March 5, 2021—Citizens Bank recently awarded $20,000 to the Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE) in the form of two, $10,000 contributions to support programs that provide financial capability training for women entrepreneurs and small business owners in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The contributions come through the bank's Citizens Helping Citizens initiative, which is focused on fighting hunger, teaching money management, strengthening communities, and providing the tools and support to drive the economic vitality of the areas the bank serves.

"We believe that investing in the communities where we live and work enriches us all," says Travis Gendron, Public Affairs Manager for Citizens Bank Massachusetts. "That is what Citizens Helping Citizens is all about."

Securing this contribution was a critical step in supporting CWE&'s capacity to serve clients in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and staff are eager to put the funds to use in CWE programming.

&'We are extremely grateful for Citizens Bank&'s continued support of our mission to provide supportive services to our small business community," says Veronica Martinez, Director of the Center for Women & Enterprise Rhode Island. "This funding will allow us to continue to offer informative webinars and coaching services to current business owners and to those embarking upon their entrepreneurial journey."

"Financial empowerment has never been more important than it is right now," says Michelle Miller, CWE's Vice President of Program Operations. "Women entrepreneurs have been among the hardest-hit by the pandemic, and their recovery is critical to the success of our economy as a whole. Thanks to this funding from Citizens, we will be able to enhance our services to women seeking to build their financial acumen."