ABCD is only as strong as its partners. Working alongside a network of community leaders, elected officials, corporate sponsors, and other community action agencies is critical to ensuring that ABCD can be as effective as possible across all of our programs.
State Street has been one of ABCD’s most important corporate partners for over two decades. The company’s philanthropic arm, State Street Foundation, has supported ABCD to the tune of more than $3 million since the partnership began, with the company’s corporate side additionally contributing more than $200,000. Programs that have received funding include SummerWorks, the Community Heroes Celebration, Field of Dreams, and Hoop Dreams.
For State Street, this partnership with ABCD is part of a larger corporate citizenship practice that plays a critical role in how the company expresses its culture and values. “Caring for our colleagues, clients, and communities is a major part of our corporate identity,” says Joan Christel, President of State Street Foundation. “As a corporation, we recognize our responsibility to the communities where we work and live.”
In recent years, State Street has invested heavily in the education and workforce development sectors in Eastern Massachusetts. This support extends to ABCD as well: State Street is a primary funder of ABCD’s SummerWorks program, which aims to set up Boston youth for success in the professional world. “Promoting economic opportunity is at the heart of our work,” Christel says. “That’s where we see strong alignment with ABCD’s mission.”
In addition to monetary donations, State Street has also provided support to ABCD by way of the State Street Hackathon, a weeks-long skills-based volunteering endeavor where employees worked to optimize critical components of ABCD’s IT infrastructure.
While the corporate citizenship landscape is constantly evolving, Christel points out that as one of the oldest banks in America, State Street has weathered big changes before. “We’ve been a part of this community for a very long time,” she says. “We remain deeply committed to making sure that our community stays strong.”