Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Recognized by Bank of America for Its Impact in Improving the Human Condition through Plant Science

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has named Donald Danforth Plant Science Center as a 2014 Neighborhood Builder. The nonprofit is being recognized for its work in St. Louis. Currently marking its tenth anniversary, Neighborhood Builders is a strategic investment in communities that combines $200,000 in flexible funding with leadership training for the organization’s executives and selected emerging leader. Danforth has selected St. Charles resident and director of corporate and foundation relations Elizabeth Lanier-Shipp as its emerging leader.

“Over the last decade, we’ve heard from past recipients that the combination of unrestricted funding and leadership training has fundamentally changed their organizations and helped them stay competitive in an ever-changing funding environment,” said Larry Otto, St. Louis Market President, Bank of America. “The Danforth Plant Science Center has already done so much for St. Louis. This investment will empower them to build leadership capacity and expand to meet the evolving needs of plant science advancement in our community and across the globe.”

Founded on the vision that scientific knowledge when applied to solving critical challenges has the potential to lift families, communities, and nations from poverty, empowering people everywhere to enjoy better health and a higher quality of life, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is uniquely positioned to help provide long-range, systematic solutions to global humanitarian and environmental challenges.

Through its mission, the Danforth Center will help further Bank of America’s philanthropic priority of providing access to vital food supplies and services to feed individuals, children and families that help towards financial stability. Additionally, the Danforth Center’s participation in the Neighborhood Builders Leadership Program will help ensure successful growth as its research facilities expand, the number of scientific teams increase, and the need for diversified revenue streams accelerates.

Neighborhood Builders is the largest investment in nonprofit leadership development and organizational longevity. Through Neighborhood Builders, Bank of America has invested $160 million in 800 nonprofit organizations and provided training to 1,600 nonprofit leaders.

Organizations selected as Neighborhood Builders are recognized for their significant impact in addressing needs related to workforce development and education, community development, and basic human services addressing needs such as hunger. The flexible funding allows nonprofits to build capacity. At the same time, leaders of the organizations learn about issues core to nonprofit sustainability through the Neighborhood Builders leadership training.