2015

The Hardiman Grant for 2015 was awarded to the Open Recreation Program
of Child & Family - specifically a year round basketball program for
underprivileged youths in the Eddy Street neighborhood of Providence.
Typically there are 25 to 30 kids in the program, ranging in age from 6 to
25.  The grant will go towards equipment, uniforms, snacks, gym rental,
travel and other costs.

2016

The Hardiman Grant for 2016 was awarded to the 9 Yards Program at OpenDoorsRI.org.  The grant will be used to help house hi risk offenders who served time at the ACI's Medium Security Facility are are reentering the community.  We are proud to give the grant in his honor.

2017

The Hardiman Grant for 2017 was awarded to The Rhode Island Urban Debate League. The grant will help serve 30 urban high school students at the Urban Debate League’s Summer Debate Institute. Typically this type of camp experience is inaccessible to this student population; most camps cost thousands of dollars, require travel outside of the state, and do not cater to the specific needs of urban kids managing multiple summer obligations.

2019

The Hardiman Grant for 2017 was awarded to Transcending Through Education Foundation (“TTEF”). TTEF provides targeted educational resources by working with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (“RIDOC”) and the Community College of Rhode Island (“CCRI”) to provide college courses at the RIDOC. They also conduct in-prison workshops about applying to college with a criminal record, make annual scholarship awards of up to $1,000 to those who have been accepted to higher-education programs, and provide mentors to select awardees. Mentors are usually people who have been incarcerated and have gone on to get college degrees. The Hardiman Grant was used to fund TTEF’s annual workshops and mentorship program. Each year TTEF conduct workshops at the various facilities at the RIDOC and at the Rhode Island Training School. TTEF volunteers present to approximately 20-75 people per workshop, presenting to several hundred people in prison on an annual basis. The workshops explain how to navigate the college and financial aid 2 application process with a criminal record, providing guidance on picking colleges, applying for scholarships, budgeting, and essay writing. Funds from the Hardiman grant were used toward materials, supplies, and any other expenses for the workshops. Grant proceeds were also used for incidental expenses for our mentorship program. Expenses include materials that mentors sent mentees, such as books, and minor expenses a mentor encounters when meeting with a mentee that has been released, such as coffee and snacks. We estimate that the Hardiman grant can fund our workshops and mentorship program for two years. We believe that TTEF’s vision of giving back to this community and empowering our beneficiaries reflects the work that John J. Hardiman dedicated his life to, which was being a champion of the traditionally voiceless and underprivileged in our community. Our work betters the lives of needy individuals in the Rhode Island community, and represents the transformation of the very people John saw at their worst moments. John clearly believed that all people deserve second chances, and TTEF is an embodiment of that spirit.