Community Partnerships

BGC of Newport County is committed to providing a safe haven for kids and teens on Aquidneck Island where they could find encouragement toward bright futures.

NBS works with BGC to connect Newport County-based youth with a variety of our Education programs, increasing the accessibility and reach of our programming.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology brings together the agility and impact of an on-the-ground nonprofit organization with world-class science and teaching as part of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Each year, the Norman Bird Sanctuary serves as an official chapter of Cornell’s Project Nestwatch, contributing data observed from over 300 bird nesting boxes.

Grounded in positive youth development, FabNewport ensures youth have equitable access to the opportunities, resources and relationships so they can thrive today and in the future.

NBS is a proud member of FabNewport’s All Course Network program, a statewide course catalog that lets students take free courses at colleges, schools, or online, through our Surf and Turf Conservation program.

The Green Infrastructure Coalition is for Rhode Island municipalities to have sustainable stormwater management programs which prioritize implementing green infrastructure, which uses vegetation and soil to manage rainwater where it falls.

Taking root from its inspirational spirit, the Greenlove Foundation seeks to foster and grow an optimistic, positive and forward-thinking sense of environmental responsibility and sustainability awareness.

The Jamestown Housing Authority provides stable, quality affordable housing opportunities for low and moderate income families throughout the local community.

NBS works with Jamestown Housing Authority to connect Jamestown-based youth with a variety of our Education programs, increasing the accessibility and reach of our programming.

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center is a central service provider for at-risk individuals, families, and seniors in Newport County. An independent nonprofit, the MLK Community Center fights hunger, promotes health, educates young and school-aged kids, supports families, and engages seniors.

Through our Good Gardens, NBS is able to donate over a ton of volunteer-grown vegetables, fruits, herbs, and cut flowers to the MLK Community Center annually. The Sanctuary received a 2022 Best Practice Award from the Rhode Island Foundation in honor of the enduring success of this partnership.

The Met is a network of six small, public high schools located in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island. With high standards and strong family engagement, the Met’s individualized learning approach has proven successful in unlocking students’ passion for learning.

The Middletown Child Opportunity Zone (MCOZ) is a member of a network of ten COZ sites across the state. COZs follow the National Community Schools model, creating partnerships among families, schools, and the community to coordinate comprehensive academic, social and health/wellness services for students and their families, resulting in improved educational outcomes for children.

NBS works with MCOZ to connect Middletown-based youth with a variety of our Education programs, increasing the accessibility and reach of our programming.

Middletown Outreach Department support the efforts and meet the needs of all community members by delivering enrichment, guidance, and wellness opportunities.

NBS works with Middletown Outreach Department to connect Middletown-based youth with a variety of our Education programs, increasing the accessibility and reach of our programming.

The Newport Art Museum was founded in 1912 on the belief that arts and culture have the power to bring diverse groups of individuals together, which ultimately promotes civic engagement and strengthens the social fabric of our communities.

NCYMCA is a non-profit organization of people of all ages, ethnic origins, religious affiliations and socio- economic levels, committed to significantly improving and positively influencing the quality of life and social well being for our members, our families and our community.

The Newport Public Education Foundation empowers teachers, administrators and community partners to provide enriching educational experiences for the students of Newport Public Schools.

RIEEA is a collaborative network of individuals and organizations working to promote environmental education in both formal and nonformal settings.

In collaboration with Dr. Jameson Chace, Salve Regina Conservation Biology students have conducted extensive research across the NBS campus, including a comprehensive overview of invasive species and a water quality assessment. Students have also collaborated with NBS to install Bird Boxes, collect data and identify bird species, and analyze and prepare data for the public.

The Star Kids Scholarship Program provides educational opportunities in the form of tuition aid to effective non-public schools, uniforms, after-school and summer programs, tutoring and mentoring for those high risk, low-income children who have a parent with a history of incarceration and/or substance abuse.

In collaboration with the organization’s Scholarship Program, Norman Bird Sanctuary has awarded hundreds of scholarship awards to active Star Kids.

Tomaquag Indigenous Museum, one of the oldest tribal museums in the country and Rhode Island’s only Indigenous-led museum, is dedicated to educating the public about Indigenous history, culture, and arts.

SMILE (Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences) is a statewide after-school STEM program for 4th-12th graders, focusing on creative problem-solving and promoting higher education for underrepresented students. The initiative offers professional development for Rhode Island teachers and hosts community events like Family Science Nights. Students are also granted the opportunity to collaborate with University of Rhode Island mentors on annual projects and contribute to global stewardship efforts.

Through Dr. Evan Preisser’s NSF funding, Norman Bird Sanctuary is able to collaborate with SMILE to host regular field trip programs for students involved in the program.  

Aquidneck Community Table works in many ways to build a vibrant food system on Aquidneck Island: distribution of fresh foods at our farmers markets, education in school and community gardens, programs that inspire young people to love nutritious foods.

NBS is an active participant in Aquidneck Community Table, which connects our team directly to clients from a variety of local community organizations.

The Fall River Deaconess Home is a vibrant, dynamic agency, that provides cutting-edge, comprehensive treatment services to youth and families in need and remains true to founding principles.

Looking Upwards is a private, nonprofit agency offering a wide array of services to adults with developmental disabilities and children and youth with special healthcare needs on Aquidneck Island.

In addition to extensive volunteering in the Good Gardens, Looking Upwards has an ongoing programmatic collaboration with NBS through our Adaptive Walks series.

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center is a central service provider for at-risk individuals, families, and seniors in Newport County. An independent nonprofit, the MLK Community Center fights hunger, promotes health, educates young and school-aged kids, supports families, and engages seniors.

Through our Good Gardens, NBS is able to donate over a ton of volunteer-grown vegetables, fruits, herbs, and cut flowers to the MLK Community Center annually. The Sanctuary received a 2022 Best Practice Award from the Rhode Island Foundation in honor of the enduring success of this partnership.

The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society is a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and protection of Rhode Island’s native plants and their habitats.

Norman Bird Sanctuary participates in the Re-Seeding Rhode Island Initiative, a five-year plan to increase the availability of plants grown from locally sourced wild native seeds collected in Rhode Island.

Sacred Center is an inclusive, life affirming, interfaith, online and local learning community on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island devoted to helping people find their sacred center within.

The Sacred Center offers yoga and wellness programming at the Norman Bird Sanctuary.

Sankofa Community Connection works to increase pride of place within the African American Community of Newport County, through community gatherings to promote social cohesion, discussions of institutional racism and racial oppression to promote dialogue and create solutions to the issues, and historical education to reveal, honor and celebrate the cultural heritage of African Americans of early Newport.

St. Columba’s is a parish in search of the “more”: a surer belief in God’s love, a greater role in our community, a church that is also a home.

The URI Master Gardener Program was established in 1977 to educate citizens in environmentally-sound gardening practices through the dissemination of factual, research-based information. Through a train-the-trainer approach, over 800 volunteers serve as community-based educators, amplifying the impact of Cooperative Extension to improve environmental quality and build healthy communities throughout Rhode Island.

Volunteer URI Master Gardeners completely rebuilt and redesigned the Good Gardens in 2017, creating an engaging teaching garden that models best practice in organic gardening. The Good Gardens partnership between Norman Bird Sanctuary and the URI Master Gardeners plays an important role as part of our 300-acre outdoor classroom.

Preserve Rhode Island is the only statewide non-profit working to protect historic places through advocacy, stewardship, and preservation programs. Our mission is to protect and activate historic places for the benefit of all Rhode Islanders.

In collaboration with Aquidneck Stone Wall Initiative and The Preservation Society of Newport County, Preserve Rhode Island supports the Sanctuary’s efforts to repair miles of stone walls across the NBS campus and directly engages and manages the project’s volunteers.

In collaboration with Dr. Jameson Chace, Salve Regina Conservation Biology students have conducted extensive research across the NBS campus, including a comprehensive overview of invasive species and a water quality assessment. Students have also collaborated with our Conservation Crew, Properties and Education teams to install Bird Boxes, collect data and identify bird species, and analyze and prepare data for the public.