Citizens awards grants to two Pittsburgh small businesses and nine nonprofits

One of the region’s largest banks has announced Pittsburgh-area recipients of two different grant programs.

Citizens recognized two local small businesses among 25 across its footprint that are winners of its 8th-annual Small Business Community Champion Awards. It also awarded $120,400 in financial education grants and ongoing volunteer support to nine western Pennsylvania nonprofits as part of Financial Literacy Month.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG), based in Providence, Rhode Island, had $220.1 billion in assets as of March 31, 2025, and operates in 14 states and Washington, D.C. It is Pittsburgh’s fifth-largest bank by deposit market share.

The local Small Business Community Champions are Stone|Grow and Paraash, according to Citizens’ release. Winners were chosen based on their commitment to support their communities. Applicants proposed strategies for growing their business in tandem with supporting their local community and are now able to bring them to life. Each honoree received $10,000 and a one-year membership to Luminary, a global education and networking platform that uplifts and upskills professionals and entrepreneurs. Citizens created the program as part of its ongoing commitment to strengthen local communities and, including this year’s recipients, it has awarded nearly $2 million to 167 small businesses.

In recognition of April’s Financial Literacy Month, Citizens announced grants and support to bolster nonprofits that are helping students, individuals and small business owners build the knowledge and confidence to own their financial futures. The western Pennsylvania recipients as listed by Citizens are Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group, the Mon Valley Initiative, Neighborhood Housing Services Inc., Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania, Cafe Momentum Pittsburgh, Neighborhood Allies Inc., Wireless Neighborhoods, Just Harvest Education Fund and Neighborhood Community Development Fund. Exact amounts each nonprofit received was not specified.

The western Pennsylvania funding is part of the bank’s broader commitment to provide $2.6 million to 134 nonprofits to expand financial empowerment programming in the communities it serves.

“At Citizens, we’re committed to helping people build brighter financial futures,” Mark Rendulic, western Pennsylvania market president, said in a prepared statement. “Through our support of financial empowerment programs and hands-on education, we’re giving students, families and entrepreneurs across western Pennsylvania the tools and confidence to make informed financial decisions.”

Full article: https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2025/04/16/citizens-grants.html