Bank of America Names Its 2023 Charleston Neighborhood Champion

Press Release

Bank of America today announced Carolina Youth Development Center (CYDC) as the 2023 Neighborhood Champion® awardee for its work advancing economic mobility and building up underserved communities in the Lowcountry. Through this multi-year grant funding and leadership training for the nonprofits’ leadership, programs and services addressing child and family well-being will be expanded as the CYDC launches the Families First program – an evidence-based model focused on crisis prevention and family stabilization.

As part of the bank’s Neighborhood Builders program, one of the largest philanthropic investments into nonprofit leadership development in the nation, Neighborhood Champions provides funding and leadership training to nonprofits that are advancing economic mobility and building up underserved neighborhoods.

Through the program, CYDC will have the opportunity to receive virtual engagement and technical assistance coaching, participate in virtual leadership training delivered by experts in the nonprofit sector on topics like human capital management, increasing financial sustainability and storytelling and a $50,000 grant over two years.

Founded in 1790, CYDC is a direct descendant of the Charleston Orphan House, America’s first publicly funded orphanage. Today, CYDC provides programs reaching over 900 children, youth, and their families locally each year. It cares for young people who are victims of physical and sexual abuse, neglect and abandonment, as well as providing resources and support to area families at risk of having their children removed from their home.

CYDC will utilize the Neighborhood Champions to support the launch of the Families First program. The program is an intensive home-based service that teaches families new ways to interact that improve overall functioning. The impact of Families First on the community will be significant. This program will reduce trauma in families and children by keeping children in their homes. Trauma reduction and improved family function leads to better educational outcomes, decreased legal involvement, increased employment opportunities, and stronger communities.

“The Carolina Youth Development Center has been providing necessary services within the Charleston community for more than 230 years. We have adapted and evolved as an organization to meet the needs of the most vulnerable members of the community, and we are preparing to evolve once more,” said Beverly Hardin, CEO, CYDC. “Being named this year’s Bank of America Neighborhood Champion will allow the Center to launch the Families First program to reduce trauma in families and children by keeping children in their homes. This critical inflection point has the potential to change the trajectory of families and children’s lives in our community in unprecedented ways.”

The invitation-only program is highly competitive, and nonprofits are selected by a committee comprised of community leaders and past awardees. Five nonprofits have been named as Champions in the Charleston area since 2019, with the bank investing $250,000 into these nonprofits.

“Nonprofits like the Carolina Youth Development Center and all our past Neighborhood Champions are vital to solving social challenges, improving communities and promoting economic advancement,” said Mark Munn, president, Bank of America Charleston. “Providing these nonprofits with flexible funding and leadership training not only positions these nonprofits for sustainable, long-term success, but demonstrates our commitment to creating real change across the Lowcountry, where we live and work.”

Since 2004, Bank of America has invested more than $300 million in nearly 100 communities across the U.S., partnered with more than 1,600 nonprofits, and helped more than 3,000 nonprofit leaders strengthen their leadership skills through the Neighborhood Builders and Champions program.

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