The M&T Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of M&T Bank, has awarded $50,000 to Spurwink. The grant is part of the second round of giving through the Amplify Fund providing more than $8.2 million to 68 lead nonprofit organizations throughout New England, Long Island, and Rockland County, NY.
This M&T Charitable Foundation Amplify award is in support of the Cumberland County Children’s Advocacy Center’s work addressing health equity. Funds will help address child sexual abuse and trafficking, connecting youth and their families more rapidly and effectively to the services they need to begin healing, mitigate the potential future socioeconomic and health impacts of trauma, and ensure a more equitable future for children and their families.
The Cumberland County Children’s Advocacy Center (CCCAC), housed at Spurwink’s Center for Safe and Healthy Families (CSHF), is a coalition of law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, medical, mental health, and advocacy agencies that provides a safe, neutral, and child-centered place for the coordinated evaluation of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and/or trafficking. The CCCAC coalition aims to improve the health of children and youth who are suspected victims of sexual abuse, exploitation, and/or trafficking, by minimizing trauma through a streamlined and timely evaluation process, and through accessible, ongoing support for youth and their non-offending family members/legal guardians.
“Through the Amplify Fund, we are committed to continuing our partnership with organizations like Spurwink that work hand-in-hand with community members in the field to provide the critical resources and programming necessary to truly make a difference,” said Dominique Goss, Executive Director of the M&T Charitable Foundation. “At M&T, addressing the institutionalized and systemic issues preventing disadvantaged communities from accessing opportunities and achieving long-term success is key to our mission as a community bank. We are proud to provide the Amplify Fund as a difference-making resource in the communities we serve.”
First announced in May 2022, the Amplify Fund is a $25 million philanthropic investment as part of the merger between People’s United Bank and M&T Bank. Powered by the M&T Charitable Foundation, the Amplify Fund is a one-time supplemental charitable program to provide further support in the legacy People’s United communities. The first round of funding totaled more than $11.8 million to 105 nonprofit organizations and focused on equity and environmental initiatives, mission-driven and capacity-building work, community and tenant organizing, and financial empowerment and education for individuals and small businesses.
Phase II of the Amplify Fund focused on providing funding, for up to three years, to nonprofit collaboratives working together toward a common goal for solving a specific social issue, to help advance equity in the following key areas of focus:
- Family Stability: Affordable housing, food security, and access to quality and affordable childcare.
- Income & Wealth Equity: Employment, small business development, homeownership, and financial empowerment initiatives.
- Workforce Development: Education and training opportunities focused on upskilling and career pathways in high-growth sectors leading to economic prosperity.
- Health Equity: Access to quality and affordable healthcare, with a priority on youth mental health and women and infant health.
The Amplify Fund is designed to drive sustainable impact that is equitable, accessible, and responsive to local needs. Regional representatives of the bank will continue to meet with local leaders to help inform the strategic direction for the Fund’s third round.
For more information on the Amplify Fund, including the full list of grant recipients in New England and Metro New York, please visit the Amplify Fund website.