Media Releases
March 6, 2007
Luncheon Celebrates United Way And Bank Of America's Neighborhood Mini-Grant Program
Grants To Fund Projects That Will Make A Strong Difference In Our Neighborhoods
Rochester, NY - Neighborhood revitalization—and the collaboration to make it happen—found even more progress today, as leaders from 16 nonprofit organizations received mini-grants from United Way and Bank of America. The Bank of America Neighborhood Mini-Grants were awarded to local groups addressing specific issues in their neighborhoods.
More than $100,000 in grants—ranging from $1,500 to $10,000—were invested into 16 various projects. During last year’s campaign, Bank of America challenged local small businesses to give to United Way. The bank matched all first-time donations, dollar-for-dollar, and earmarked the funds for neighborhood revitalization projects.
“At Bank of America, we are committed to creating positive change throughout the neighborhoods in which we, and our customers, live and work,” said Joseph Rulison, Market President for Bank of America, Rochester, New York. “We are pleased to support the recipients of the Neighborhood Mini-Grants, and look forward to continuing to work together to enhance and improve communities throughout Greater Rochester.”
Applications were accepted through mid-December, and a committee—made up of volunteers representing the community, the City of Rochester, Bank of America, United Way donors, and co-funders—made the decision on what programs to fund.
“This challenge grant opportunity allowed us to be creative and come up with a program that really meets a need in our community, that wasn’t being met by any other source or funder,” said Frank Cornier, President and CEO of NCS Community Development Corporation. “Thanks to this funding, we will be able to make a group of homes in the Lyell-Otis neighborhood lead safe.”
The complete list of Bank of America mini-grant recipients are as follows:
| Organization | Project |
| Business Association of the South Wedge Area | South Avenue Pedestrian Enchancements |
| Charles Settlement House, Inc | Tool Library Painting Tools |
| Corn Hill Neighbors Association, Inc. | Hervey Ely House restoration |
| Group 14621 with Hudson Avenue Business Association | Hudson Avenue Business Master Plan |
| Marshall High School with Maplewood | |
| Neighborhood Associaton and Peter Young | |
| Housing & Treatment | Jurists Cafe |
| Monroe Avenue YMCA | Conflict Resolution Mural Project |
| Northeast Block Club Alliance, Inc. with Greater Rochester Urban Bounty | Vineyard Kitchen Development |
| NCS Community Development Corporation | CLEARCorps/Home Owners Lead Project |
| North East Area Development, Inc. | Freedom Center development |
| North Winton Village Association | NWV Linear Park Implementation |
| Sector 2 with Maplewood Neighborhood Association | Hip Hop Resource |
| Sector 4 Community Development Corporation | South West Historical Markers |
| South Clinton Merchant Association | S. Clinton Business District Promotion |
| South West Planning Committee, Inc. | South Wedge W-Fi infrastructure |
| Swillburg Neighborhood Association | Otto Henderberg Square Park Gazebo |
| West Ridge Business Coalition | Business District Signage |
The Neighborhood Mini Grants program, a joint effort between United Way of Greater Rochester and the Bank of America, encourages the revitalization of urban neighborhoods by supporting resident-driven projects within the City of Rochester. A second round of applications will be accepted in this summer.
United Way funds programs in three primary donor interest areas: Student Readiness & Success, Strengthening People & Families, and Supporting People in Crisis. To learn more about the outcomes and results from these programs, or to read the United Way community blog, please visit www.uwrochester.org.
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 55 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 5,700 retail banking offices, through more than 17,000 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 21 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in 175 countries and has relationships with 98 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 80 percent of the Global Fortune 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
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United Way’s mission is to magnify and focus the power of community resources to address our most pressing social needs.