Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC), one of America’s leading community banks and the nation’s largest home mortgage lender, today announced donations totaling $500,000 to seven local nonprofits to help strengthen and revitalize Tucson neighborhoods through the Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT® program.
The local grant recipients were identified in close collaboration with Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild to support five key areas: Support services for the homeless, neighborhood beautification and improvement, education and workforce programs, food access, and economic growth.
Wells Fargo has presented $500,000 in grants to the following Tucson nonprofits:
- Community Food Bank of Southern AZ — $25,000 to support nutritional health and help Tucson residents overcome hunger and poverty.
- Pima Council on Aging — $50,000 to support senior housing assistance to help at-risk seniors remain in their own homes for as long as possible.
- Tucson Clean and Beautiful-Trees for Tucson — $50,000 to support neighborhood beautification and build environmental stewardship to make neighborhoods safer and more livable.
- Tucson Urban League — $75,000 to support the Career Yes workforce development and education program.
- Old Pueblo Community Services — $100,000 to support permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans.
- Our Family Services — $100,000 to support transitional housing for homeless adults who come from backgrounds of severe abuse and neglect.
- Pima Community College Foundation — $100,000 to support workforce development and education.
The grants are funded through Wells Fargo’s NeighborhoodLIFT program that was launched in 2012. The program is an innovative effort created to help revitalize neighborhoods and help people buy homes by making properties more affordable with down payment assistance available for eligible prospective buyers. Since 2012 LIFT programs have helped create more than 9,300 new homeowners in 34 communities with down payment assistance and homebuyer education.
“Wells Fargo is the leading mortgage lender in Arizona and we are proud to support our communities to help ensure a thriving and healthy community base,” said John Gibson, Greater Southern Arizona area president for Wells Fargo. “The nonprofits are actively leading efforts to help strengthen neighborhoods, address homelessness, and promote jobs and education programs, and we are excited to help support their tremendous efforts with the NeighborhoodLIFT program local initiatives funds.”
“Wells Fargo’s NeighborhoodLIFT program has already helped to boost homeownership and reduce the inventory of vacant houses,” said Jonathan Rothschild, Mayor of Tucson. “These grants will further help to improve our community by supporting services that build our city up, creating a more promising future for Tucsonans.”
In addition to the local grants, the NeighborhoodLIFT program helped further the housing recovery in Tucson and South Tucson by providing $4.5 million in down payment assistance grants and program support to help more families achieve successful, sustainable homeownership. The NeighborhoodLIFT event held in Tucson on September 5-6, 2014 helped to create 207 new homeowners in Tucson and South Tucson.
