Bank provides $20,000 in grants

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First Financial Bank (Nasdaq: FFBC) and the First Financial Foundation have provided $20,000 in grants to organizations in northwest Ohio, teaming up with community groups to create positive change in the areas of workforce development and education, and neighborhood development, with a particular emphasis on low-income communities. Throughout Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, First Financial’s 2023 Annual Grant Campaign is providing funding to 66 organizations.

“Our work to help communities thrive and grow often takes the form of collaboration with strong local organizations and projects such as these, and I’m confident that our work together will deliver a powerful lift to the neighborhoods, towns and cities we serve,” said Roddell McCullough, chief corporate responsibility officer for First Financial Bank.

In northwest Ohio, First Financial provided grants to Downtown Lima, Inc., Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission in Defiance and Young Womens Christian Association (YWCA) of Van Wert County.

“Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission is delighted and honored to have First Financial’s support in providing important financial literacy resources to low-income individuals and families in rural Northwest Ohio,” said Angie Franklin, executive director, NOCAC. “We look forward to supporting stability and success through access, education and encouragement.”

With a total of $510,000 being awarded, this is the First Financial Foundation’s largest grant campaign to date. First Financial is achieving even greater impact by including external funding from CREA, a low-income housing tax credit organization, in addition to funding from the bank’s Foundation.

First Financial recently completed its Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) for the period 2018-2023, achieving 192 percent of its goals in multiple categories, with almost $3.3 billion in mortgage lending, small business lending, community development lending and investments, philanthropy and marketing. In 2022 alone, First Financial Bank and the First Financial Foundation provided over $4 million in community donations.