Through Neighborhood Builders, the bank provides nonprofits with a combination of leadership development, flexible funding and a network of peer organizations across the U.S. in order to expand their impact.“We recognize the critical role that nonprofits and their leaders play in building pathways to economic progress in the Twin Cities,” said Katie Simpson, Minneapolis/St. Paul market president, Bank of America. “Through our Neighborhood Builders program, we connect outstanding nonprofits like College Possible to the funding and leadership development resources they need to scale up their impact.”
In addition to helping grow the organization’s core program, Neighborhood Builder funding is supporting the implementation of a pilot tech-connected program to reach more high school students in the Twin Cities, and statewide, with greater efficiency.
“The grant funding awarded through the Neighborhood Builder program allows our organization the flexibility to fund our greatest needs and most critical opportunities for program growth,” said Sara Dziuk, executive director for College Possible. “We are grateful for Bank of America’s partnership and generous investment in our team, our students and this important work.”
“I have felt incredibly supported in my development through the Emerging Leader training,” said Geoff Wilson, deputy director and the Emerging Leader for College Possible. “It has created opportunities for me to hone my skills, expand my network and really begin to take my work to the next level.”
Bank of America has invested more $1,000,000 in the Twin Cities since 2013 through Neighborhood Builder grants. Previous recipients include City of Lakes Community Land Trust, EMERGE, Second Harvest Heartland and Northside Achievement Zone. Nationally, the program has been recognized as the nation’s largest philanthropic investment in nonprofit leadership development.