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10/08/2013

Citizens Bank Foundation donates $75,000 grant to Hill Community Development Corporation for Growing Communities revitalization initiative

PITTSBURGH (October 8, 2013) – Citizens Bank today announced a partnership with the Hill Community Development Corporation (CDC) to launch Growing Communities, a new initiative designed to impact neighborhood revitalization in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The announcement was made at the Thelma Lovette YMCA, where Citizens Bank and RBS Citizens President and CEO Daniel K. Fitzpatrick presented a $75,000 donation from the Citizens Bank Foundation to Hill CDC President and CEO, Marimba Milliones.

"Growing Communities is a year-long commitment from the Citizens Bank Foundation that will positively impact small business growth in the Hill District community of Pittsburgh,” said Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of Citizens Bank and RBS Citizens for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. “The purpose of the grant is to ensure that residents and small businesses have the tools and access to resources so that they too can benefit from the large-scale development taking place in this region."

Growing Communities is part of Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities, the bank’s program to contribute to the economic vitality of its communities. The grant will assist the Hill CDC in developing a comprehensive program focused on connecting community development efforts to small businesses, workforce programs and residents’ needs such as homeownership and financial education. Elected officials, community leaders and residents of the Hill District neighborhood attended the announcement.

"Through the Growing Communities initiative, Citizens Bank is demonstrating its confidence in the future of the Hill District," said Marimba Milliones, President and CEO of the Hill CDC. "We are excited to partner with an organization that is willing to invest in the future of the residents and small businesses of our community."

Specifically, the Growing Communities initiative in Pittsburgh includes the following elements:

• Small Business Development – A $57,000 investment for the Hill CDC to further develop partnerships with local organizations and universities to foster small business growth within the Hill District. Part of this investment will include funds for micro-grants to be made through the Hill District Development Growth Fund business grants program;
• Home Ownership – A $10,000 investment for a program to help 100 homebuyers settle in the Hill District. Citizens will also provide homebuyer education to low- to moderate-income individuals and families;
• Workforce Development – A $5,000 investment for research on the impact the neighborhood development has on the local workforce. Results will be used to address the disconnect between local skills and workforce needs; and
• Financial Education – A $3,000 investment to provide monthly financial education classes for small business owners and residents at the business center. Topics will include small business budgeting basics and personal financing tips. Citizens Bank volunteers will help conduct the workshops.

Joining Fitzpatrick and Milliones at the event were Allegheny County Executive Richard Fitzgerald and City Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle. “We are thrilled that Citizens Bank is making such a large commitment to helping the continued revitalization of the Hill District neighborhood,” said Fitzgerald. “This partnership between Hill CDC and Citizens Bank is a win-win for the neighborhood and local businesses that will be able to take advantage of programs that will support their continued growth and success.”

Growing Communities is a neighborhood revitalization initiative that Citizens Bank has launched in five states and has committed to three others across its footprint. Over the next several years, Citizens Bank will add new programs and grants to support neighborhood development projects through the Growing Communities initiative.

About Citizens Helping Citizens
Grounded in the belief that a good bank gives back to its community and to the people who live there, Citizens Helping Citizens is a program embracing the community goals of RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. – the commercial bank holding company serving consumer and small business customers as Citizens Bank and Charter One and commercial banking customers as RBS Citizens. The Citizens Helping Citizens program comprises five key initiatives supported directly by RBSCFG and also by its nonprofit charitable foundations, the Citizens Charitable Foundation, the Citizens Bank Foundation and the Charter One Foundation: Citizens Helping Citizens Fight Hunger, Citizens Helping Citizens Provide Shelter, Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities (economic development), Citizens Helping Citizens Teach Money Management (financial education) and Citizens Helping Citizens Give (volunteerism and colleague charitable donations). Across all of these initiatives, Citizens Helping Citizens strives to enhance quality of life and economic vitality in local communities.

About the Hill District Community Development Corporation
In 1987 the Hill Community Development Corporation was founded for the purpose of being a catalytic force of redevelopment within the Hill District community. The organization was a partner in many of the Hill District’s key residential developments such as Crawford Square, Loendi Townhouses, Wylie Ave Townhouses, Dinwiddie Townhouses and Bedford Hill; as well as commercial developments such as Williams Square and One Hope Square. These developments gave rise to the vigorous development activity witnessed in today’s Hill District.

The mission of the Hill CDC is to work in partnership with residents and stakeholders to create, promote, and implement strategies and programs that connect plans, policies and people to drive compelling community development opportunities in the Greater Hill District.