Let’s Give Arizona a Hand Up Award finalist: First Interstate Bank

The “Let’s Give Arizona a Hand Up Award” will be presented at the upcoming Champions of Change Awards through a partnership between AZ Big Media and Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. Finalists for the award were determined based on how their company’s corporate giving and community volunteer activities are building a brighter future for Arizona nonprofits and making a direct and quantifiable impact on our communities. The Champions of Change Awards will be held Thursday, May 16, 2024. Each day leading up to the event, we will preview one finalist for the Let’s Give Arizona a Hand Up Award. Today, learn about First Interstate Bank.

Sponsors of the Champions of Change Awards include BOK Financial (impact sponsor), Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona (spotlight sponsor), Stearns Bank (step-and-repeat sponsor), Maricopa Corporate College at Maricopa Community Colleges (photo booth sponsor), Lerner & Rowe Gives Back (name tag sponsor), REDW Advisors and CPAs (floral sponsor) and Center for the Future of Arizona (dessert sponsor).

To learn more about the Champions of Change Awards, click here.

First Interstate Bank

Philanthropy is critical to how First Interstate Bank supports the communities we call home. Our $1,000,000 Believe in Local philanthropy campaign began in 2022, celebrating the integration of two great companies — First Interstate and Great Western Bank. Believe in Local honors First Interstate Bank’s humble beginnings and pride in staying true to our values and roots while simultaneously adapting, innovating, and responding to the unique needs of our clients, communities, and nonprofit partners.

What makes the Believe in Local campaign unique and progressive is that it is employee-driven. Employees may nominate a local nonprofit organization they’re engaged with to receive funding that will help drive community-wide impact. Nomination forms are entertained by a selection committee composed of First Interstate Bank employees. Forty recipients from the Bank footprint are chosen to receive a surprise grant of $25,000. Nominating employees are informed over a 4-month period and have the delight of surprising their chosen nonprofit with a jumbo presentation check. Pomp and circumstance, along with the surprise element, are an important part of celebrating both the nominating employee and selected nonprofit. The Believe in Local campaign captures our employees’ collective commitment to relationship building, client service, and community outreach.

Candelen, Inc. was the most recent Arizona recipient selected to receive a Believe in Local grant. Daniel Gonzales nominated Candelen because of the importance early childhood educational resources play in Arizona and how they look to serve rural communities where early childcare training and resources are limited.

Candelen’s mission is to offer educational programs, supportive services, and helpful tools for parents, caregivers, decision makers, and educators to collectively act in the best interest of children. Believe in Local funds supported services that connect parents with reliable childcare, teach techniques to encourage healthy brain development, foster a passion for reading, and provide parenting materials to support growth of the parent and child. In addition, grant money went toward operating costs for Candelen’s educator’s professional development program. Early childhood leaders have the opportunity to learn virtually or in-person about topics such as behavior guidance, STEM, family engagement, and child development.

Candelen, Inc. indicates that for every dollar donated, there is a $16 dollar return to the community through graduation rates, higher wages, and decreased dependence on welfare. This means First Interstate Bank’s grant of $25,000 equates to a $400,000 return to Arizona communities. Candelen’s most recent metrics show that over 400 early childhood programs received coaching via their Quality First and Coaching Services program, more than 2,500 early childhood professionals participated in their Professional Development and Training program, and over 1,300 caregivers, families, and parents completed an education series.

What differentiates First Interstate from other financial institutions is the way we take care of our people, our clients, and our communities. Believe in Local grants support the Bank’s mission of helping communities live out their greatest potential, and this has been showcased in Candelen’s use of funds to provide valuable services with high participation rates to caregivers, parents, and educators across Arizona.