Citizens Bank now accepting applications for Champions in Action program in Collective Impact category

PITTSBURGH (February 8, 2016) – As part of its continued commitment to support the communities where it does business, Citizens Bank is now accepting applications for the second 2016 Champion in Action. The Champions in Action® program provides financial, volunteer and public relations support to local nonprofits. The topic for this round of funding is Collective Impact and awardees will be announced in July 2016.

Collective Impact targets organizations partnering to identify a social issue and to create a shared vision to solve it. The partnership can be between two nonprofits, a nonprofit and a school or other educational institution, a nonprofit and a quasi-governmental or municipal agency, or a nonprofit and a for-profit. The category is not limited to any one particular cause but rather it should highlight the partnership between two or more organizations working together to meet their goal.

The Champions in Action award will be presented to a collective impact program with a demonstrated history of success and measurement. The lead nonprofit should apply for the award and include metrics/results around success of the program through collaboration with another partner(s).

To be eligible for consideration, the lead organization must:

• Provide verification of tax-exempt status under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code;
• Have a total operating budget of $5 million or less; and
• Program must be executed in one of the following regions: RI, MA, NH, Pittsburgh or Philadelphia.

Nonprofit organizations working in a Collective Impact partnership are invited to apply for the Champions in Action award to be announced in July. Applications can be completed online at www.citizensbank.com/community/champions and must be submitted by Friday, February 26, at 5 p.m.

Champions in Action is part of Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities, the bank’s program designed to enhance quality of life and economic vitality in local communities. It provides support for small nonprofit organizations to recognize their contributions to communities throughout Pennsylvania.

The selected Champion in Action will receive:

• A $35,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from Citizens Bank;
• Media coverage from Trib Total Media and WPXI, including public service announcements and television profiles over the course of six months;
• Volunteer support from Citizens Bank, WPXI-TV, Trib Total Media and Pittsburgh Cares colleagues;
• The opportunity for the organization’s executive director to participate in a “Executive Mentoring” mentorship with Citizens Bank leadership;
• Extensive public relations support;
• Promotional support highlighting the Champion in Action on all Citizens Bank branch DCN screens and on its ATMs;
• Exposure on both Citizens Bank, Trib Total Media and WPXI websites.

For more information about the Champions in Action program, visit https://www.citizensbank.com/community/champions/default.aspx

Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities is part of the bank’s broader Citizens Helping Citizens program addressing five key areas: hunger, housing, economic development, financial education and volunteerism. Get more information about Citizens Bank’s community initiatives online.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $138.2 billion in assets as of December 31, 2015. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle‐market companies, large corporations and institutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens helps its retail customers “bank better” with mobile and online banking and the convenience of approximately 3,200 ATMs and approximately 1,200 Citizens Bank branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid‐Atlantic and Midwest regions. Citizens also provides mortgage lending, auto lending, student lending and commercial banking services in select markets nationwide. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers corporate, institutional and not‐for‐profit clients a full range of wholesale banking products and services including lending and deposits, capital markets, treasury services, foreign exchange and interest hedging, leasing and asset finance, specialty finance and trade finance.

Citizens operates through its subsidiaries Citizens Bank, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania as Citizens Bank, Citizens Commercial Banking and Citizens One. Additional information about Citizens and its full line of products and services can be found at www.citizensbank.com.

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