In early September, a phone call between two longtime friends transformed into a $750,000 donation to the University of Rhode Island, which will provide emergency aid to students who experience sudden financial hardships.
The Hayden Foundation, a philanthropic organization that gives away nearly $1 million annually to support education and animal welfare organizations, will donate $250,000 per year to the university over a three-year span. The money will add to an existing pool of funds already allocated to helping students stay afloat financially when “life happens,” according to Dean Libutti, associate vice president for enrollment management and student success at URI.
“Our students work hard, and families, to pay for a URI education,” Libutti said. “And then, unfortunately, life happens. And life happens sometimes during a tough economic time where interest rates are high. You’re paying for more expenses for food and gas than others. And so when we looked at what we did last fall, it was great, but we needed to do more.”
In 2023, Enrollment Services assisted more than 150 students with over $200,000 of emergency grants, according to Libutti. This largely came from a $264,000 budget for the school’s RhodyNow scholarship fund, in addition to a university-record $150 million in financial aid given out to students.
The $250,000 yearly donation will add to the $264,000 RhodyNow pool from last year. The new funding will match RhodyNow’s donation to students with an amount of equal value, providing students with increased financial support to continue pursuing their degree, according to Libutti.
Students who experience a sudden financial hardship and are in need of assistance from the university can visit the second floor of Green Hall, where Enrollment Services will evaluate a student’s need based on the completion of a special circumstances form, available on URI’s Enrollment Services website .
The form will help staff determine whether or not the student can receive more federal assistance, based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and how much they can draw from emergency funds including the Hayden Foundation’s donation, according to Libutti.
The process of receiving the emergency money is nearly instantaneous, according to Libutti. In some cases, students can receive emergency support ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 directly from the Hayden Foundation’s donation within 24-48 hours after filing their form. In other cases where federal assistance based on the FAFSA is assessed, the process can take up to a week.
“We don’t need to replace, we need to continue to expand and enhance,” Libutti said. “And if you ask me, do we still need more funds to help our students? The answer is absolutely. My dream would be to have a million dollars of additional emergency aid a year to help our students and families.”
The Hayden Foundation, established by lifelong philanthropists Don and Elaine Hayden, “sat dormant” for almost a decade and lacked infrastructure after Elaine’s passing in 2011, according to George Panichas, executive director at the foundation. As soon as the 20-year business executive got the call to fill the executive director role, he took the opportunity to bring the foundation back to life.
“I put together the infrastructure that has allowed us to carry on the mission,” Panichas said. “I actually started to make the Hayden Foundation more visible to the Rhode Island community. And again, going with Don and Elaine’s vision, education and animal welfare. I started to make the foundation a little more visible. And I got a call from Katherine Flynn.”
Flynn, the e xecutive director of URI Business Engagement and longtime friend of Panichas, quickly arranged an introductory meeting to discuss a partnership. It was clear almost instantly that the visions of the two parties aligned perfectly, according to both Panichas and Libutti.
“The Hayden Foundation is set up so that 80% of the funding goes towards education and 20% goes to animal welfare,” Panichas said. “URI has gotten a good chunk and it’s our first multi-year commitment, so that’s pretty special. It’s the flagship public institution in Rhode Island. So we wanted to be supportive of that cause and we’re just thrilled to be part of it.”
The partnership between the foundation and URI is one that both Panichas and Libutti hope continues past the initial three-year agreement, as the university works toward the goal of raising as much money as possible to help students achieve their academic goals.