Atlanta Land Trust (ALT) and Latin American Association (LAA) have been named as the 2019 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders awardees in celebration of their 100 years in Atlanta. The nonprofits were selected for their work to address issues fundamental to economic mobility, ensuring opportunities are within reach for all Atlantans.
 
As an awardee, each organization receives a $200,000 grant, a year of leadership training for the executive director and an emerging leader at the organization, a network of peer organizations across the U.S., and the opportunity to access capital to expand their impact. Over the past 15 years, Bank of America has invested $240 million in 49 communities through Neighborhood Builders, partnering with more than 1,000 nonprofits and helping more than 2,000 nonprofit leaders strengthen their leadership skills.
 
The event was a dual celebration of both Neighborhood Builders, as well as a time of reflection as 2019 marks Bank of America’s 100th year in Atlanta. The heritage of the bank in Atlanta was presented by Mark Becker, president of Georgia State University and Veronica Biggins who became one of the highest-ranking banking females in the country when she worked for Bank of America.
 
“With 100 years of history in Atlanta, we are committed to giving back to our community,” said Wendy Stewart, Atlanta market president for Bank of America. “Neighborhood Builders gives nonprofits the power to advance in the community. ALT and LAA are instrumental in providing basic needs and community development that tackle the most-pressing issues facing Atlanta.”
 
ALT is a nonprofit organization that utilizes public and private funds to provide affordable home ownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income households. This model allows homeowners to benefit from the equity built through homeownership, and at the same time preserves the affordability of these homes so that future residents will have the same affordable homeownership opportunities.
 
“We are honored to be awarded this grant,” said Amanda Rhein, executive director for Atlanta Land Trust. “These funds will support our work to create permanent affordable housing which provides low-income Atlantans with access to homeownership and economic opportunity.”
 
LAA is one of the Southeast's oldest and largest Latino-focused nonprofits that provides services to Hispanic families across metro Atlanta designed to bring them from crisis to stabilization to self-sufficiency. These services help to empower Latinos in Atlanta to adapt, integrate and thrive.
 
“We are thrilled to be a recipient of the 2019 Neighborhood Builders grant,” said Anibal Torres, executive director for Latin American Association. “Bank of America has been a strong supporter of our work, including bilingual bank teller training and family stabilizing services. This is a critical time for the Latino families, and this will allow us to meet the needs of the growing Latino community for years to come, particularly through immigration, education, economic empowerment and family well-being services.”
 
Since 2004, through its Neighborhood Builders program, Bank of America has partnered with 32 nonprofits in Atlanta, investing $6.4 million to provide financial education and economic mobility opportunities within the Atlanta area. The invitation-only program is highly competitive, and leading members of the community participated in a collaborative selection process to identify this year’s awardees. Examples of the leadership training topics include human capital management, increasing financial sustainability, and storytelling. Neighborhood Builders is just one example of how Bank of America deploys capital in communities, builds cross-sector partnerships, and promotes socioeconomic progress as part of its approach to responsible growth.