KeyBank Foundation provides $1.4M grant to NPOs to workforce development, housing insecurity, and homeownership

The KeyBank Foundation is donating $1,425,000 to four non-profit organizations in the Capital Region to help with workforce development, housing insecurity, and homeownership. These four grants are part of KeyBank's $40 billion National Community Benefits Plan, which represents the bank's commitment to initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“KeyBank’s roots are in the Capital Region and we have a long, proud history of supporting organizations here and in all of the communities we serve,” said Fran O’Rourke, KeyBank Capital Region Market President. “With these grants, we are lifting up and amplifying efforts that will make our communities even stronger through workforce training, financial education and economic development.”

Organizations receiving funding include:

• Social Enterprise and Training Center, or SEAT, does important work by offering workforce programs to underserved young people ages 17 to 24, who are frequently underrepresented in economic opportunities in our region. SEAT's holistic approach includes project-based educational classes for young people to earn a high school equivalency, hands-on occupational skills training, on-site mental wellness, leadership development, career placement, and ongoing graduate support and coaching.
• SEAT's YouthBuild Schenectady and Albany programs will benefit from the grant funds. YouthBuild is a comprehensive program that empowers opportunity youth to transform their communities while also transforming their own lives. YouthBuild targets at-risk, low-income young people between the ages of 17 and 24, who have not completed high school and are unemployed, underemployed, or in need of workforce skills to secure a good-paying job. Students receive training in construction, culinary, and manufacturing, in addition to high school equivalency classes. Since its inception in 2006, the program has helped over 400 young people transform their lives and communities through training, community service, and sustainable wage jobs.

The organization believes that these funds will help to strengthen our local communities, serve those who have been left behind or excluded from opportunities, and advance equity.

• The Ellis Hospital Foundation will use the KeyBank Foundation gift to fund the Ellis Promise program at Ellis Medicine. Ellis Medicine offers a comprehensive range of acute and preventative services to people throughout the Capital Region, including cardiovascular and cancer care, as well as women's and emergency care. It is also the region's largest provider of mental health services, providing a range of inpatient and outpatient services.

The Ellis Promise plan addresses two critical needs: attracting and retaining a diverse and sustainable workforce. Its mission is to rethink recruitment and retention goals in order to address workforce disparities. The strategic plan takes a holistic approach to employee support by utilizing diverse recruiters, success coaches, and community navigators who can assist in overcoming barriers that many low-income employees face, such as transportation, childcare, healthcare, and education. The plan also invests in efforts to improve long-term career mobility for workers.

• TRIP, or Troy Rehabilitation & Improvement Program, Inc., has been connecting individuals and families with resources to live in desirable homes and create vibrant, sustainable communities for the past 50 years. KeyBank Foundation grant funds will be used to support TRIP's Renters Build Wealth program.

The program aims to increase wealth among renters whose incomes range between 30% and 60% of the area median income. TRIP intends to connect renters with resources that will assist them in reducing debt, improving credit, and setting financial goals. By the end of the project, the organization hopes that 80% of project participants will have reduced their debt, improved their credit, and increased their savings, and that 40% will have completed the homebuying education process.

• Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless (IPH) is a leading provider of services to the Capital Region's homeless and low-income communities. IPH serves over 1500 people each year through critical human services programming, compassionate care, and impactful community partnerships. Five year-round and seasonal emergency shelters; nearly fifty supportive permanent and transitional housing units for individuals and families; and community services such as a daytime drop-in center, health and wellness clinic, and employment program are all part of IPH operations.

The KeyBank grant will benefit IPH's Community Based Programs, which include an employment program, a daytime drop center with mailboxes for safe and consistent mail delivery; shower and laundry facilities; a daily meal; storage lockers; access to a phone, computer, copier, and fax for business purposes; weekly life skills groups; a community room for socialization; a clothing pantry; food pantry operated by Catholic Charities; and a bus toke. Case management services that provide basic needs assessments, crisis intervention, goal planning, assistance with life skills such as budgeting and self-advocacy, resource exploration, and referrals to appropriate service providers are examples of primary services. Caseworkers also help guests apply for affordable and/or supportive housing programs, as well as jobs.

“We are very proud to support the great work being done by these four organizations in the Capital Region,“ said Tamika Otis, Corporate Responsibility Officer for KeyBank in the Capital Region. “These investments bring KeyBank’s purpose of helping the communities we serve thrive to life and will accelerate economic inclusion in our region.”

Since 2017, KeyBank has invested more than $1 billion in the Capital Region through its National Community Benefits Plan, supporting affordable housing and community development projects; small business and home lending; and transformative philanthropy.