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BankNewport Highlights 2024 Community Investment

02.03.25

Newport, RI – (February 3, 2025) – BankNewport is pleased to announce that its 2024 philanthropic efforts resulted in over $1.6 million in giving and more than 10,000 employee volunteer service hours throughout Rhode Island.  The funding was inclusive of charitable grants, contributions, community event sponsorships and branch donations.  Over 400 organizations throughout the state were impacted by the Bank’s philanthropy in 2024, via monetary support, board service and/or financial education.

Organizations in every county of Rhode Island benefited from the giving effort, with areas of impact focused on basic needs, children and families, workforce and education success, and arts and culture. Key grants included the Central Falls Children’s Foundation Education Strategy Initiative, Child & Family Services Supportive Housing Program, Hope & Main Nourish Our Neighbors Emergency Meal Program, the Newport Historical Society Renovation Campaign for the Center for Black History at the historic Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, the Newport County YMCA Childcare Renovation and Expansion Project, and the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

“As a community bank with over 200 years of history, BankNewport remains focused on supporting the people and organizations that define Rhode Island,” said Jack Murphy, President and CEO of BankNewport. “From addressing food security to fostering educational opportunities, we take great pride in collaborating with our nonprofit partners to create meaningful change.”

Through BNWise, BankNewport’s financial education program, over 1,600 students and community members were engaged in interactive financial education presentations on a variety of topics, from saving and budgeting to credit and homeownership, made available in-person and virtually.

The Bank’s “Kind Heart Fresh Start” campaign to benefit Amenity Aid, Rhode Island’s only hygiene bank, resulted in the collection of more than 1,000 essential hygiene products for Rhode Islanders in need.

In 2024, BankNewport was named Rhode Island 7(a) Lender of the Year, Rhode Island 504 3rd Party Lender of the Year (tie) for the 13th time in the last 14 years, and Rhode Island 7(a) and 504 Combined Dollar Volume Lender of the Year.  Other local and national recognition included American Banker Best Banks to Work For, Employee Benefit News (EBN) Best Human Resources Teams in America, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of RI Worksite Health Award, Providence Business News Healthiest Employers and Best Places to Work in Rhode Island, and United Way of Rhode Island’s Top Corporate Partner.  Murphy added, “The awards the Bank received in 2024 reflect the collective efforts of our amazing employees and the trust of our community.”

 

  • BankNewport employees volunteered with Habitat for Humanity of South County this summer to assist with a house build project.

  • BankNewport’s internship program participants volunteered at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Community Center to assist with preparation for a MLK Friend’s Lunch Friday.

  • BankNewport employees partnered with United Way of Rhode Island to pack meals for Central Falls Food Pantry at Progreso Latino, East Bay Community Action Program, West Bay Community Action Program, and Welcome House of South County (WARM, Inc.).