Portland, July 16th, 2013. The Thet/Kar family, originally from Burma, is moving into a new home thanks to a new Bank of America’s program. The donation is the first in the area and one of what will be 2,000 nationwide. B of A will turn over low-value foreclosed homes to Habitat for Humanity and in this case, the home at 1478 NE Killingsworth was renovated with support from Lowe’s Inc. and the Ballard family. The project included volunteer repairs to the roof and kitchen, new insulation, radon mitigation and upgrades for doors, flooring and various features to make the house healthy and energy efficient. (Photo credit, Sasha Davis)
Bank of America’s Larry Davis and Monique Barton dedicated a home to a refugee family through their new program which will donate 2,000 homes over the next 2 years to Habitat affiliates nationwide.
Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East revitalizes neighborhoods, builds affordable and sustainable homes, and empowers families through successful homeownership. We are an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a global home building movement. We welcome people from all walks of life to partner with us in serving families in need and creating a better community for everyone who lives here.
We work with qualified, low-income families to help them realize the dream of owning their own home. We believe that building equity is a long-term solution to the problem of generational poverty. Habitat is the only organization that offers homeownership opportunities to hardworking families making as little as $20,800 (for a family of four). We do this through a hand-up model in which the homeowner helps to build and then buys their home from Habitat.
Here’s how it works: after completing 500 sweat equity hours, the family signs their 0% interest mortgage and makes monthly payments that are based on less than 30% of their monthly income. These payments go into the Revolving Fund for Humanity to pay it forward, helping to build more homes.
Additionally, Habitat offers home repair services to low-income homeowners, using the same 0%-interest loan and sweat equity model.
Instead of being in a vulnerable and fragile economic position, Habitat families find themselves in a position of strength. Our homeowners are committed and successful. We have experienced less than a 1% default rate on our mortgages, lower than the national average. By providing a hand up, not a handout, our program prepares and empowers those we serve.
Portland, Ore. April, 19th, 2013 — The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has just selected Dress for Success Oregon as its annual Neighborhood Builder winner in Portland, an honor that entails a $200,000 unrestricted grant as well as leadership development training to help nonprofit leaders gain valuable skills while applying funding where it is most needed.
Roger Hinshaw (left) and Monique Barton (right) from Bank of America present Barb Attridge (center) with a $200,000 check for Dress For Success.
Each year in the Portland area, Bank of America honors one local nonprofit with the Neighborhood Builder award — as part of its broader philanthropy commitment — and focuses the Builder nominees on high-performing organizations that have a significant impact in the community within the funding areas of jobs, hunger and housing. By design, the Neighborhood Builder program is a strategic investment that pairs leadership training with the grant, in order to maximize impact and reach.
“Nonprofit organizations provide much-needed services to our local communities but too often they lack the resources and opportunity to invest in their own long-term planning, growth and development,” said Monique Barton, Bank of America’s senior vice president of corporate social responsibility. “By recognizing Dress for Success Oregon as our Neighborhood Builder winner this year, we know they will make an even greater impact and help more women get the resources they need to find a job and establish economic stability
The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, a mentor and career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. The organization helps low-income women in Portland and southwest Washington specifically build their self-esteem, create a network of support, get a job, transition off of public welfare and make choices that lead them out of poverty, according to Barb Attridge, the organization’s executive director and co-founder.
“We’re honored to receive this generous grant and training from Bank of America, which will help us lay the groundwork for a stable and sustainable organization, while increasing the infrastructure so that we can continue our growth to meet demand,” said Attridge. “Our long-term goal is to build multiple service centers within Oregon and Southwest Washington to serve a broader population and help more low-income women get the training and resources they need to gain and keep employment.”
Last year, Dress for Success Oregon helped 1,450 local, low-income women and, with Bank of America’s grant, the organization hopes to increase this number to at least 1,500 women this year and even more next year.
The $200,000 grant from Bank of America will support Dress for Success Oregon’s growth, infrastructure and program expansion by enabling the organization to hire two new employees, implement a course on personal finance education and increase by 10 percent the number of women served by the organization. The grant will also help establish Dress for Success’ Career Center which will be the organization’s first permanent venue to hold regular educational workshops including financial literacy and job preparation courses.
Information provided by Dress for Success and Bank of America.
About the Builder program
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. Since 2004, Bank of America has invested more than $165 million through the program, recognized over 730 nonprofits and trained nearly 1,500 nonprofit leaders. The Neighborhood Builders program is a capstone initiative building on the bank’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.
About 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. For more Bank of America news, visit the Bank of America newsroom.
Portland, October 31st. A report, written and researched by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and released by Bank of Americashows the following:
In 2011, high net worth households were most likely to give to education (79.6 percent), basic needs (79.3 percent), and arts and culture (68.8 percent). By comparison, the nonprofit categories receiving the largest proportion of all high net worth dollars included education (27.6 percent), giving vehicles (23.4 percent), and religion (12.6 percent). In addition, in 2011, high net worth donors focused their largest gifts on religious organizations (35.9 percent) and organizations involved in education (25.0 percent), followed by organizations focused on health (8.2 percent).
According to the research, as in previous years, high net worth households revealed a strong commitment to charitable causes in 2011. That year, 95 percent of high net worth households donated to at least one charity. This figure is in contrast to the approximately 65 percent of the general population who give.1 The percentage of all high net worth households that gave in 2011, however, decreased from its peak of 98 percent in 2009.
The rate of volunteering by high net worth individuals continues to grow. In 2011, 89 percent of high net worth individuals volunteered, up 10 percentage points from 2009. Over one-third (35.1 percent) of these individuals volunteered more than 200 hours in 2011.
High net worth individuals were most likely to volunteer on their own (78.5 percent), rather than with family, friends, or coworkers in 2011. In addition, these individuals were most likely to have served on a nonprofit board (60.6 percent) or to have spent time on board-serving activities (an average of 144.6 hours) compared with other volunteer activities.
In general, high net worth individuals who volunteer tend to give to charity more often than those who do not, and high net worth individuals who volunteer more tend to give more. However, there are exceptions. In 2011, high net worth individuals who volunteered 101 to 200 hours gave the highest average amount at $95,868, while those who volunteered more than 200 hours gave the second-highest average amount at $68,619.
High net worth donors gave the highest average amount in contributions to organizations both where they volunteered and believed their gift would have the largest impact ($102,642). By comparison, in 2009, high net worth donors gave the highest average amount to organizations where they served on the board or had an oversight role ($84,551, adjusted to 2011 dollars).
In 2011, the majority of high net worth donors had a giving strategy (70.9 percent) and had a budget for their giving (60.5 percent). Just 5 percent of high net worth donors reported having a mission statement for their charitable activity. Correspondingly, a smaller percentage of high net worth donors gave spontaneously in response to a need in 2011 compared with 2009, at 40 percent and 47 percent, respectively.
About the study:
The 2012 Bank of America Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy examines the giving patterns, priorities, and attitudes of America’s wealthiest households for the year 2011. This study, the fourth in a series written and researched by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University in partnership with Bank of America (in particular, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management), builds on previous studies issued in 2006, 2008, and 2010. In addition, this partnership has produced two other reports — the 2011 Study of High Net Worth Women’s Philanthropy and the Impact of Women’s Giving Networks and the 2006 Bank of America Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy: Portraits of Donors. Together, all of these studies provide valuable information about high net worth giving across multiple dimensions to be used by nonprofit professionals, charitable advisors, donors, and others interested in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.
Portland, August 4th. Volunteers from Advantis Credit Union rolled up their sleeves to help paint an elderly woman’s house in North Portland. They were among 250 community volunteers providing critical plumbing, electrical and carpentry repairs, as well as painting of exterior of homes for senior and disabled individuals. This is the sixth year Advantis employees have participated in the REACH Paint & Repair-a-Thon, pictured are: Caitlin Kellogg, Stephanie Woody, Maria Thorpe, Alisha Friedrich, Sheri Cameron-Mendes, and David San Pedro. The Paint & Repair-a-Thon revitalized 20 homes for REACH Community Development.
REACH – Siemens Workday 2012
“REACH is committed to helping Portland’s seniors be able to live safely in their homes,” says Dee Walsh, REACH Executive Director. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the local business community, who are dedicating a very generous amount of their time, resources, and employees to help our senior citizens stay safe in their homes.”
Support for this year’s Paint & Repair-a-thon event comes from local business and civic partners, including major underwriting provided by: Almar Contracting, Miller Paint, Walsh Construction, Lifetime Windows, Bank of America, Bank of the West, LMC Construction, NW Natural, Advantis Credit Union, Affordable Home Remodeling, Interstate Flooring Company, NW Painting Specialist, Portland Housing Bureau, Milgard Windows, IBEW and the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus, Portland Chapter.
In 1982, REACH began revitalizing neighborhoods in southeast Portland. Today, REACH owns 1,400 units of affordable, safe housing and has changed thousands of lives. We couldn’t do this work without you. Your support and dedication has helped REACH in our efforts to provide quality, affordable housing and opportunities for individuals, families and communities to thrive.
NONPROFIT BENEFIT TICKET GIVEAWAYS!
Sign up for our free weekly highlights for the chance to win two tickets terrific nonprofit events! If you "like" us on facebook, or sign up for our weekly news highlights, you'll be entered to win! Sign up today!
Look for another ticket giveaway soon! Are you a nonprofit looking to bolster your publicity with facebook and tweets? Email us and we'll run a contest with tickets to your event! [email protected]
