BBIF Granted $25,000 By FAIRWINDS Foundation to Promote Financial Literacy Education in Underserved Communities

FAIRWINDS Foundation Announced the Twelve 2022 Grant Recipients

ORLANDO, FL (February 17, 2022) – FAIRWINDS Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that serves as the philanthropic arm of FAIRWINDS Credit Union, announced the recipients of its 2022 grants at a breakfast event held at Full Sail Live attended by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, community leaders and twelve organizations embodying the Foundation’s core purpose of improving lives through financial well-being.

“We are grateful to new partners like FAIRWINDS Foundation who understand the importance of promoting Financial Literacy in BIPOC communities,” said Duane Lewis, COO of BBIF. “We know from experience that the financial literacy training and business coaching that we provide at BBIF is just as valuable for our customers as the business financing we provide. This grant will help us as we continue to provide BIPOC business owners the skills and resources necessary to sustain long-lasting business enterprises.”

Through its grants, FAIRWINDS Foundation supports Central Florida’s most economically vulnerable populations, including homeless and at-risk youth, victims of domestic violence, and minority business owners impacted by the global pandemic, among many others. In 2021 through its grants, FAIRWINDS Foundation made measurable impacts, from assisting Heart of Florida United Way secure $3.4 million in tax refunds for disadvantaged families to supporting Prospera USA’s efforts to help small businesses create or retain 2,400 jobs.

“We are proud to support each of these organizations, and we look forward to the impact they will make in helping others achieve financial freedom through education,” said Elisha González, vice president of community relations and government affairs at FAIRWINDS and executive director of FAIRWINDS Foundation. “Through the positive impact of the causes we support, we hope to inspire financial freedom among both FAIRWINDS members and the communities we serve.”

 About BBIF

Created in 1987, BBIF’s mission is to develop and promote Black business enterprises through education, training, loans, investments, and other activities and to aggressively promote an atmosphere conducive to their development. A mission-driven lender, BBIF helps communities and businesses thrive by providing loan capital and specialized financial technical assistance services. BBIF is a CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) and CDE (Community Development Enterprise) certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Community Advantage and Micro Loan lender as certified by U.S. Small Business Administration, Money Smart for Small Business collaborator certified by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and is AERIS rated triple star, A-minus. Since our inception, BBIF has provided over 1,000 loans totaling $81 million and leveraged $292 million in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) community investments. BBIF’s investments have helped to create/sustain over 13,884 jobs all while maintaining a historical loan loss rate of 3.5%. Learn more at www.BBIF.com.

About FAIRWINDS Foundation

FAIRWINDS Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is dedicated to helping individuals achieve a path toward financial responsibility, security and freedom and inspiring them to transform the lives of others by living generously.

Through education, financial contribution and volunteerism, the Foundation works with and supports organizations that align with its passion of improving lives through financial literacy.

 For more information, visit www.fairwinds.org/foundation.

About FAIRWINDS

FAIRWINDS, headed by President and CEO Larry Tobin, is headquartered in Orlando and is consistently ranked as one of the best financial institutions and employers in the region.

At FAIRWINDS, we believe that financial freedom is freedom to go further – whether that means putting a child through college, retiring early or starting a new business. We are the financial partner that doesn’t want our members to have debt. FAIRWINDS empowers members to pursue and achieve their personal and business goals by offering products and services that promote healthy spending and saving habits.