In an announcement on December 6, 2024, the First Financial Bank (Nasdaq: FFBC) and the First Financial Foundation awarded a total of $50,000 in grants to seven organizations in Northwest Indiana, building on a commitment to make a positive impact through donations that enhance and develop local communities.
“Serving communities is part of our culture, and we see these donations through our local partner organizations as investments in people and neighborhoods to create positive outcomes that will benefit us all,” said Roddell McCullough, chief corporate responsibility officer for First Financial Bank.
Throughout its four-state footprint of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois, First Financial awarded a total of $510,000, matching last year’s result as the largest grant campaign to date. The awards, made to 73 different organizations, are focused on promoting neighborhood development, workforce development and education, and culture and the arts, with a particular focus on low-income communities.
In Northwest Indiana, Sojourner Truth House in Gary is among this year’s recipients.
“Sojourner Truth House is profoundly grateful to First Financial Bank, in partnership with CREA, for their generous $5,000 grant supporting our Career Services Program,” said Warren Johnson, donor relations officer. “This commitment to deeply integrating into the communities they serve is truly inspiring, and we are honored that they value our efforts to empower homeless women and families in the Gary area. This partnership strengthens our mission to provide our clients with essential career training, including credentialed certificates, web design, computer skills, and entrepreneurship. These opportunities restore dignity, instill hope, and equip our participants with the tools they need for stability and self-sufficiency. We are thrilled to have First Financial as a dedicated community partner, and together, we will continue to make a lasting impact.”
Additional recipients in the area include A Better Way Co-Op in Williamsport; Computer Skills and Training Center and Gary Community Partnership Corporation in Gary; Homestead Resources in Lafayette; and The Center of Workforce Innovations and United Way of Northwest Indiana, both in Valparaiso.
First Financial broadened the impact of the campaign by adding funding from CREA, a low-income housing tax credit organization.
First Financial’s commitment to the communities it serves extends beyond the annual grant campaign. Earlier this year, First Financial announced a new Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) for 2024-2028, committing to $2.4 billion in lending and investments to low- and moderate-income clients and census tracts. The new CBA includes a goal of $18 million in philanthropy. The First Financial Foundation gave a total of more than $2.4 million in donations in 2023. First Financial’s giving is focused on helping groups that create and preserve affordable housing and workforce development, plus those that provide housing counseling and promote financial and economic inclusion. Last year, First Financial team members also gave more than 14,000 volunteer hours to local organizations.