Community empowerment for positive change—the 2024 Live Greater Grant supports local nonprofits making a difference and improving communities in northern Nevada
Greater Nevada Credit Union (GNCU) has announced the recipients of its first Live Greater Grant program. This year, $289,000 was awarded across 37 community organizations.
Applications were considered based on four community pillars—food and housing security; financial well-being and inclusion; community health and wellness; and sustainable communities. GNCU assessed applications based on how they aligned with these pillars to ensure a comprehensive and holistic approach to address community needs, foster sustainability and promote social well-being.
“As a member-owned, not-for-profit credit union, giving back to the communities where our members live is a passion of our organization,” said Christy White, vice president of engagement for GNCU. “GNCU has been helping support local organizations for the past 75 years. What makes this grant program different is that it allows us to elevate multiple organizations at once, making a bigger, community-wide impact.”
In addition to grant dollars, GNCU will also partner with recipients to provide financial education and outreach services. The grant will make a difference to 37 organizations serving thousands of people across Nevada. Here are just a few examples:
“The generous grant from Greater Nevada Credit Union will promote physical, mental, and financial well-being for low-income, first-generation college students by providing a transformative overnight camping and financial literacy experience,” said Mariluz C. Garcia, executive director of the Dean’s Future Scholars at the University of Nevada, Reno.
“This grant from the Live Greater Grant program is providing funds to help continue our Patients in Need program, providing extra funds for people who travel to or from the hospital, travel to visit specialists, or buy their prescriptions,” said Dennis Mills, president of the Churchill Community Hospital Foundation. “Dozens of rural hospitals across the U.S. face closure each year. I’ve been a GNCU member for 35 years and I’m very happy to see this support for our rural counties come from my very own credit union.”
“Organizations like GNCU help make our work possible,” said Jafeth E. Sanchez, director of the Latino Research Center, University of Nevada, Reno. “The Latino Research Center is the only one of its kind in the state of Nevada, and we are committed to its mission. We are thrilled about the opportunity to carry out two distinct events over the next two years, thanks to the support of GNCU. The first will be a workforce policy forum to share existing data on Latino workforce needs in a post-pandemic time. The second will be a Latino Family Financial Wellness Fair. Both events will target key stakeholders and members of the community, aiming to improve awareness of and access to resources that will enhance financial literacy.”
“The Adopt a Vet Dental Program is a nonprofit organization serving veterans who do not qualify for dental care (a whopping 92%),” said executive director Deme Gonzalez at AAVD. “With GNCU’s help, we’re able to help provide our Veterans with emergency dental care, restorative treatments, and denture production. This donation directly transforms lives and restores smiles, empowering our Veterans to lead healthier, happier lives.”
The complete list of 37 organization recipients can be found online.
“Greater Nevada Credit Union believes in community empowerment for positive change” said Danny DeLaRosa, president and CEO of GNCU. “In the last 75 years, our passion for making a difference in the lives of our members and the communities they live in has remained the same. This grant is a way for us to connect nonprofits in the community with additional funding in support of the critical services they provide. It also opens the door to connecting them and their communities to additional educational financial health and wellness resources.”
About Greater Nevada Credit Union
Greater Nevada Credit Union (GNCU) is headquartered in Carson City, Nevada and has been helping Nevadans with their financial needs for the past 75 years. The credit union serves more than 88,000 consumers and small businesses and has $1.76 billion in assets. GNCU’s subsidiaries include Greater Nevada Mortgage,Greater Commercial Lending and Greater Nevada Insurance. GNCU is a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and has been consistently recognized as a Best Financial Institution in many of its service areas and as a top employer by the Reno/Tahoe Best Places to Work Awards. GNCU is also the title sponsor of Greater Nevada Field in Reno. For more information, call (800) 421-6674 or visit www.gncu.org.
