Citizens Charitable Foundation Funds Growing Communities Initiative in Woonsocket

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — February 3, 2021

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Citizens, through its charitable foundation and in partnership with LISC, will invest $40,000 this spring to support Woonsocket community development programs as part of the Growing Communities initiative. Growing Communities, now in its eighth year, is part of Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities, the bank’s effort to support local organizations that foster the economic vitality of local communities.

Through this program, the Citizens Charitable Foundation partnered with Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) Rhode Island to award grants ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 to seven organizations in the Woonsocket area. The grants are used to support projects that contribute to the resiliency of neighborhoods and support economic vitality.

“The Growing Communities program is a vitally important way to support the organizations that are working directly in the community to improve the quality of life for our neighbors,” said Jeanne Cola, Executive Director of LISC Rhode Island. “As we all emerge from the worldwide Coronavirus crisis, the importance of these programs is even more critical. The grant funding couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.”

The 2021 awardees include:

• Neighborworks Blackstone River Valley – Music Moves for the Millrace Music Series
• Connecting Children and Families – Clothing Woonsocket Workers for Success
• Beacon Charter School for the Arts – Creative Placemaking Mural Project
• YMCA Woonsocket Branch – Expansion of the STEM/STEAM room for broadband
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Northern RI – Expansion of its STEAM capabilities
• City of Woonsocket – Expansion of Senior’s Health and Wellness Club
• Riverzedge Arts – Support of its Arts Education Training Program

“Citizens is always looking for innovative ways to make a meaningful impact in our local communities and the Growing Communities initiative in partnership with LISC RI is a prime example,” said Barbara Cottam, Rhode Island Market Executive, Citizens. “The investments we will make in Woonsocket through this partnership will help infuse critical support into this community. Together, we are ensuring that our neighborhoods get the resources they need to grow and prosper.”

One local non-profit to receive funding this year includes a workforce development program located at Connecting Children and Families. The center hosts Career Academy, a regional career development program delivered in collaboration with the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, designed to help people prepare to enter or re-enter the workforce. The grant award will support and expand the highly utilized “Success Wear” program.

“The Growing Communities funding will really help us at a critical time,” said Terese Curtin, Executive Director of Connecting Children and Families in Woonsocket. “High-demand jobs that lead to a family-sustaining wage are an essential focus here in northern Rhode Island. This program allows participants to present themselves in the best possible light to be considered for professional positions.”

Growing Communities is designed to promote and invest in neighborhood revitalization based on the existing assets of a community. These investments may support small business, workforce development and job creation and to make an area more livable for its residents. The initiative was originally launched by Citizens in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2010. In Rhode Island, the Growing Communities program has helped revitalize neighborhoods like Olneyville in Providence, Central Falls and Pawtucket as well as Newport.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $183.3 billion in assets as of December 31, 2020. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 2,700 ATMs and approximately 1,000 branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

About Citizens Charitable Foundation
The Citizens Charitable Foundation is a philanthropic organization funded by Citizens Financial Group, Inc. The Foundation’s mission is centered in the belief that citizenship is at the heart of Citizens’ identity, and when people and communities reach their potential, we all thrive. The Citizens Charitable Foundation currently focuses its giving in three key areas: helping people to manage their money, engaging with partners in the fight against hunger, and strengthening our communities. By investing in these important issues, the Citizens Charitable Foundation strives to improve the lives of our fellow citizens through building partnerships with public, private, and community interests to develop neighborhoods, transform lives, and stimulate economic renewal.

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