Advisor and employee volunteerism provides additional support to
organizations
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ameriprise
Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP) recently completed the first of three
funding cycles for 2011, awarding more than $1.1 million to nonprofit
organizations. Seventy-seven grants
were made under the company’s three funding platforms: meeting basic
needs, supporting community vitality and volunteer-driven causes.
“Nonprofits continue to face an unprecedented demand for their services,
especially programs that assist low-income families and displaced
workers,” said Brian Pietsch, head of community relations at Ameriprise
Financial. “No single company or organization can meet these challenges
alone, but our combined efforts can make a significant difference for
people who are struggling to meet their basic needs and provide
stability for their families.”
Highlights from the recent grant cycle include:
- Supporting the Northern Illinois Food Bank’s food acquisition and
distribution programs, which provide nutritious meals to more than
60,000 people per week. Funding from Ameriprise will help the
organization recover and distribute perishable foods, including meat
and fresh produce, from more than 100 local retail stores. Ameriprise
financial advisors from the St. Charles, Lake County and Rockford
areas frequently volunteer at the food bank.
- Teaching more than 50,000 at-risk youth about diversity and the
local culture through funding for Shreveport Opera. The grant from
Ameriprise will help bring this interactive programming into
children’s hospitals, community centers and schools across Louisiana,
Mississippi, eastern Texas and southern Arkansas. Mark McCrocklin, an
Ameriprise private wealth advisor in Shreveport, serves on the
organization’s board of directors.
- Partnering with People Serving People to help homeless families
take important steps toward self sufficiency. Funding from
Ameriprise will enable the Minneapolis-based organization to provide
emergency housing, career counseling, educational services and access
to other community agencies to families in crisis. Ameriprise
Financial employees and retirees volunteer more than 2,000 hours
annually in the organization’s cafeteria.
Ameriprise Financial continues to support domestic hunger relief through
its philanthropic partnership with Feeding America. The company recently
held food drives in employee centers across the U.S. and collected an
equivalent of 200,000 meals for local food banks. In Boston and Phoenix,
more than 100 volunteers from Ameriprise Financial and Columbia
Management spent a day at the Greater Boston Food Bank and the Desert
Mission Food Bank, preparing food for distribution to local families.
The company also supported Second Harvest Heartland’s annual fundraising
event by matching a total of $25,000 in individual contributions to the
Twin Cities-based hunger relief organization.
Ameriprise Financial is currently accepting grant applications for third
cycle 2011 funding. The application deadline is September 1, 2011.
Second cycle grant decisions will be communicated in August.
About Ameriprise FinancialCommunity
Relations
Ameriprise Financial is dedicated to using the
firm’s resources, talents and volunteer time to improve the lives of
individuals and build strong communities. Through grant-making,
volunteerism and employee and advisor gift matching programs, the
company supports a diverse group of more than 5,000 nonprofits across
the country.
About Ameriprise Financial
Ameriprise Financial, Inc. is a
diversified financial services company serving the comprehensive
financial planning needs of the mass affluent and affluent. For more
information, visit ameriprise.com.
© 2011 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.
Grants Awarded: First Cycle 2011
Meeting Basic Needs – 29 grants:AccessAbility, Inc.; Admission
Possible; American Indian OIC, Inc.; Anne-Marie House; Association House
of Chicago; Augsburg College; Birmingham AIDS Outreach, Inc.; Catholic
Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis; Central PA
Community Foundation; Centro Cultural Chicano, Inc.; Family Scholar
House, Inc.; Housing Opportunities for Women; Jeremiah Program; Junior
League of Salt Lake City, Inc.; La Oportunidad; Lutheran Community
Services Northwest; Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center; Northern
Illinois Food Bank; Operation ABLE of Michigan; People Serving People
Inc; Rebuilding Together - Twin Cities; RESOURCE, Inc.; Sabathani
Community Center, Inc.; Second Harvest Heartland; Sterling House
Community Center; Store To Door; The Arc of Central Chesapeake Region;
The Greater Boston Food Bank, Inc.; Twin Cities RISE
Supporting Community Vitality – 21 grants:Ballet Works, Inc.;
Coastal Enterprises, Inc.; Local Initiatives Support Corporation; Lower
Manhattan Cultural Council, Inc.; Metropolitan Economic Development
Association; Minneapolis Institute of Arts; Minnesota Opera Company;
Minnesota Orchestral Association; Rebuilding Together Oakland County;
Rebuilding Together of Richmond; Riverview Economic Development
Association; Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Society; Shakespeare Theatre
Company; Shreveport Opera; South Queens Boys & Girls Club, Inc.; Stages
Theatre Company, Inc.; The Children's Theatre Company and School; The
Colorado Museum of Natural History; The Harmony Project; University of
Minnesota - Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum; Walker Art Center, Inc.
Volunteer-Driven Causes – 16 grants: Alzheimer's Disease and
Related Disorders Assn.; American Heart Association, Inc.; Bestprep;
Community Hospice Foundation, Inc.; Foundation Fighting Blindness, Inc.;
Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity, Inc.; Greater Minneapolis Crisis
Nursery; Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council; Habitat for Humanity of
Wake County; Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington; Junior
Achievement of West Central Florida; Minnesota AIDS Project; Spina
Bifida Resource Network; The Empty Stocking Fund, Inc.; We Can,
Pediatric Brain Tumor Network; Williamson County Child Advocacy Center
Ameriprise Bank Funded Grants – 11 grants:Aeon Homes; Children’s
Home Society; CommonBond; CommonGround; East Side Neighborhood
Development; Emerge Community Development; Habitat for Humanity; Junior
Achievement; LISC New York City; LISC Twin Cities; Neighborhood Housing
Services
Source: Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
Contact:
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
Stacy Housman, Media Relations
612-678-7215
stacy.m.housman@ampf.com