2025 Common Good Awards

Illustration via Getty Images/Ruslana Chub

Rhode Island Monthly is partnering with the Rhode Island foundation again to present the eighth annual Common Good Awards. This program recognizes Rhode Island businesses of all sizes that inspire philanthropy through their mission and in their employees around the state, not by just writing a check to a worthy cause, but by encouraging staff to go into the community to help people in need and by creating events that give back to good causes. These companies also take it a step further, offering employees incentives like paid time off for volunteerism and donation-matching programs.

The Judges: Jamie Coelho, editor, Rhode Island Monthly; Dana Laverty, managing editor, Rhode Island Monthly; Lauren Clem, associate editor, Rhode Island Monthly.

Congratulations to this year’s winners!

Sin-cere Multiservice Inc. • Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co. • Groov-Pin Corporation • Cox Communications

Honorable mentions: Courthouse Center for the Arts • BankNewport

Sin-cere Multiservice Inc.

Winner, Micro Category: 9 employees or fewer

Location: Providence, sinceremultiservice.com

Sin-cere Multiservice Inc. empowers individuals and communities by providing essential services in financial literacy, entrepreneurial education and personal development to foster economic independence and career readiness.

Photo courtesy of Sin-cere Multiservice inc.

Sin-cere Multiservice Inc. helps individuals make sense of money starting at an early age. Staff members frequently volunteer at elementary schools and after-school programs to teach life skills and financial literacy to students, while also offering mentorships to young adults. 

The business partners with local nonprofits and community partners to organize outreach programs that foster financial literacy, entrepreneurship and personal development for underserved populations. The Financial Literacy Program provides support to schools, correctional facilities and community centers by educating individuals on budgeting, saving, investing and debt management. The hope is to empower individuals to take control of their finances and achieve long-term financial stability. 

Sin-cere teams up with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, for example, to teach incarcerated individuals financial skills that will help them reintegrate into society after being released from prison. 

It also runs workshops to teach entrepreneurs how to launch a business. The curriculum covers business planning, marketing strategies and financial management to help future business owners turn their ideas into successful ventures.

Photo courtesy of Sin-cere Multiservice inc.

Sin-cere Multiservice Inc. also partners with Spurwink of Rhode Island, an organization that supports individuals with disabilities, to create an inclusive employment program that provides meaningful employment opportunities and fosters a culture of inclusion and diversity. They work with the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals to support this initiative and encourage other small businesses to do the same. 

Judge’s Take:“I loved this organization’s mission. Financial literacy is so important, and I enjoyed reading about their programs to teach it to individuals who might not otherwise receive it, like at the Adult Correctional Institutions. It’s something that can reallymake a difference in a person’s life.” —Lauren Clem

Courthouse Center for the Arts

Honorable Mention, Micro Category: 9 employees or fewer

Location:West Kingston, courthousearts.org

Illustration via Getty Images/Anastasia Cherkasova

The Courthouse Center for the Arts provides free arts and music programs for children of all ages and abilities. Volunteer instructors help children develop their musical and theatrical abilities, which also helps improve their vocabulary, lessen anxiety, teach sentence structure and increase speaking abilities and motor skills. Volunteers have also worked with Looking Upwards to host Just Dance, a free monthly dance and pizza party for differently abled children and young adults.

Judge’s Take: “The Courthouse Center for the Arts gives kids an outlet to be creative and gain confidence in a safe space with passionate volunteer instructors providing support.” —Jamie Coelho

Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling CO.

Winner, Small Category: 10–80 employees

Location: Newport, newportcraft.com

Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co. is a craft brewery based in Newport that has demonstrated a strong commitment to local philanthropy.

Photography courtesy of Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co.

Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co. supports local charities and nonprofit organizations by providing a space to host fundraising events and donating a portion of proceeds from specially made craft beers to important causes. The company has raised funds and awareness for organizations such as the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and the Potter League for Animals. 

By using its space, events and products as platforms for raising awareness and funds, the company creates a direct connection between customers and local needs. In addition to financial support, Newport Craft actively participates in community events, leveraging its brewery space and resources to benefit local causes. The brewery frequently hosts charity events, including benefit concerts, auctions and community gatherings, which raise money and foster a sense of unity and collective action. These events often spotlight local artists, filmmakers and musicians, further strengthening community ties. 

Photography courtesy of Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co.

This year, the brewery also created the exclusive Potter League Pale Ale, which was available this fall for only $5 (after each guest’s first drink), with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the animals at the shelter. The brewery also teamed up with Barrett’s Alehouse in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to create Shark Juice IPA. For every can sold, $1 was donated to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy to support its efforts to spread awareness, education and inspiration to preserve our ocean ecosystem and the magnificent white sharks that inhabit it.

Photography courtesy of Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co.

Judge’s Take: “I appreciate that this business has found creative ways to get involved in their community, not only by donating funds but also by creating specialty beers and using their venue to host events. Pints for Paws with the Potter League for Animals looked like a great event.” —Lauren Clem

“It’s so nice to know that Newport Craft hosts local groups for community events that often raise money and awareness for charitable causes.” —Jamie Coelho

Groov-Pin Corporation

Winner, Medium Category: 50–249 employees

Location: Smithfield, groov-pin.com

Groov-Pin creates engineered fasteners with precision turning capability to improve performance of manufacturers’ assemblies and operations, all in a socially responsible way while also creating employment opportunities.

Photo courtesy of Groov-Pin Corporation

Photo courtesy of Groov-Pin Corporation

Groov-Pin and employees have fundraised and participated in walks hosted by local chapters of the Lung Cancer Research Foundation and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Employees fundraise individually for the company team with Groov-Pin offering a corporate contribution.

Each year, Groov-Pin also hosts a holiday basket raffle in each plant, with funds going toward local organizations chosen by employees. The company has given at least $500 each to groups like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Alzheimer’s Association and the Lung Cancer Research Foundation, with Groov-Pin matching the ticket sale amounts. 

In September 2024, Groov-Pin employees raised funds for and participated in the Let’s Get Moving Walk in Wickford through St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. The event raised more than $10,000 for the organization Our Little Roses, which supports education and health care for girls in Honduras.

Photo courtesy of Groov-Pin Corporation

Judge’s Take: “We’ve always tried to recognize companies that make it easy for employees to go above and beyond both financially and with their time, and it’s clear Groov-Pin exemplifies that. At a time when some companies are pulling back on their community involvement, it’s refreshing to see a local business that prioritizes community giving.” —Lauren Clem

“There are so many huge companies that have the ability to give back, and don’t. Groov-Pin isn’t a large company with a recognizable name like a bank or insurance firm, but it still makes every effort to make a difference in ways big and small.” —Jamie Coelho

Cox Communications

Winner, Large Category: 250–plus employees

Location:West Warwick, cox.com

Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through technology. As the largest private broadband company in the country, it serves seven million homes and businesses across eighteen states. It also focuses on community service, expanding digital equity, and providing resources to support customers and employees.

Photo courtesy of Cox Communications

Cox Communications encourages team members to be active citizens in the communities it serves. 

These causes include Cox Charities Community Grants, the charitable giving initiative of Cox Communications that awards funds to local STEAM-based groups. This year, thirteen Rhode Island-based organizations received a total of $110,000. 

Employees are also encouraged to give back through volunteerism. Cox employees have teamed up to fill backpacks with school supplies for the Back-to-School Celebration. They have also filled the food pantry at Connecting for Children & Families, sorted and distributed food items to the community at Higher Ground International, and packed boxes with food items at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. 

Cox team members cheer on and support athletes at the Special Olympics of Rhode Island Summer Games, and together, helped to install a trash trap and cleaned up the community with the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council. 

Photo courtesy of Cox Communications

Earlier this year, Cox presented the Cox Tech Boost to DownCity Design and the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, totaling $20,000. Past recipients include the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, Progreso Latino, Save The Bay, Rhode Island Free Clinic, the Manton Avenue Project and others. Cox employees on the Cox Charities Advisory Group review and rank the applications submitted to this program — another way employees stay connected to the community.

The James M. Cox Foundation also provides philanthropic support in the local community. The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council recently received a $75,000 contribution to equip the Leo Bouchard Conservation Center with technology and make the space accessible for school field trips, education programs and community programming, while Save the Bay received $100,000 to benefit the Hamilton Family Aquarium.

Judge’s Take: “I like how Cox prioritizes kids in their charitable mission, from filling backpacks for summer camp to financing STEAM education.” —Jamie Coelho

BANKNEWPORT

Honorable Mention, Large Category: 250–plus employees

Location: Middletown, banknewport.com

Photo courtesy of BankNewport

BankNewport’s mission is to serve all Rhode Island communities by maintaining a secure, profitable and service-oriented financial institution committed to helping residents and businesses meet their financial goals and promoting community reinvestment. The Kind Heart Fresh Start community impact campaigns collect and donate personal care items for shelters across Rhode Island, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, soap, and adult and children’s socks. They also collect new bedding for agencies that provide services to underserved populations. Employees also donated 250 boxes of cereal to stock the pantry at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center in Newport.

 Judge’s Take: “I like their focus on giving to homeless shelters and on basic items people don’t normally think to donate, like socks and toiletries.” —Dana Laverty