U.S. Conference of Mayors, Wells Fargo Announce 2017 CommunityWINS Grants

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., June 26, 2017 /3BL Media/ – The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and Wells Fargo today announced Mayors Edwin Lee of San Francisco; Jorge O. Elorza of Providence, R.I.; and J. Richard Gray of Lancaster, Penn. are recognized with top honors on behalf of nonprofits in their cities with the 2017 CommunityWINS® Grant Program funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Presented at the Conference’s 85th annual meeting in Miami Beach, Fla., the awards recognize nonprofits and cities for leadership in driving neighborhood stabilization, economic development and job creation efforts. An independent panel of judges selected recipients of the Wells Fargo-funded grants from 245 applicants representing small, medium and large cities.

“Our 2017 CommunityWINS Grant Program gives the Conference an opportunity to recognize positive neighborhood revitalization efforts in our cities that are making a difference in the lives of residents,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.   “We are grateful to Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation for their support of the CommunityWINS Program, which also highlights the talent and commitment of mayors and city governments.”

• San Francisco Mayor Lee was recognized and a $300,000 grant was awarded to nonprofit Main Street Launch for its Chinatown Initiative for Entrepreneurial Spirit and Innovation project.The effort will provide tailored technical assistance for Chinatown-based small businesses, create an online business directory, and complete a detailed analysis for 200 local businesses including listing them in ArcGIS mapping technologies and with public databases.

• Providence, R.I. Mayor Elorza was recognized and a $150,000 grant was awarded for the creation of Farm Fresh Rhode Island’s new state-of-the-art Harvest Kitchen that will be located in the heart of the neighborhood that was formerly a center of manufacturing and industry.

• Lancaster, Penn. Mayor Gray was recognized and a $150,000 grant was awarded to the Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County to alleviate lead paint hazards for 10 or more home-based daycare providers in Lancaster City, where the majority of housing was built prior to 1960s when lead paint was commonly used.

Additional 2017 CommunityWINS Grant Program Outstanding Achievement awards were also presented to:

• Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed on behalf of 3Star Community Corporation ($75,000);

• Santa Fe, N.M. Mayor Javier Gonzales on behalf of MAKE Santa Fe ($50,000); and

• Ithaca, N.Y. Mayor Svante Myrick on behalf of the Ithaca Downtown Business Improvement District ($50,000).

The grants were presented by Wells Fargo during USCM’s 85^th annual meeting. Wells Fargo’s support makes the CommunityWINS Grant Program possible. 

“Wells Fargo is delighted to collaborate with the US Conference of Mayors to make these grants available for nonprofits and enable them to make vital neighborhood revitalization improvements in their cities,” said Martin Sundquist, executive director of the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation.  “Wells Fargo cares about the communities we serve and the 2017 CommunityWINS grant program is among several economic empowerment efforts we support that are focused on building better communities.”

About USCM

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $2.0 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,500 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 42 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 273,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune’s 2017 rankings of America’s largest corporations. The Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked Wells Fargo No. 3 on its most recent list of the top corporate cash philanthropists. In 2016, Wells Fargo donated $281.3 million to 14,900 nonprofits and Wells Fargo team members volunteered 1.73 million hours with 50,000 nonprofits. Wells Fargo’s corporate social responsibility efforts are focused on economic empowerment in underserved communities, environmental sustainability, and advancing diversity and social inclusion. News, insights, and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.