September 8, 2022 Contact: media@EdExcelencia.org Grant Will Support Excelencia in Education’s Tactical Plan Washington, D.C. (September 8, 2022) – Excelencia in Education received a two-year $500,000 grant from Bank of America to help transform higher education to better serve Latino students. It is the first significant investment by a corporation in the Latina-led, national organization since the release of Confianza and its tactical plan to transform higher education to better serve Latino students. “Excelencia in Education is seeking business leaders who recognize the Latino community is vital to America’s future,” said Sarita Brown, Excelencia’s Co-founder and President. “Through this relationship with Bank of America, we will build on what we’ve learned about accelerating Latino student success in higher education and into the workforce and civic leadership.” Bank of America will support Excelencia’s analysis on Latino college completion by discipline, and the important series, “Finding Your Workforce,” as well as programming to link selected colleges and universities in Excelencia’s network with workforce strategies and expand evidence-based practices. This grant will also support the Seal of Excelencia, the national certification for institutions that go beyond enrollment to intentionally SERVE Latino students. Institutions earn the prestigious seal certification by demonstrating alignment across data, practice and leadership. To date, 24 trendsetting colleges and universities from across the country have earned Seal of Excelencia certification, including two- and four-year colleges and universities in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and Texas. “Excelencia’s deliberate and impactful work to increase access to higher education for Hispanic-Latino students aligns with the bank’s goal to drive meaningful change to advance economic opportunities for underserved communities,” said Marcela Gallego, Senior Vice President of ESG at Bank of America. “Investing in Hispanic-Latino students will drive real progress and create long-term success for the communities we serve.” Deborah Santiago, Excelencia’s Co-founder and CEO, said, “This investment will advance our analysis about Latino pathways through college and into the workforce. We will expand Excelencia’s programming to catalyze and support more colleges and universities to intentionally serve our students. Now is the time for investors to know and support the colleges and universities that serve Latino students while serving all their students.” “Receiving this support from a business leader now, as our country is recovering and confronting pervasive inequities, demonstrates Bank of America’s and Excelencia’s shared commitment to building a positive future,” said Brown. “Excelencia continues making common cause with leaders from all sectors who recognize that supporting the success of today’s Latino college students grows our country’s talent and ensures America’s bright future.” About Bank of America Environmental, Social and Governance At Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), 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. Connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News). About Excelencia in Education Excelencia in Education accelerates Latino student success in higher education by promoting Latino student achievement, conducting analysis to inform educational policies, and advancing institutional practices while collaborating with those committed and ready to meet the mission. Launched in 2004 in the nation’s capital, Excelencia has established a network of results-oriented educators and policymakers to address the U.S. economy’s needs for a highly educated workforce and engaged civic leaders. Connect with us at: EdExcelencia.org ### Download Resources Excelencia-BOA_NewsRelease-9.8.2022.pdf
