The Heritage Community Foundation, operated by The First Bank, recently awarded over $250,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations throughout the bank’s operating footprint. Founded in 2014 by Heritage Bank prior to the bank being acquired by The First, the Heritage Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports local nonprofit groups by making a difference in the lives of people within its communities. In 2023, Heritage Bank was acquired by The First, providing the opportunity for the foundation to extend its service area into other areas of Georgia and Florida, as well as into the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
“As a result of our bank’s growth in recent years, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to expand the footprint of our Heritage Community Foundation and the resulting impact on local communities,” said Hoppy Cole, chief executive officer and president of The First. “Giving back to our communities and supporting local economies is integral to our mission as a bank, and our foundation is a pivotal part of how we support and execute that strategy.”
Today, the foundation is primarily funded by employees of The First with all operating costs funded by the foundation. To date, the foundation has awarded over $1.1 million in grant awards to more than 150 nonprofit groups, donated more than $22,000 to disaster and emergency relief, as well as provided over $23,000 in support to The First employees experiencing hardships due to natural disasters or other unforeseen circumstances.
“Now celebrating 10 years of making an impact in our communities, the Heritage Community Foundation’s recent efforts this year to support hundreds of nonprofit organizations with over $250,000 in grant awards speaks volumes to the generosity of our bank and our employees who donate their time and resources to ensure the foundation’s success,” said Jerome Brown, president of the Heritage Community Foundation and executive vice president and chief community officer at The First. “I am grateful for the bank’s support of the foundation and the continued impact the foundation has made on local communities surrounding our bank operations.”
In 2024 alone, the Heritage Community Foundation supported 130 nonprofit organizations with grant awards including the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Gulf Coast, Inc.; Dynamic Dyslexia Design; Jacobs Well Ministries, Inc.; Petal Children’s Task Force; Africatown Redevelopment Corporation; Family Promise of Coastal Alabama, Inc.; Prodisee Pantry, Inc.; City of Bay Minette; Swamp Elite Retreat, Inc.; Northshore Food Bank; Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra; NewCorp, Inc.; The Villages of Hope, Inc.; Called to Care, Inc.; GZL Educational Foundation, Inc.; Big Bend Cares, Inc.; Good Shepherd Clinic, Inc.; Hands of Hope Clinic; MASA Take by Force Ministries, Inc.; and United Way of Coastal Empire, Inc. From education and job training to hunger relief and health care, the nonprofit organizations supported by the foundation’s grants are making a difference in their own unique way within communities throughout Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.