Purpose Built Communities today announced the participants selected for its third cohort of the Truist Foundation Racial Equity Ambassadors Program, which includes four Atlanta residents. Since 2020, there has been an increase in interest and conversations around racial equity, but for Purpose Built Communities, racial equity isn’t just a theoretical concept but a strategic priority. The nonprofit empowers community development leaders to help neighborhoods achieve greater racial equity, economic mobility and improved health outcomes at a hyperlocal level.
The eight-month fellowship will equip the following Atlanta-based leaders with training, coaching and practical strategies to advance racial equity within their communities and across the Purpose Built Network:
East Lake Neighborhood, East Lake Foundation
- Jennifer McCrary, Director of Outreach and Engagement
- Catherine Woodling, Chief Operating Officer
Historic South Atlanta, Focused Community Strategies
- Danielle Clay, Director of Finance and Administration
- Candice Kelly, Community Development Advisor, Lupton Center
“The community leaders selected for the Truist Foundation Racial Equity Ambassadors Program are already doing great work to build healthy, accessible and equitable neighborhoods across the country,” said Michelle Matthews, senior vice president, Purpose Built Communities. “This opportunity will further enable them to implement nationally regarded best practices and a proven framework. Robust training and extensive coaching are critical components of the program and guarantee that we’re not just talking about racial equity, but we’re actually moving it forward.”
The fellowship program, which kicked off its first cohort in 2018, exemplifies Truist Foundation’s own longstanding commitment to advancing racial equity and affecting systems-change at the neighborhood-level. As the official supporter, Truist Foundation has invested in Purpose Built and its Network Members through a $7 million grant, expanding the organization’s racial equity programs to help leaders and field partners around the country engage with racial equity work in a deeper, more strategic and effective way.
“In all that we do, Truist Foundation aims to help level the playing field by supporting organizations and people addressing the roots of inequity,” said Lynette Bell, president of Truist Foundation and board member of Purpose Built Communities. “We believe investing in community leaders through Purpose Built Communities’ Racial Equity Ambassadors Program can be where systemic change starts, ultimately leading to greater economic mobility for disadvantaged communities across the country.”
For more information about the ambassadors and the program, please visit purposebuiltcommunities.org.
About Purpose Built Communities
Purpose Built Communities partners with local leaders to design, direct, and accelerate neighborhood transformation initiatives across the United States with the shared goal to ensure every resident experiences greater racial equity, improved health outcomes, and increased upward mobility. The Purpose Built Communities model of holistic revitalization includes affordable, mixed-income housing, a cradle-to-college education pathway, community wellness programs and facilities, and a thriving commercial core that creates economic vitality, all within a defined neighborhood, coordinated by a dedicated, nonprofit community quarterback organization. The Purpose Built Communities Network includes 28 of these community quarterback organizations in 15 states. For more information, visit purposebuiltcommunities.org. Connect on Facebook @PurposeBuiltCommunities and Twitter @PurposeBuiltCS.
About Truist Foundation
Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation’s (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. Established in 2020, the foundation makes strategic investments in nonprofit organizations to help ensure the communities it serves have more opportunities for a better quality of life. Truist Foundation’s grants and activities focus on building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening small businesses. Learn more at Truist.com/Foundation.
