Status: Significant Progress

• The Brown Arts Institute launched innovative community-based arts learning and creative engagement opportunities through programs such as the BAI Teaching Arts Studio and the BAI Director’s Forum. These initiatives created collaborative spaces for experienced and aspiring artists, educators, and community members to build connections, strengthen their artistic practice, and explore teaching artistry and performance rooted in Rhode Island’s arts and cultural landscape. In partnership with organizations such as the Wilbury Theatre Group, participants engaged in interactive workshops, discussions, and experiential learning opportunities that blended theoretical study with hands-on creative exploration.
• Brown launched its inaugural workforce development grant program to advance economic mobility for Rhode Islanders, marking the beginning of the University's $50 million, 10-year commitment to invest in local workforce development initiatives that expand career pathways, strengthen the regional workforce, and support long-term economic opportunity. 

Status: Significant Progress

• The Office of Strategic Procurement and Contracts, in partnership with the Office of Community Engagement, hosted Brown University's 2026 Small Business Supplier Summit on Wednesday, June 17, bringing together hundreds of local small business owners, suppliers, and Brown employees on campus. Building on the success of the 2025 summit, which attracted more than 250 attendees, the annual event strengthens relationships between Brown and Rhode Island's small business community while creating opportunities for University departments to share procurement needs, highlight upcoming contracting opportunities, and connect directly with potential suppliers. 
• The Office of Strategic Procurement and Contracts created an updated website clarifying pathways for suppliers to connect with Brown. (12,573 unique visitors since its launch in February 2026).
• The Supplier Engagement Working Group develops priorities for each academic year. This group has been spearheading Brown’s supplier engagement efforts since August 2023. 

Status: Significant Progress

• Brown launched an updated supplier engagement website that provides clear pathways for small businesses to learn about procurement opportunities and connect with the University. As part of the launch strategy, outreach has focused on local small businesses, and the site has attracted 12,573 unique visitors since its February 2026 launch.

Status: Significant Progress

• Brown ❤️ Providence campaign encouraged students, staff and faculty to explore and support the city’s local economy by incentivizing buying local, spotlighting independent businesses and fostering community connections. These efforts strengthened relationships with local businesses while boosting engagement (The President’s Office, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Office of Community Engagement). 
• Brown launched an updated supplier engagement website that provides clear pathways for small businesses to learn about procurement opportunities and connect with the University. As part of the launch strategy, outreach has focused on local small businesses, and the site has attracted 12,573 unique visitors since its February 2026 launch. 
• Presentations on local purchasing were offered to the Administrative Leaders Group (ALG), Academic and Administrative Information Meeting (AAIM) and interested units and groups.

Status: Significant Progress

• The Office of Community Engagement piloted a new co-sponsorship model with eight campus partners, with plans to expand this Spring. The piloted co-sponsorship model was developed to encourage greater coordination and strategic alignment across Brown University in responding to community sponsorship requests. Through this model, multiple departments and units are invited to jointly support community-based initiatives, allowing the University to maximize impact, reduce duplication, and strengthen partnerships with organizations across Rhode Island.

Status: Significant Progress

• Brown launched its inaugural workforce development grant program to advance economic mobility for Rhode Islanders, marking the beginning of the University's $50 million, 10-year commitment to invest in local workforce development initiatives that expand career pathways, strengthen the regional workforce, and support long-term economic opportunity.
• Dining Services has invested in local hiring and procurement, with nearly all Dining employees living in Providence and 40% of its budget devoted to purchasing from regional farms, bakeries, creameries, fisheries and food producers - up about 20% from a decade ago.
• Brown Arts Institute created ArtsCrew, a program dedicated to training, employing, and cultivating a community of arts workers, which include dedicated workforce opportunities for youth. 

Status: Significant Progress

• Brown continues to invest in PPSD student success through the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence. 

Status: Emerging Progress

• The Office of Strategic Procurement and Contracts and the Office of Community Engagement have been spearheading our supplier engagement efforts, with an emphasis on community development through small business support.
• Brown provides in-kind leased space valued at $13 million over 10 years to support Ocean State Labs, a biotechnology and medical incubator in Jewelry District investments. Co-location and partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Health create opportunities for applied research, student training and data-informed policy development that directly benefit Rhode Island residents, while accelerating the translation of research into real-world health outcomes.
• Danoff Laboratories: By expanding capacity for life sciences research and teaching, the facility supports workforce development through training opportunities for students and researchers, attracts external research funding that contributes to the local economy and helps grow the region’s life sciences and innovation ecosystem. 
• Inaugural grants to local workforce development programs to support economic mobility for Rhode Islanders, with a commitment to contribute $50 million over 10 years to local workforce development initiatives.

Status: Emerging Progress

• In 2025, the Office of Community Engagement convened key stakeholders around supplier engagement, including representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Administration, Commerce/SupplyRI and Brown’s Strategic Contracting and Procurement Team.
• Through the School of Public Health, the summit on the Future of Health Policy in Rhode Island convened policymakers, researchers, and community leaders for a daylong discussion on the state’s most pressing health policy challenges. The program featured moderated panels on strengthening primary care access, advancing health care affordability, and positioning Rhode Island to navigate ongoing and future changes in federal health policy.