AG’s pediatric dental care fund opens to nonprofit applicants

Nonprofits helping close the gap in pediatric dental care in Providence can receive up to $3 million under a new grant program created by the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office. 

The Route 6/10 Children’s Fund opened to applicants Tuesday, and will continue to accept proposals from eligible nonprofits through 3 p.m. on Sept. 10. The $10 million fund, administered by the Rhode Island Foundation, relies on proceeds from a state settlement over the dumping of contaminated soil during the Route 6/10 Interchange construction. 

Neronha, whose office led the state’s dual civil and criminal charges against contractor Barletta Heavy Division Inc., proposed spending $10 million of the total $11 million payment on pediatric dental care in Providence, where lack of access or ability to afford regular dental care is most acute. The remaining $1 million from the settlement was divided between the AG’s office, to cover expenses for the case, and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, which investigated the contamination claims.

“Whenever this Office brings cases that result in legal success, we think carefully about how those wins can translate into direct, impactful benefits for Rhode Islanders,” Neronha said in a statement. “The lack of pediatric dental care for Providence children is an urgent and completely unmet healthcare issue, and my hope is that with this program, we can take immediate action to alleviate this crisis.”

Across the state, one in three kindergarten students and nearly half of third-grade students experience tooth decay, according to a 2023 report from the Rhode Island Department of Health based on survey data during prior school years. Children from lower-income families who qualified for free or reduced meals at school and those who identified as Hispanic were more likely than their peers to have untreated tooth decay, the health department’s report found.

Despite the need, Republican state lawmakers pushed back on Neronha’s proposal, insisting it was up to the Rhode Island General Assembly, not Neronha, to decide how to spend state settlement money. However, a state Republican-led attempt to claw back the funding from Neronha’s office in the state’s fiscal 2026 budget was soundly defeated by Democrats on June 17, preserving the funds for use as Neronha intended.

Projects that improve access to oral health care for children in Providence’s Olneyville, West End and Silver Lake neighborhoods are the focus of the initial round of grants. Applicants must be registered 501(c)3 organizations, or have a fiscal sponsor with that designation, to apply.

Grant awards range from $250,000 to $3 million, and can be partially used on capital costs, in addition to program implementation.

More information and application materials are available on the Rhode Island Foundation website.