The objective of the Citizens’ Minority-Owned Business Grant Video was to celebrate and amplify the voices of minority-owned businesses during an unprecedented time of social and economic turmoil, exacerbated by the devastating effects of the COVID pandemic. In addition to promoting minority businesses in general, the video’s objective was also to celebrate the specific businesses that received a grant and to build awareness of the grant program within our local communities.
In the pursuit of equality and social justice, Citizens Bank believes it is more important than ever that we stand behind and amplify the voices of minorities in our communities. One way Citizens chose to do its part in 2020 was by supporting minority-owned businesses. These businesses are a vital part of our local economies, providing indispensible goods, services, and employment opportunities. In an effort to help Citizens Bank offered a total of $1.5 million in grants to 100 minority-owned businesses across its 11-state footprint.
Within a week, Citizens received more than 22,000 grant applications from businesses in need. Independent judging helped select the 100 winners, and Citizens informed the grant recipients of the good news over Zoom video calls. The recipients’ reactions reflected inspiring moments of hope, perseverance, appreciation and positivity. We edited these responses to share these reactions, and posted the video to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Citizensbank.com, our braches and many other forums.
