The move is part of a broader shift of our community giving programs amid pandemic.

U.S. Bank has expedited its annual $1 million Market Impact Fund grant program to provide funding for 30 local nonprofits that are working to respond to the most pressing needs in their communities. 

From Seattle to Omaha to Charlotte, the grants are being used by nonprofits to support small businesses, maintain safe housing and ensure accessibility to critical human services by the communities’ most economically vulnerable populations. The company is deploying these funds three months earlier than originally scheduled to ensure immediate relief.

The move is part of a broader shift in how U.S. Bank is approaching community giving this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, we donated $4 million to three national nonprofits – United Way, LISC and Operation HOPE – and announced that our remaining $25 million in grants planned for this year could be used by nonprofits for general operating expenses rather than for specific programming.

“We know how many nonprofits are struggling and we want to make sure that our partners know that we trust them to use our grant dollars in whatever way is needed to sustain the life-changing work they do in our communities every day,” said U.S. Bank Chief Social Responsibility Officer Reba Dominski.

The Market Impact Fund grant recipients are:

• Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (Phoenix, AZ) – funding small businesses and microbusinesses
• Goodwill of Orange County (Santa Ana, CA) – funding supply chain vehicles to support local food banks
• Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (Los Angeles, CA) – small business loans
• Sierra Health Foundation Center for Health Programs (Sacramento, CA) – funding small business loans in partnership with the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation (Mountain View, CA) –  supporting microbusinesses and nonprofit organizations
• The San Diego Foundation (San Diego, CA) – supporting critical resources and support for local communities
• National Jewish Health (Denver, CO) – funding access to healthcare for uninsured, low-income individuals
• Pikes Peak Community Foundation (Colorado Springs, CO) – funding basic human services
• Salvation Army (Edwards, CO) – funding emergency rent assistance programs
• Community Foundation of Johnson County (Coralville, IA) – supporting nonprofits, schools and government programs
• Idaho Community Foundation (Boise, ID) – support housing and nutrition for economically vulnerable populations
• Women’s Business Development Center (Chicago, IL) – supporting diverse small business owners
• Catholic Charities (Minneapolis, MN) – supporting individuals with employment services
• Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (Owatonna, MN) – emergency funding for licensed childcare providers
• LISC (Kansas City, MO) – supporting area nonprofits in maintaining their operations
• STL VenturesWorks (St. Louis, MO) – funding small business loans
• MoFi (Missoula, MT) – supporting financial assistance for small businesses across Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Eastern Oregon and Washington
• United Way of the Central Carolinas (Charlotte, NC) – supporting local organizations with human services needs
• Omaha Community Foundation (Omaha, NE) – funding area nonprofits with response efforts
• Nevada Community Foundation (Las Vegas, NV) – supporting emergency response efforts
• United Way of Northern Nevada and Sierra (Reno, NV) – funding emergency food and shelter programs
• Cleveland Foundation (Cleveland, OH) – supporting the rapid response fund
• Economic and Community Development Institute (Columbus, OH) – small business support
• Strategies to End Homelessness (Cincinnati, OH) – supporting family shelters and relief programs
• Oregon Community Foundation (Portland, OR) – supporting small businesses across the entire state
• YMCA of Middle Tennessee (Nashville, TN) – funding for childcare for the families of health care workers
• The Road Home (Salt Lake City, UT) – supporting emergency shelter and services
• FareStart (Seattle, WA) – scaling up workforce program to provide 15,000+ emergency meals each day for homeless shelters and low income seniors
• YWCA (Spokane, WA) – supporting the Women’s Opportunity Center
• The Business Council, Inc. (Milwaukee, WI) – grants to small businesses who are members of the Multicultural and Diverse Business Coalition

In addition to philanthropic support, U.S. Bank has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by instituting a premium pay program for front-line employees, modifying personal and small business products for customers, and other changes.