IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- First Foundation Inc. (NASDAQ: FFWM), a financial services company with two wholly-owned operating subsidiaries, First Foundation Advisors and First Foundation Bank, today announced the recipients of ‘Supporting Our Communities,’ a philanthropic initiative that aids local charitable organizations.
The goal of the initiative is to help nonprofits achieve sustainable growth by providing a cash grant and assisting with critical components of the nonprofit organization’s mission. It seeks to support programs and services focused on low-to-moderate income individuals and communities including financial literacy, affordable housing, public health, at-risk youth, veterans, and economic development in underserved areas. The program has two grant opportunities for qualifying nonprofits: an organizational and fundraising capacity grant, and a community development grant.
This year’s organizational and fundraising capacity grant recipients include:
- Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services
- Family Paths, Oakland
- Techbridge Girls, Oakland
- Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo, Brawley
- Youth Business Alliance, El Segundo
- Hawaii Council on Economic Education
- Waikiki Community Center
- Desert Arc, Palm Desert
- CVRep, Rancho Mirage
- Boys and Girls Club of Laguna Beach
- Thomas House Temporary Shelter, Garden Grove
- Child Creativity Lab, Irvine
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County
- Quiet Storm Foundation, Las Vegas
- The Actors Fund, Los Angeles
- Levitt & Quinn Family Law Center, Los Angeles
- The Los Angeles LGBT Center
- Stepping Stone of San Diego
- Community Resource Center, Encinitas
This year’s community development grant recipients include:
- Oakland Elizabeth House
- Court Appointed Special Advocates of Imperial County, El Centro
- South Bay Children’s Health Center, Redondo Beach
- Olive Crest, Palm Desert
- Project Access, Inc. Orange
- Dragonboat Racing Association, Henderson, NV
- New Directions for Veterans (NDVets), Los Angeles
“From the beginning, First Foundation has been committed to supporting the communities in which we work and live,” said Scott F. Kavanaugh, CEO of First Foundation Inc. “The ‘Supporting Our Communities’ initiative is an important part of our corporate giving program and the nonprofit organizations selected this year are doing tremendous work. We’re proud to help facilitate their growth and the impact they are making.”
For the recipients of the organizational and fundraising capacity grant, First Foundation’s team provides expert counsel on a wide array of topics including fundraising; donor cultivation and stewardship; gift planning design; staff and board training; campaign planning; board building; development of critical policies and protocols; organizational planning; and guidance on ensuring best practices in cash management, investment policies, and strategies.
The recipients of the community development grant partner with First Foundation employees through various volunteer services as well as board and committee leadership. This grant, in addition to the monetary component, allows the First Foundation team to share their knowledge and expertise with organizations that provide services to benefit low- or moderate-income individuals and communities.
“We personally take time to meet with each of the organizations and contribute our professional guidance in areas that matter most to the nonprofit,” said Marty Dutch, Vice President of Philanthropic Services at First Foundation. “We lend expertise to enable them to evolve into stronger organizations and continue their positive impact in the community.”
Recipient groups from previous years include Cancer Support Community Los Angeles’s (CSCLA), the Las Vegas Philharmonic, and Angel View, an Indian Wells, California-based organization serving children and adults with disabilities.
“First Foundation brought the Cancer Support Community Los Angeles’s (CSCLA) fund development to a new level,” said Julia Forth, Executive Director of the Cancer Support Community Los Angeles. “First Foundation elevated CSCLA’s communication with our donors allowing us to secure funds, continue to educate our board, and give staff the confidence to help us fulfill our mission to provide free services to cancer patients and their families in the Los Angeles area.”
To date, First Foundation’s Supporting Our Communities initiative has awarded approximately $2.5 million of cash and in-kind services to 80+ charitable organizations in Southern California, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and the San Francisco Bay area.
For more information about First Foundation’s Supporting Our Communities initiative, please visit http://www.ff-inc.com/soc/.
For media inquiries, please contact ff@ficommpartners.com.
About First Foundation
First Foundation, a financial institution founded in 1990, provides personal banking, business banking and private wealth management. The Company has offices in California, Nevada and Hawaii with headquarters in Irvine, California. For more information, please visit www.ff-inc.com.