Urban League of Greater Hartford Is Awarded $150,000 Grant From KeyBank Foundation

Rhea-AI Summary

The Urban League of Greater Hartford has been awarded a $150,000 grant from KeyBank Foundation to support the Project Ready program for youth development. The grant will fund new modules in STEAM and Financial Capability to enhance diversity in quantitative fields. KeyBank's donation is the largest annualized gift ever given to the Project Ready program, showcasing a strong commitment to financial education and racial equity. The Urban League of Greater Hartford, founded in 1964, aims to empower youth through education, employment, housing, and justice initiatives.

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• KeyBank Foundation's $150,000 grant will significantly boost the Urban League of Greater Hartford's Project Ready program, promoting youth development and financial education.

• The introduction of new modules in STEAM and Financial Capability will equip high school students with essential skills, such as financial literacy, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship, to foster racial diversity in quantitative fields.

• The grant, the largest annualized donation to the Project Ready program, demonstrates KeyBank's commitment to supporting youth empowerment and promoting economic opportunities for underserved communities.

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HARTFORD, CT / ACCESSWIRE / May 7, 2024 / The Urban League of Greater Hartford has received a $150,000 charitable grant from KeyBank Foundation payable over two years to support the agency's Project Ready program, a signature national youth development direct service. The funds will launch two new modules, (1) STEAM and (2) Financial Capability, to provide high schoolers with skills and experiences to help foster more racial diversity in quantitative fields.

"The Project Ready Scholars have been a cornerstone of our agency's work and this investment from KeyBank in our students' financial capabilities will be valuable to them in their personal and professional development," said David Hopkins, President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Hartford. "The generous intentionality of this grant from our friends at KeyBank actually makes it the largest annualized ($75,000/year) donation ever presented by a private funder to our Project Ready program!" Founded in 1964 with a mission to promote racial equity through economic empowerment, the Urban League of Greater Hartford is celebrating 60 years as one of the 92 affiliates of the National Urban League, providing programming and services in education, employment, housing, health, and justice.

Project Ready modules operating in Hartford include mentoring, digital literacy, history and culture, and college success. The addition of the STEAM and Financial Capability modules will provide the Scholars, ranging in age from 14 to 19, with age-appropriate financial literacy in earnings, living expenses, budgeting, maintaining bank accounts, investing, and acquiring assets, as well as workforce readiness and entrepreneurship. Through workshops, simulations, speakers, tours, games, and activities, participants will be exposed to basic financial management techniques, and receive insights to help put them on a path to building wealth and reducing the wealth gap. Thanks to KeyBank, the Urban League of Greater Hartford expects to have an impact on current students, and attract new students, with these new modules, which also include financial incentives that afford participants an opportunity to actually put the things they learn into practice. In 2022, the Greater Hartford Project Ready team served nearly 70 students, 100 percent of whom were promoted to the next grade, with all of its seniors enrolling in college.

"Empowering our youth through financial education is an investment in a future where everyone has equal access to economic opportunities and where racial equity thrives," said Matthew Hummel, KeyBank Connecticut and Western Massachusetts Market President. "KeyBank shares this vision with The Urban League and is proud to support Project Ready as a strong step forward toward that goal."

KeyBank's grant to The Urban League of Greater Hartford is part of the bank's $40 billion community investments plan focused on economic access and equity to communities across the country. The scope of the plan includes investments and lending in affordable housing, home lending, small business lending, green initiatives, and transformative philanthropy targeted toward workforce development, education, and safe, vital neighborhoods for underserved communities and populations.

On May 1, 2024, KeyBank presented a check to Urban League of Greater Hartford leaders and young scholars at the nonprofit organization's "College Signing Day" for graduating students, their parents and educators, held this year at the Chrysalis Center in Hartford.

• Hartford program helps students commit to college (wtnh.com).

About the Urban League of Greater Hartford:

The Urban League of Greater Hartford is a community-based, not-for-profit 501(c)(3), established in 1964 as the National Urban League's 66^th affiliate. Its mission is to promote racial equity through economic empowerment programs in the areas of youth development, adult education, workforce development, housing, personal financial management, community health, and social justice. Its programs and operations impact more than 3,000 individuals and their families every year. visit www.ulgh.org or call 860-527-0147. Follow us on social media @ulgh64.

About KeyBank Foundation:

KeyBank Foundation serves to fulfill KeyBank's purpose to help clients and communities thrive, and its mission is to support organizations and programs that prepare people for thriving futures. The Foundation's mission is advanced through three funding priorities - neighbors, education, and workforce - and through community service. To provide meaningful philanthropy that transforms lives, KeyBank Foundation listens carefully to understand the unique characteristics and needs of its communities and then backs solutions with targeted philanthropic investments. KeyBank Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation, funded by KeyCorp.

About KeyCorp/KeyBank

KeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at March 31, 2024. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC

Media contacts:

Urban League of Greater Hartford: Laura Soll, Communications, | 860-688-4499, M 860-833-4466 | Laura@sollpr.com

KeyBank: Karen Crane, Communications Manager | 203-789-2752 | karen_crane@keybank.com

Photo caption (from left): Project Ready Scholars are pictured with KeyBank leaders Neil Cyr, Area Retail Leader; Matt Hummel, Market President; David Hopkins, President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Hartford; Analisha Michanczyk, KeyBank Corporate Responsibility Officer; and Trayvonn A. Diaz, Senior Outreach Assistant to Senator Christopher Murphy.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from KeyBank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:
Spokesperson: KeyBank
Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keybank
Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: KeyBank

View the original press release on accesswire.com

FAQ

What is the grant amount awarded to the Urban League of Greater Hartford from KeyBank Foundation?

KeyBank Foundation awarded a $150,000 grant to the Urban League of Greater Hartford.

What are the new modules funded by the grant for the Project Ready program?

The grant will fund new modules in STEAM and Financial Capability for the Project Ready program.

What is the mission of the Urban League of Greater Hartford?

The Urban League of Greater Hartford's mission is to promote racial equity through economic empowerment.

What initiatives does the Urban League of Greater Hartford provide?

The Urban League of Greater Hartford provides programming and services in education, employment, housing, health, and justice.

What financial education topics will the new modules cover for high school students?

The new modules will cover financial literacy in earnings, living expenses, budgeting, maintaining bank accounts, investing, acquiring assets, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship for high school students.