About the Awards

At its annual convention in New Orleans, the American Bankers Association will present its annual Community Commitment Awards. These awards will recognize and celebrate the innovative and high impact contributions banks of all sizes make to the communities they serve.

• Affordable Housing
  Examples of initiatives that address this need include but are not limited to:        

            • Partnerships with civic groups, nonprofit organizations and government agencies to promote housing construction or
              rehabilitation 
            • Hosting homeownership seminars to encourage community members to become responsible homeowners
            • Mortgage lending programs designed to encourage qualified buyers to become catalysts for change by buying in
              neighborhoods in need of residential renewal.

• Small Business Lending
  Examples of initiatives that address this need include but are not limited to:      

           • Bank-led programs that identify and/or guide potential small-business owners through the start-up process, from
             qualifying for loans to obtaining other necessary permits and funding 
           • Partnerships with local governments, civic groups and/or the private sector designed to attract new businesses to
             neighborhoods in need of revitalization and encourage existing  businesses to expand
           • Initiatives that publicly celebrate and reward small businesses’ contributions to the community

• Economic Development
  Examples of initiatives that address this need include but are not limited to:      

           • Creating partnerships with local stakeholders such as merchants, community groups, residents and property owners
              build a thriving economic center in the neighborhood
            • Encouraging those living in and serving a neighborhood to showcase its culture and sense of identity
            • Assisting in job creation, identification and training
            • Helping businesses to grow, and attracting new businesses to the area
            • Addressing elements that improve a neighborhood’s quality of life, including street safety and sanitation issues

• Financial Education
  Examples of initiatives that address this need include but are not limited to:      

            • Creating or participating in educational outreach programs that innovatively convey the message of sound money
              management 
            • Hosting lessons to inform unbanked or underbanked adults about the drawbacks of payday and other alternative
              lenders and the advantages of using the services of financial institutions
            • Working with local schools, nonprofit groups, merchants and/or governments to carry out community-wide campaigns
              that foster financial literacy

• Volunteerism & Philanthropy
  Examples of initiatives that address this need include but are not limited to:      

            • Challenge grant programs to encourage individuals, businesses and governments to increase their support of programs
              and institutions that enhance the economic life and cultural identity of the community   
            • Outreach programs in which teams of employees commit to renovating schools, clubhouses and other facilities that help
              anchor and sustain life in the community 
            • Mentoring programs that match employees’ skills with the needs of underserved or at-risk groups 
            • Partnerships with groups advocating for veterans, seniors and others to retrofit their homes to enable them to enjoy full 
              accessibility and increased quality of life

• New! Sustainable Banking
  Examples of initiatives that address this need include but are not limited to:        

The awards will be judged by a panel of experts in these fields.  Award winners will be honored during ABA’s Annual Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 2013. All awardees will receive a complimentary registration to the convention.

Eligibility Criteria

Banks can submit entries in multiple categories.  

Submitting Entries

Entries must be submitted through the entry form that is available online.  The initial submission process is focused solely on narratives provided in the entry form.  No further materials should be emailed or mailed.  Applicants may be asked to provide additional information at a later date to aid in the decision-making process. 

2012 Award Winners:

Affordable Housing
Doral Bank, San Juan, Puerto Rico, for d’Hogares (of Homes), a two-part social outreach program that to date has helped more than 25,000 families keep their homes through loss-mitigation and home donation programs.

Economic Development
Citibank, New York, N.Y., for the Citi Community Development partnership with The WorkPlace to expand its Platform To Employment (P2E) program—a proven curriculum of self-assessment, change management, effective communication and successful job search strategies to help the long-term unemployed deal effectively with credit and budget issues.

Small Business Lending
U.S. Bank, Minneapolis, Minn., for its Community Restoration Funds, a $1 million revolving loan commitment that makes capital available to pre-approved neighborhood developers working in Milwaukee, Chicago and Minneapolis as a part of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).

Financial Education
Montecito Bank & Trust, Santa Barbara, Calif., for Banking on Our Youth, a partnership with local nonprofit organizations and schools that included a six-week summer financial literacy program targeting at-risk students, a Get Smart About Credit course and bilingual-parent workshops that together reached more than 2,200 students and 400 parents.

Volunteerism and Philanthropy
Bank of Feather River, Yuba City, Calif., for Happy Landings, a welcome and orientation program for spouses of military members who have recently moved to Beale Air Force Base, making military families feel welcome in their new home town, and informing them about/connecting them to services provided by local businesses, benefiting all.