Keybank Donates $300,000 In COVID-19 And Social Justice Support To Central And Southwestern Ohio Nonprofits
CINCINNATI, Ohio, Oct. 1, 2020 - KeyBank has announced $300,000 in KeyBank Foundation grants in the third quarter to local nonprofits across Central and Southwestern Ohio for COVID-19 relief and social justice efforts. The funding provides $240,000 in grants for COVID-related support to local organizations serving our community’s most vulnerable populations across Key’s markets in greater Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton. It also includes $60,000 directed toward grassroots racial equity and social justice initiatives. The grants are incremental to Key’s substantial ongoing community support to the region as directed through the bank’s five-year, $16.5 billion National Community Benefits Plan.
“KeyBank's purpose is to help our clients and our communities thrive. That is true in good times and in challenging times," said Corporate Responsibility Officer Stacy Thompson. "COVID-19 hasn't revealed new issues; rather it has shown us the depths of issues we continue to work to address with our community partners, and just how much further we have to go." Thompson went on to explain that along with committing additional funds at the beginning of the pandemic, Key shifted some of its 2020 planned philanthropic resources to meet more immediate needs. “We realized early on that many of our community partners needed to pivot in response to the pandemic’s impact on their vulnerable populations, so we worked with them to reallocate our planned support to help them.”
Organizations receiving COVID-19 relief support from KeyBank Foundation are:
Columbus & Central Ohio | Dayton | Cincinnati | |||
Columbus Foundation Central Ohio United Way Richland County United Way YWCA Columbus Columbus Urban League LifeCare Alliance Meals-on-Wheels Per Scholas - Columbus Move to Prosper | Dayton Foundation United Way of Dayton Wesley Community Center Miami Valley Foodbank Miami Valley Fair Housing Center | Cincinnati United Way YWCA Cincinnati Cincinnati Youth Collaborative Freestore Foodbank YMCA of Greater Cincinnati |
“Our team at Freestore Foodbank and the families that we serve want to thank KeyBank and its associates for the incredible support they provided during this time of unparalleled need,” said Freestore Foodbank President & CEO Kurt Reiber. “Without the support of corporate partners like KeyBank, we would not be able to meet the increased demand created by this pandemic. KeyBank associates put real meaning to the phrase ‘Community is Key’ and they show it by volunteering during their annual Neighbors Make the Difference Day and through donations like this made at these critical times.”
As a company recognized for its commitment to and advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, KeyBank reaffirms its strong stand for social justice and racial equity with social change grants in all its markets, and has committed to a comprehensive community response plan to accelerate outcomes and create meaningful and lasting advancement toward racial equity and social justice across its footprint.
Local organizations receiving grants from KeyBank Foundation to support racial equity and social justice initiatives are:
Columbus & Central Ohio | Dayton | Cincinnati |
The Center for Employment Opportunities (C.E.O.) Ohio Black Expo Columbus Urban League UNCF Columbus | YWCA Dayton West Dayton Caravan (Dayton Scholars Program) Neighborhoods Over Politics Dayton Young Black Professionals McKinley UM Church (John Moore Center) | The Center for Employment Opportunities (C.E.O.) DAD Initiative Urban League of Greater SW Ohio |
C.E.O. Cincinnati Program Director Sid Taylor is grateful for KeyBank’s partnership. “As we embark on what has proven to be a tireless journey to highlight and support the too often neglected on the topic of racial injustice and social inequality, the partnership of our business communities is invaluable,” he said. “KeyBank has taken a critical stance in supporting our work and we are grateful. This funding will be used to address the needs of individuals in Hamilton County, many of whom are black and brown, with obtaining the credentials needed for living wage jobs for which they have been disproportionately ineligible.”
In addition to the above grants, KeyBank teammates donated more than $2 million through KeyBank Foundation’s 2:1 Response Employee Matching Gifts program, supporting COVID-19 relief and social change efforts through more than 1,200 nonprofits across the country, including many in Central and Southwestern Ohio. KeyBank’s employees also participated in the bank’s Virtual Neighbor’s Make a Difference initiative during the months of June and July, which, due to the pandemic, replaced the bank’s traditional annual day of caring with volunteering projects with non-profits that employees completed remotely.
“I am deeply proud of KeyBank’s community spirit and the way our teammates have come together to support our clients and our community,” said KeyBank Market President Michael McCuen. “Key’s long and strong history of support has helped our customers and communities prevail through many challenging times, and together we will get through today’s challenges as well.”
About KeyBank Foundation
KeyBank Foundation serves to fulfill KeyBank’s purpose to help clients and communities thrive, and its mission is to support organizations and programs that prepare people for thriving futures. The Foundation’s mission is advanced through three funding priorities – neighbors, education, and workforce – and through community service. To provide meaningful philanthropy that transforms lives, KeyBank Foundation listens carefully to understand the unique characteristics and needs of its communities and then backs solutions with targeted philanthropic investments. KeyBank Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation, funded by KeyCorp.
About KeyCorp
KeyCorp's roots trace back 190 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $171.2 billion at June 30, 2020. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of more than 1,000 branches and approximately 1,400 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
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