Each Nonprofit Will Receive $200,000 in Flexible Funding and Leadership Training to Advance Economic Mobility in Cincinnati
CINCINNATI– Today, Bank of America announced Black Achievers and CityLink Center as the 2023 Neighborhood Builders® awardees for their work advancing economic mobility and building up underserved neighborhoods in Cincinnati. This multi-year grant will fund extensive leadership training for the nonprofits’ leadership, as well as their programs and services addressing economic mobility and community development.
The Neighborhood Builders program is one of the largest philanthropic investments into nonprofit leadership development in the nation, providing comprehensive leadership training for an executive director and an emerging leader on topics ranging from increasing financial sustainability, human capital management and strategic storytelling, and the opportunity to join a national network of peer organizations. Each Builder is also awarded a $200,000 grant over two years.
“Nonprofits are vital to solving social challenges, improving communities and promoting economic advancement," said Mark Ryan, President, Bank of America Cincinnati. “Providing these nonprofits with flexible funding and leadership training not only positions these nonprofits for sustainable, long-term success, but demonstrates our commitment to creating real change in the places where we live and work.”
Black Achievers is one of the few Black-founded and Black-led nonprofits in Cincinnati. They offer five different programs ranging from Youth Mentorship to Board Diversity, all to help uplift people to achieve a better life. They expect to double the amount of people served in the next two years and will utilize their funding to increase staffing, implement new technology, produce marketing materials and train more volunteers.
“This grant will have a huge impact on Black Achievers. Funding of this size is rare for a Black founded non-profit, we simply do not get the same access to funding that our larger counterparts receive,” said Michael Moore, Founder of Black Achievers. “Our approach is unique because we teach people about self-reliance, we help them upskill and we help them build bridges with the broader community.”
CityLink Center was founded with the critical realization that our community is program rich and systems poor. CityLink Center creates one place for their neighbors to walk through one set of doors, have one guide, and have holistic, wrap-around services to meet their goals. CityLink Center recently completed an expansion of physical infrastructure and as a Neighborhood Builder, they will use their grant to increase client volume and client service capacity to match their new space.
“We were launched out of the belief that all our neighbors are created with inherent worth and that due to individual and system barriers, many people are trapped in a cycle which, left unaltered, perpetuates across generations,” said Johnmark Oudersluys, Executive Director of CityLink Center. “As we seek to rebuild our community and provide a place of hope for our neighbors this grant can help us have flexible funding to meet the rapidly changing needs in our community,”
The invitation-only program is highly competitive. Nonprofits are selected by a committee composed of community leaders and past Builders awardees. Here in Cincinnati, 11 nonprofits have been selected as a Neighborhood Builder, with the bank investing over $1.4 million dollars into these local organizations through the program since 2018.
Since 2004, Bank of America has invested more than $300 million in nearly 100 communities across the U.S., partnered with more than 1,600 nonprofits, and helped more than 3,000 nonprofit leaders strengthen their leadership skills through the Neighborhood Builders and Champions program.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 69 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,900 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 57 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BAC).
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Reporters May Contact:
Diane Wagner, Bank of America
312.952.1756
Jessica Ryan, Bank of America
614.638.0130