Bank of America Renews Support for Unlocked Futures’ Second Cohort of Formerly Incarcerated Social Entrepreneurs

As announced by New Profit, Bank of America has renewed its partnership with award-winning artist and activist John Legend’s organization, FREEAMERICA, and New Profit as a continued founding partner of Unlocked Futures, an accelerator supporting entrepreneurs impacted by the criminal justice system. Bank of America’s partnership is multi-faceted and includes a $500,000 grant, bringing the company’s total commitment to $1 million since 2015, and strategic and mentoring support to help the entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

“This partnership helps break down barriers and provides opportunities for the formerly incarcerated to create a powerful path forward,” said Andrew Plepler, global head of Environmental, Social and Governance at Bank of America. “We are inspired by what the first cohort has accomplished and look forward to seeing the impact of the second cohort, and how the program continues to drive economic mobility in our communities.”

Bank of America’s collaboration on this initiative is part of the company’s commitment to connect individuals with barriers to employment to the tools and resources they need to stabilize their lives and build pathways to a more secure economic future. Since 2012, the bank has invested more than $30 million in nonprofits helping those with barriers to employment secure basic needs, workforce training and entrepreneurship.

Learn more about Bank of America’s environmental, social, governance and sustainable finance efforts on its About Us website.

About Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).

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