KeyBank Awards UAACC Charitable Foundation $100,000 Grant

KeyBank has awarded a $100,000 grant to the Utah African American Chamber of Commerce (UAACC) Charitable Foundation to support the organization’s career exploration programming for high school and college students.

The UAACC Charitable Foundation was founded by the Utah Black Chamber in 2018 to further its mission to improve the overall economic development of Utah’s Black community. The foundation provides events and programming to start and grow more Black businesses, strengthen the pipeline of Black talent for Utah corporations and build the area’s overall Black wealth.

“Our KeyBank giving strategy is focused on three pillars: neighbors, education and workforce,” said Drew Yergensen, president of KeyBank Utah. “This grant will help the UAACC Charitable Foundation equip young adults in our community with the confidence, skills and training needed to achieve sustainable employment and build a strong workforce pipeline for local businesses.”

The UAACC Charitable Foundation is helping to build career pathways for Utah’s diverse youth by partnering with public and private organizations, high schools and colleges to provide students with access to mentorship, leadership and personal development conferences, career fairs, workshops and corporate tours.

“The support from KeyBank is an amazing opportunity to propel our mission forward stronger,” said James Jackson III, executive director of UAACC. “We want Utah to become the blueprint of how to strengthen the cradle to career pathways for BIPOC students. Thank you, KeyBank, for investing in our community’s future!”

Grant funds will also support the Men of Promise and Women of Promise conferences held each year by UAACC Charitable Foundation. The conferences serve 700 students in total and provide them with a day focused on mentoring, character development, vision setting and goal setting.

The UAACC Charitable Foundation was founded by the Utah Black Chamber in 2018 to further its mission to improve the overall economic development of Utah’s Black community. The Foundation provides events and programming to start and grow more Black businesses, strengthening and deepening the pipeline of Black talent for Utah corporations and build the overall Black wealth.