Recognition includes multiyear grant and leadership training to expand critical services
Bank of America has named Children First, the exclusive provider of Head Start and Early Head Start services for Sarasota County, the 2024 Bank of America Neighborhood Champion in Sarasota/Manatee for Children First’s “work to strengthen families and create pathways for economic advancement,” the bank has announced.
“Commemorating its fifth year, Bank of America’s Neighborhood Champions® program provides multiyear flexible grant funding annually to high-impact nonprofits in nearly 40 communities nationwide,” a news release explains.
As a Neighborhood Champion, Children First has been awarded a $50,000 grant over a two-year period, along with “leadership training resources for the organization’s executive director, and access to technical coaching and a national network of nonprofit peers, the release adds.
“This year we celebrate five years of strengthening Sarasota/Manatee nonprofits that provide solutions to local challenges and promote economic advancement through Neighborhood Champions,” said Erik Vatter, president of Bank of America Sarasota/Manatee, in the release. “Providing these high-impact nonprofits with flexible funding and leadership training helps them address critical needs and create meaningful lasting change in our communities.”
“Children First serves nearly 1,100 individuals each day across multiple sites in Sarasota, Venice and North Port,” the release points out. Recognized in the top 1% of more than 1,800 programs nationwide, “the agency is a four-time designated Head Start Program of Excellence, demonstrating a commitment to excellence in early childhood education and family strengthening,” the release notes.
“Bank of America’s investment in Children First through the Neighborhood Champions program is a powerful demonstration of their commitment to creating lasting, positive change for our community,” said Philip Tavill, president and CEO of Children First, in the release. “This partnership helps provide the children and families we serve with the resources and opportunities they need to achieve self-sufficiency and success.”
The release explains that “Neighborhood Champions is part of the bank’s longstanding efforts to build thriving communities by addressing issues fundamental to economic opportunity. The invitation-only program is highly competitive,” with awardees selected by a committee comprising community leaders and past awardees.
Since 2019, the release continues, Bank of America has invested more than $9 million in more than 200 nonprofits within more than 40 communities through the Neighborhood Champions program.
Founded in 196, “Children First strengthens children and families by improving the quality of their lives through a comprehensive approach to development, education, health, and well-being,” the release points out. For more information, call 941-953-3877 or visit childrenfirst.net.