OREANDA-NEWS. The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and Wells Fargo today announced Mayors Charlie Hales of Portland, Ore.; Setti Warren of Newton, Mass.; and Steve Williams of Huntington, W. Va. are recognized with top honors on behalf of nonprofits in their cities with the 2016 CommunityWINS® Grant Program funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Presented at the USCM 84th annual meeting in Indianapolis, the awards recognize nonprofits and cities for leadership in promoting neighborhood revitalization, economic development and job creation efforts. An independent panel of judges selected recipients of the Wells Fargo-funded grants from 250 applicants representing small, medium and large cities.

“Our 2016 CommunityWINS Grant Program gives the Conference an opportunity to showcase positive change happening now in our cities to make 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.”

  • Portland, Ore. Mayor Charlie Hales was recognized and a $300,000 grant was awarded to The Homeless “Build a Home” initiative to develop and implement a carpentry training program in which homeless men in recovery from addiction can learn to design and build “tiny homes.”
  • Newton, Mass. Mayor Setti Warren was recognized and a $150,000 grant was awarded for the creation of the Newton Innovation Center (NIC) to provide space to community organizations, support the formation and growth of small businesses and give high school students access to internships and resources.
  • Huntington, W. Va. Mayor Steve Williams was recognized and a $150,000 grant was awarded to the West Edge Factory Solar Training Institute in the distressed West End neighborhood to train dislocated coal- and manufacturing-sector workers in solar-roof installation.

Additional 2016 CommunityWINS Grant Program Outstanding Achievement awards were also presented to:

  • Jacksonville, Fla. Mayor Lenny Curry on behalf of Family Foundations ($75,000);
  • Chattanooga, Tenn. Mayor Andy Berke on behalf of TechTown Foundation ($50,000); and
  • Kinston, N.C. Mayor BJ Murphy on behalf of Kinston Teens, Inc. ($50,000).

The grants were presented by Martin Sundquist, Executive Director, Wells Fargo Housing Foundation. Wells Fargo’s support makes the CommunityWINS Grant Program possible. 

“Wells Fargo is delighted to collaborate with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to make these grants available for nonprofits and enable them to make vital neighborhood revitalization improvements in their cities,” said Sundquist.  “Wells Fargo cares about the communities we serve and the 2016 CommunityWINS grant program is among several economic empowerment efforts we support that will add up to make a big difference for local neighborhoods.”

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. 

About Wells Fargo 

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.8 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,800 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 269,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 2015 rankings of America’s largest corporations. In 2015, Wells Fargo donated $281.3 million to support social, economic, and environmental initiatives and causes and Wells Fargo team members volunteered 1.86 million hours in their communities. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.