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Local Voices

Bank of America Awards Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition For Its Impact in St. Louis

Nonprofit to receive training for leaders and $200,000 in flexible funding

ST. LOUIS – The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has named Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition as a recipient of the 2013 Neighborhood Builders® award. The program is a strategic investment that couples leadership training with a $200,000 unrestricted grant for high-performing nonprofits that have made a significant impact addressing needs related to community development, critical needs or workforce development and education. Nonprofit leaders gain valuable skills and apply funding where it is most needed for maximum local impact.

 

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“We recognize the important role Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition plays in serving our most vulnerable residents and ensuring better lives for so many in our community,” said Larry Otto, Missouri state president and St. Louis market president, Bank of America. “The leadership training and funding will not only deepen their impact today but sustain their mission and services over time.”

 

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Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition helps St. Louis area children in foster care achieve their highest potential through innovative programs that fulfill critical gaps in local community services. With a network of 30 local public and private child welfare organizations and its 30 Days to Family™ program, which focuses on placing youth with kin instead of non-relatives, the organization is able to give youth in foster care a chance at reaching their full economic and social potential.

 

Since launching the 30 Days to Family™ program in March 2011, when just 26 percent of children in St. Louis county were placed with relatives, the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition has helped that number to rise to an impressive 46 percent. The Neighborhood Builder grant will help the organization share its success with organizations across the United States and Canada by supporting its scaling plan, which will create program affiliates, and allow for a third-party evaluation to measure programmatic and economic impact and expansion beyond the St. Louis area.

 

According to the Bridgespan Group, Neighborhood Builders is the largest investment in nonprofit leadership development, 2.5 times the next largest program (in spending) and the third largest in number of leaders served. Through the program, now in its tenth year, Bank of America has invested $160 million in 800 nonprofit organizations and provided training to 1,600 nonprofit leaders. Neighborhood Builders furthers the company’s broader philanthropic commitment to addressing core issues that are critical to the economic vitality of local economies, with a particular focus on low- and moderate-income communities.

Bank of America Corporate Social Responsibility


Bank of America’s commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a strategic part of doing business globally. Our CSR efforts guide how we operate in a socially, economically, financially and environmentally responsible way around the world, to deliver for shareholders, customers, clients and employees. Our goal is to help create economically vibrant regions and communities through lending, investing and giving. By partnering with our stakeholders, we create value that empowers individuals and communities to thrive and contributes to the long-term success of our business. We have several core areas of focus for our CSR, including responsible business practices; environmental sustainability; strengthening local communities with a focus on housing, hunger and jobs; investing in global leadership development; and engaging through arts and culture. As part of these efforts, employee volunteers across the company contribute their time, passion and expertise to address issues in communities where they live and work. Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/about and follow us on Twitter at @BofA_Community.

 

 

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