Planning Work Group to inform and direct the development of a City of Providence Emergency Food Security Plan.
2. Assess and make recommendations from the City of Providence’s 3-9/2020 distribution experience.
1. Review and summarize existing data and documentation of food distribution efforts led by the City of Providence or in which the City was a key partner.
2. Conduct key informant interviews and other actions to document strengths and weaknesses of the 2020 effort in Providence, including in areas of age, racial, ethnic and economic equity.
3. Identify and make recommendations from nationwide COVID-19 emergency food distribution models (e.g Montgomery County Md.).
4. Assess and identify gaps and priorities for action in improving existing storage and distribution infrastructure in City-owned or controlled properties (e.g. refrigeration, dry storage, transportation).
5. Assess and identify action steps for development of labor infrastructure to be mobilized in case of emergency, including but not limited to volunteer structure (churches/community organizations/other volunteers) and City employees.
6. Develop list of key stakeholders and roles to be activated in case of ongoing food emergency; make initial contact to engage stakeholders in City of Providence Emergency Food Network.
7. Engage and document opportunities with institutional/business partners, including but not limited to:
1. K-12 Schools (public, private, charter, parochial); school food service agencies
2. Colleges/universities
3. Hospitality industry
4. Large and small businesses
5. Religious institutions
8. By 12/31/2022, identify and prioritize actions to address immediate food security needs caused or amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.
9. Identify and prioritize actions to address structural gaps in Providence’s long-term food security infrastructure.
10. Identify specific priorities and action steps to address senior food security.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

The Department of Art, Culture + Tourism notifies interested applicants of the availability of funds allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The availability and use of these funds is subject to federal regulations and is further subject to the City of Providence’s policies and program requirements.

In releasing this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), the goal is to make financial resources available to nonprofit art and/or cultural organizations that have experienced economic hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since March 3, 2021. This hardship includes periods of shutdown, declines in revenue, and increased costs. This grant program will reimburse eligible costs/expenses up to $50,000.

Bids are now closed.

The City of Providence Information Technology Department is requesting bids for network and hardware items to support Broadband wifi service at Roger Williams Park. Vendors must submit an itemized breakdown with unit price and total price, and clear description of manufacturer and part numbers. All items must be delivered to Providence, RI within 30 days of a Purchase Order being issued.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Bids are now closed.

The City of Providence Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) seeks a qualified team of architects, urban planners, artists, and traffic engineers (Bidders) to develop a beautification and maintenance plan, provide beautification and landscaping services, and provide maintenance services for the designated target investment districts. Services provided by the awarded Bidder will include, but are not limited to, investment and implementation of creative landscaping designs, preconstruction consulting services, installation, upkeep, and other pedestrian enhancements. This contract will serve as a multi-year contract for a maximum period of three (3) years. Year one (1) of the contract will be dedicated to design and installation, followed by two (2) years of maintenance for the landscaped areas.

The target investment areas include:

• Broad Street from I-95 to Friendship Street

• Camp Street from Doyle Avenue to Rochambeau Avenue

• Prairie Avenue from Point Street to Public Street

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Bids are now closed.

The City of Providence is seeking proposals for a vendor to continue and adapt the City of Providence Early Learning Facilities Improvement Grant Program, which will include providing specialized assessment and technical assistance to both home- and center-based childcare facilities, and issuing both planning and facility improvement grants specific to improving early learning programs. These services must be designed to meet the unique needs of early learning providers across Providence, specifically the challenges faced by home-based providers.

The goals of this program will be to:

1. Improve the quality of home- and center-based early learning facilities in Providence.
2. Support the availability of childcare by funding projects that have the potential to increase provider capacity.
3. Provide the technical capacity to allow providers to take competitive advantage of funding opportunities beyond the City.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Bids are now closed.

The City of Providence is requesting proposals from public or private providers of affordable housing for projects that will deliver low- or no-cost access to broadband internet into the homes of low- and moderate- income residents of Providence. The primary goal of this project is to increase broadband access for Providence children and youth from low- and moderate-income households, however, we recognize that many extended families and informal social networks play an active role in childcare, and, therefore, proposals need not be limited to households with children.

Proposed projects may use a variety of modalities to expand access, which could include, but are not limited to:

• Installing broadband technology in existing buildings in units reserved for those with 100% or less of Area Median Income (AMI);
• Installing broadband technology in individual housing units reserved for those with 65 % or less of AMI, and managing the ongoing contracts for each unit;

Internet service should include all hardware, software, installation and/or maintenance necessary to provide continuous, reliable service to the end user. Broadband speeds of 25Mbps Up/3Mbps Down are required, with 100Mbps/20Mbps or greater preferred. In making awards, the City will consider the number of households and individuals that proposals will cover, as well as the income ranges that will be served. The successful proposal will include a plan for sustaining internet coverage beyond the expiration of city funding (beyond June 30, 2024). Collaborations between organizations to increase the number of low-and moderate-income residents served are encouraged

Tasks Included:

Required activities will be largely dependent upon the proposed project design and delivery modality but should include the following components:

1. Infrastructure – Proposals should include a detailed explanation of hardware and/or telecommunications equipment that will need to be purchased and/or installed to implement the proposed program successfully, and how it will be procured. Considering the funding timeline of this project, locations should be established buildings with current or pending occupants who meet the goals of this program.
2. Service contract – Proposals should include an explanation of the data plan and/or internet service provider contract that will be needed for the proposed program, how billing will be managed, and how the service will be provided. Proposals should include the net cost of the service, after all discounts, including any applicable discounts under the FCC Affordable Connectivity Program, as well as an estimate of cost per household served
3. Outreach and communications – Proposals should include an explanation of how targeted community members will learn about and access this program.
4. Maintenance and management – Proposals should include an explanation of how internet access will be maintained and managed beyond the expiration of City funds.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Bids are now closed.

The City of Providence seeks a(n) organization(s) to provide legal services for immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship and other lawful immigration statuses. This project aims to:

1. Improve economic stability of foreign-born residents by reducing the financial burden of the legal process of naturalization;
2. Increase the number of foreign-born residents of Providence naturalized as U.S. citizens;
3. Increase awareness of existing partnerships and services available to those seeking naturalization;
4. Increase awareness of and enrollment in federal/state public benefits to those eligible; and
5. Increase coordination between existing immigration services offered by government and nonprofit organizations.

Tasks include:

1. Providing peer navigator support for clients that require non-legal assistance.
2. Providing legal support and/or representation for clients required to interface with federal, state, and/or local agencies/courts.
3. Developing a multilingual outreach strategy to identify and recruit eligible residents to participate in the program.
4. Creating an administrative process for screening residents’ eligibility for service; developing criteria for eligibility for service.
5. Coordinating with existing government and nonprofit efforts to provide immigration-related services.
6. Regularly meeting with City of Providence representatives to discuss the status of activities.
7. Partnering with an academic institution to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the restoration program. This component is encouraged but not required for applicants to be considered for the award. Please note that no funding from this award may be used for this task. Applicants will need to identify other sources of funding or establish partnerships.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Bids are now closed.

This part-time grants coordinator will spend 10-15 hours per week between September 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023 ensuring compliance for a program designed to address the needs of small hospitality, tourism and creative businesses and nonprofit art and/or cultural organizations that have experienced adverse economic circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020, including periods of shutdown, declines in revenue, and increased costs. This is a ten-month long contractual opportunity with the possibility of renewal.

Tasks Include:

1. Managing State and Local Recovery Fund (SLRF) compliance deliverables and timelines in partnership with ACT and City staff.
2. Working with SLRF subrecipients (grantees) to ensure proper reporting compliance.
3. Managing all documents and data pertaining to the Art, Culture + Tourism reimbursement grant funding stream.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

Applications are closed as of July 1, 2022. 

The City of Providence’s COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program was designed to provide microgrants of $2,500 to qualified businesses throughout Providence that were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and support their economic recovery.

The City accepted proposals for a city-wide non-violence training for youth age 15-24 that would enhance participants’ conflict resolution skills and proactively identify interpersonal conflicts between individuals and groups at risk of escalating to violence. The deadline to apply was 10/12/21.

The Nonviolence Institute was selected by the City of Providence to implement this program. Opportunities to participate in non-violence trainings are listed above under “Current Programs.” Learn more: https://nonviolenceinstitute.org/ 

Bids are now closed.

The City of Providence is committed to addressing the housing affordability and instability issues that are unduly impacting low- and moderate-income residents of the city. 54% of renter households in Providence are housing cost burdened, while the income needed to comfortably afford an average 2-bedroom apartment in the city is $71,160. These numbers suggest that even small unanticipated expenses for many families in Providence can mean the difference between facing eviction and not. There is significant evidence that having legal support during eviction proceedings has a large positive impact on the outcomes that tenants experience

The City of Providence is seeking proposals from agencies to provide direct legal services to residents who are currently experiencing or who are at imminent risk of eviction. Interventions should be targeted at low- and moderate-income residents who are most vulnerable to eviction. The successful application will leverage existing resources, such as emergency rental assistance programs, and partnerships, such as with organizations serving people at imminent risk of homelessness, to ensure that every available resource is utilized to keep residents safely housed.

Tasks include:

• delivering a range of legal services to low-income tenants to prevent eviction or buffer its effects for Providence households. This could include services ranging from offering “know your rights workshops” and legal consultations to providing full legal representation to otherwise unrepresented tenants in Court;
• developing or expanding an implementation plan to improve or develop a new system approach, policy, or program to support low-income tenants experiencing eviction more broadly;
• and subcontracting with other organizations as necessary;
• and regular reporting to the City on progress of eviction defense pilot and identification of opportunities to expand the pilot.

Addendum #: 1
Issue Date: 6/16/2022

The purpose of this addendum is to amend the income eligibility of households to be served through the eviction defense program.
The initial RFP states that households earning up to 100% of Area Median Income are included in the scope of work for eviction defense services. To better align this program with the eligibility guidelines of the American Rescue Plan, we are amending the income eligibility to 65% of Area Median Income.

To read the entire request for proposals and learn more, click here or visit the City of Providence’s Current Bids webpage.

This was a new technical assistance program designed to help Providence-based small businesses, especially microbusinesses with fewer than ten employees, expand their business knowledge and build their existing business. Businesses received assistance with loan applications, accounting and finance, graphic design, social media, marketing and human resources support, as well as other areas of business development.

Through a competitive request for proposals process, Roads Consulting Group was chosen to partner with the City to work directly with eligible businesses to assess their needs and provide dedicated coaching and advice based on the unique needs of each entity. This program was open to all small businesses and microenterprises in Providence, but priority will be given to microenterprises who hope to start up or expand a small business or franchise in Providence.

The program was part of the City’s One Providence Small Business Assistance initiative, designed to provide direct supports to small business owners. Individuals seeking support or with questions can reach out to the City’s Small Business Coordinator Jessie Ernster who will serve as a resource and connection to City services for the entire Providence small business community.

The City accepted proposals for a new youth mentorship project, as community members, stakeholders, and non-profit organizations have recognized youth employment and access to mentorship as a proven method of deterring youth violence. The deadline to apply was 10/25/21.

Mentor Rhode Island was selected by the City of Providence to implement this project. Mentor Rhode Island accepted proposals from community organizations seeking to receive specialized assistance from Mentor Rhode Island, as well as program improvement grants specific to improving mentoring opportunities. Mentor Rhode Island is centering its efforts on organizations that focus on transitional years, including the transition from elementary and middle school to higher grades, older teenagers and young adults, and on areas of the city where programs do not currently exist.

To learn more about Mentor Rhode Island’s request for proposals, visit https://mentorri.org/relationships-at-the-center.