Bank of America holds a celebration to celebrate its Neighborhood Champions program, which invests in communities through nonprofits.
Bank of America this year directed more than $2.6 million in philanthropic capital to nonprofits and charities across Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties.
The bank said the support is helping to remove barriers to economic mobility and social progress, with a particular focus on nonprofits providing basic needs, paid career training and placement, education and economic development.
Bank of America’s support includes entrepreneurial programs with Women’s Economic Ventures in Ventura and Santa Barbara, Women’s Business Center San Luis Obispo, SCORE of San Luis Obispo and Women’s Business Center San Luis Obispo.
The bank’s efforts also include paid intern and work training programs with Ojai-based Concerned Resource & Environmental Workers for teens and UCSB’s Bren School of Environmental Sciences.
It also includes support to education initiatives at Ventura College Foundation and the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College and other steadfast organizations like SLO Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity.
Most recently, Bank of America donated $90,000 to Foodshare VC and Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
In addition to philanthropic capital, the company’s local employees also contributed nearly 31,000 volunteer hours, ranging from home renovations in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity to free financial education workshops in English and Spanish as part of the bank’s Better Money Habits program.
“Nonprofits are on the front lines of addressing complex societal challenges — understanding the needs and obstacles the Central Coast faces. Bank of America is partnered with those nonprofits to support development of the solutions and services that promote economic advancement,” said Midge Campbell-Thomas, president of Bank of America Ventura and Santa Barbara.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
