Atlanta Beltline Partnership (ABP) and Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE) have been named as the 2020 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders® awardees for Atlanta. The nonprofits were selected for their work in the Atlanta community addressing 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, a network of peer organizations across the U.S., and the opportunity to access capital to expand their impact. Since 2004, Bank of America has invested over $260 million in 50 communities through Neighborhood Builders, partnering with more than 1,300 nonprofits and helping more than 2,600 nonprofit leaders strengthen their leadership skills. 

“As we consider many of the challenges that our community is facing – from the health and humanitarian crisis brought on by the coronavirus to the need for progress on racial equity and economic opportunity – the Neighborhood Builders program is a relevant and timely initiative to support the communities we serve,” said Wendy Stewart, Atlanta market president for Bank of America. “This program enables partners like ABP to plan strategically for growth and long-term sustainability, and we look forward to seeing how this investment helps RCIE make even greater strides to address economic mobility in Atlanta.”

The Neighborhood Builders program is an opportunity to provide relevant skills development and topics to help nonprofit leaders address current and future community challenges. Each year, Bank of America refines the Neighborhood Builders Leadership Program to include topics ranging from strategic storytelling to human capital management and highlights themes that are critical to moving the nonprofit sector forward within broader societal and economic context. 

ABP is a nonprofit organization that enables the construction of parks and trails on the Atlanta Beltline and empowers residents to connect with affordable housing, sustainable economic development, urban revitalization and a healthy lifestyle. 

“It is a great honor to be a Bank of America Neighborhood Builders recipient, which advances our work to help BeltLine residents remain in their homes,” said Rob Brawner, executive director for ABP. “This support for our legacy resident retention program will mitigate displacement of homeowners faced with increased property taxes as we continue to help residents live, work and thrive in BeltLine neighborhoods.” 

RCIE is an economic mobility engine for the Black community, driving entrepreneurs and small business owners to innovate, grow, create jobs and build wealth.

“Transformational change requires strong partnerships and impact-driven collaborations,” said Jay Bailey, president and CEO for RCIE. “We are honored to be the recipients of Bank of America's Neighborhood Builder award, especially as coronavirus and the current social climate highlight the necessity of access, opportunity and resources for the Black business community. These funds will allow us to help Black entrepreneurs turn ideas into enterprises, in a place made just for them, at a time when Black-owned businesses matter more than ever.” 

Since 2004, through its Neighborhood Builders program, Bank of America has partnered with 34 nonprofits in Atlanta, investing $6.8 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. 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. 

Recent Bank of America announcements focused on advancing economic mobility include:

• Bank of America Announces Seven Completed Equity Investments in Minority Depository Institutions and Community Development Financial Institution Banks

• $2 billion Equality Progress Sustainability Bond.

• Universal ESG Reporting; International Business Council of World Economic Forum.

• Top Global Bank on Fortune Change the World List.

• Bank of America Directs $300 Million of Its $1 Billion, Four-Year Commitment to Advance Racial Equality and Economic Opportunity.

• Expanding support of Boys & Girls Clubs of America with $1 million grant to support educational programs.

• $1 billion, four-year commitment to support economic opportunity initiatives.

• Committing $250 million in capital and $10 million in philanthropic grants to CDFIs.