Register to secure a virtual seat, cast a vote
for your favorite nonprofit to receive funding for its
technology-based solution
Greg Olsen, an
American football sportscaster and former NFL player, named
host
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 26,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Truist
Foundation today announced the opening of registration for its
second Inspire Awards to be held on April 24 at the Knight Theater in Charlotte and online. The Inspire Awards is a
pitch-style grant program celebrating nonprofits across the country
that bring forward innovative solutions to support entrepreneurs
from undercapitalized communities.
The live event will be hosted by Greg
Olsen, an American football sportscaster and former NFL
tight end. Olsen is a long-time supporter of philanthropic causes
and the Charlotte community.
"I'm honored to be given the opportunity to host the Truist
Foundation Inspire Awards this upcoming spring," said Olsen.
"Celebrating new technology and ideas in support of small
businesses making an impact in the local community is so important
to me, and I look forward to welcoming people from across the
country to make their voices heard and helping drive meaningful
change for underserved entrepreneurs."
This event will be livestreamed so individuals nationwide can
tune in and be inspired by the innovations of the finalists.
Virtual attendees can participate by voting for the Audience
Favorite Award, which earns the recipient a $75,000 grant.
"This is a unique opportunity to not only witness the power of
innovation but to actively contribute to it. The audience's
participation will help enable one nonprofit's tech-based solution
and support small businesses by increasing the organization's total
grant," said Truist Foundation President Lynette Bell. "The Truist Foundation Inspire
Awards is an evening where inspiration meets action, and your
registration is the first step."
The following organizations will present their cutting-edge
solutions on April 24 and are eligible for the Audience
Favorite Award:
- ACT! Albany Community Together Inc., increasing and
enhancing its training and technical assistance programs to empower
small businesses in a 38-county region of southwest Georgia.
- Aire Ventures Inc., partnering with Zirtue to support
Opportunity Connect, a neighborhood initiative that aims to provide
access to capital to small business owners in opportunity
zones.
- Carina, offering an easy-to-use, mobile-first child care
platform, available in English and Spanish, which matches unionized
Family Child Care Providers (FCCPs) with families needing child
care.
- Centro Community Partners, providing an AI-generated
journey through a virtual hub of small business owner resources for
low- to moderate-income entrepreneurs in underserved
communities.
- Immigrants Rising & Community Initiatives, employing
a gamification learning hub to cater to individuals facing barriers
to traditional employment who want to earn a sustainable income
through small business ownership.
- NCRC Community Development Fund, supporting an AI-based
lending platform to make the loan application process more
efficient and accessible to undercapitalized small businesses.
- Start Small. Think Big. Inc., developing a dynamic web
portal to improve services for small businesses from marginalized
communities that will serve as a hub for onboarding, project
management and analytic tools as well as legal, financial, sales
and marketing administration.
Leading up to the Inspire Awards, Truist Foundation collaborated
with Solve, an initiative of the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, to identify and invest in
nonprofits leveraging technology as a proven pathway to resiliency
and sustainability. To qualify, the Inspire Awards
finalists submitted proposals with transformative ideas and
completed a six-month wraparound support program to grow their
concepts into fundable solutions.
During the event, finalists will present their ideas and grants
will be announced. The top organization will receive a $250,000 grant to bring its solution to life.
Second place will receive a $150,000
grant and runners-up each receive a $25,000 grant. The audience favorite will receive
an additional $75,000 grant.
Register and witness the power of collective impact at
truist.com/InspireAwards.
About Truist Foundation
Truist Foundation is committed
to Truist Financial Corporation's (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire
and build better lives and communities. The foundation, an endowed
private foundation established in 2020 whose operating budget is
independent of Truist Financial Corporation, makes strategic
investments in a wide variety of nonprofit organizations centered
around two focus areas: building career pathways to economic
mobility and strengthening small businesses to ensure all
communities have an equal opportunity to thrive. Embodying these
focus areas are the foundation's leading initiatives — the Inspire
Awards and Where It Starts. Learn more at
Truist.com/Foundation.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/truist-foundation-inspire-awards-registration-now-open-302071275.html
SOURCE Truist Foundation