HARTFORD, CT -- Journey Home and the Hartford Public Library have been named as the 2019 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders® awardees for Hartford, Connecticut. The nonprofits were selected for their work in the Hartford area to address issues fundamental to economic mobility, including leading the effort to end homelessness in the capital region and launching a state-of-the-art Digital Media Lab.
As an awardee, each organization receives a $200,000 grant, leadership training for the executive director and an emerging leader at the organization, a network of peer organizations across the U.S., and the opportunity to access capital to expand their impact. Over the past 15 years, Bank of America has invested $240 million in 49 communities through Neighborhood Builders, partnering with more than 1,000 nonprofits and helping more than 2,000 nonprofit leaders strengthen their leadership skills.
“Journey Home and the Hartford Public Library are outstanding recipients of the Neighborhood Builders grant, and we are excited and proud to partner with them,” said Joe Gianni, Bank of America market president for Greater Hartford. “Our investment is a unique opportunity to help nonprofit leaders who are tackling tough community challenges, and the combination of funding and leadership development that accompanies the Neighborhood Builder designation will make a real difference to both organizations.”
Journey Home is a non-profit organization that leads the effort to end chronic homelessness in the Greater Hartford region. For more than a decade, Journey Home has worked to find homes and furniture for people. Between 2011 and 2016, there was a 20 percent decrease in Hartford’s homeless population, and in 2018, 267 people found homes through the organization.
“Being selected as one of this year's recipients of the 2019 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Award is an incredible honor. With our small team of dedicated employees, we have been working tirelessly to end homelessness in Greater Hartford for the last 12 years. What a thrill it is to be among the other organizations who have also received this award over the years. Our gratitude to Bank of America is deep,” said Executive Director, Matthew Morgan. "This award will allow us to expand our partnerships with the healthcare and criminal justice system to prevent homelessness in the Capital region of Connecticut. We are thankful that Bank of America values innovative thinking and works diligently to support the ongoing growth and development of their community partners."
The Hartford Public Library provides free resources that inspire reading, guide learning, and encourage individual exploration. The Hartford Public Library aims to set a national example in redefining the 21st-centry urban public library as an innovative and stimulating place where people can learn and discover, explore their passions, and find a rich array of resources that contribute to a full life. Thousands of families from the Hartford area use the services the Hartford Public Library provides.
“We are honored to be selected as one of Bank of America’s 2019 Neighborhood Builders. The Hartford Public Library is committed to serving our community with passion and purpose. We are thankful to be recognized for the work we do on many fronts to foster economic mobility including adult education, youth engagement, workforce readiness and our new social enterprise, the Digital Library Lab,” said President and CEO of Hartford Public Library, Bridget Quinn-Carey. “The Digital Library Lab (DLL) is a one-stop imaging, digital archiving and photography service specializing in 2D and 3D objects and artifacts. The DLL will have social impact by training and hiring young people to digitize, code, create metadata and assist with administrative tasks. Thank you BOA for your support of this exciting new venture at HPL.”
Since 2004, through its Neighborhood Builders program, Bank of America has partnered with 23 nonprofits in Hartford investing $4.6 million to provide financial education and economic mobility opportunities within the Hartford area. The invitation-only program is highly competitive, and leading members of the community participated in a collaborative selection process to identify this year’s awardees. Examples of the leadership training topics include human capital management, increasing financial sustainability, and storytelling. Neighborhood Builders is just one example of how Bank of America deploys capital in communities, builds cross-sector partnerships, and promotes socioeconomic progress as part of its approach to responsible growth.
Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact.
###
Contact:
Tara Burke
Bank of America
203-292-6590
tara.a.burke@bofa.com
Website & Social: www.bankofamerica.com | Twitter