Liberty Bank Provides $20,000 for the Urban League of Greater Hartford’s Financial Opportunity Center

The FOC is home to Project STABLE, the League’s economic enrichment program that provides an integrated, bundled approach to deliver industry-specific training, employment services, financial counseling, and coaching, and connections to income supports for qualifying adults, primarily minority, low-to-moderate income Greater Hartford residents.

The Center helps participants secure sustainable wage employment, develop a career in a growth industry, learn how to manage personal finances, improve credit, secure income supports to address immediate needs, and build financial assets such as savings and affordable homeownership.

The $20,000 grant has been awarded through the Liberty Bank Foundation.

“For the past 195 years, Liberty Bank has been a strong partner for organizations that share our everlasting commitment to building stronger and more diverse communities. And there hasn’t been a more important time than right now as we navigate these unprecedented times together,” said Glidden. “That’s exactly what the Urban League of Greater Hartford does through their Financial Opportunity Center. Their services are changing lives, building financial independence and providing other vital services to bolster the well-being of individuals and families for generations to come.”

Urban League of Greater Hartford President and CEO, David Hopkins commented, “The FOC is a LISC Connecticut service model established in the fall of 2020, requiring matching funds from community stakeholders to help secure staffing and cover facility and administrative costs. Liberty Bank has supported our housing program over the years, and we are very grateful that, in this time of uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic and social response to racially based systemic and structural barriers to equity, the Liberty Bank Foundation has provided this grant and enabled us to meet the more comprehensive needs of so many who are motivated to be self-reliant, but need a place to start.”

Urban League of Greater Hartford:

Founded in 1964, the Urban League of Greater Hartford is an affiliate of the National Urban League and is a trusted provider of education, employment, financial fitness, housing, and social justice services. Annually, the agency serves approximately 3,000 residents throughout the 57-town area defined by the U. S. Census Bureau as Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown CT Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)

LISC is the nation’s largest community development support organization. Together with partners and residents, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America – great places to live, work, visit, do business, and raise families. Since 1984, LISC has invested more than $81 million in urban, suburban, and rural communities across Connecticut, supporting the development of over 4,500 affordable homes.

Liberty Bank

Established in 1825, Liberty Bank is Connecticut’s oldest bank, with over $6 billion in assets and 60 banking offices throughout the central, eastern, western and shoreline areas of the state. As a full-service financial institution, Liberty offers consumer and commercial banking, home mortgages, insurance, and investment services. Named ‘Top Workplace’ by the Hartford Courant for nine consecutive years, Liberty maintains a longstanding commitment to superior personal service and unparalleled community involvement. www.liberty-bank.com.

Liberty Bank Foundation

Since its inception in 1997, the Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded almost $13.5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations within Liberty Bank’s market area.  The foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for people of low or moderate income by investing in three areas:  education to promote economic success for children and families; affordable housing and ending homelessness; and nonprofit capacity building.  Along with its grant making, the foundation strives to foster the convening and collaboration of nonprofits, funders, business, and government to address community issues.

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