Community

People Above All

Since we opened our doors in 1954, our commitment to personal relationships has remained the focus of everything we do.
This commitment still shines through for all our clients, colleagues and communities. From helping facilitate the dreams
of first-time homebuyers, to encouraging economic growth in diverse communities, to our support of industries
and education, we are committed to building a world that is safer, healthier and more equitable.

Here for Our Communities

Your success is our success. Finding ways to help achieve the financial goals of our clients, colleagues and communities
is more than a promise — it's the neighborly thing to do.

Affordable Housing

We invested $12.2M in new affordable housing through the New York & California Funds.

Relief Efforts

We’ve contributed more than $4M toward domestic and international relief efforts
since 2001.

More Affordable Housing

We donated $1.4M to nonprofits supporting affordable housing in 2022.

Colleague Volunteering

Our colleagues increased their total volunteer hours by 18% in 2022.

Community Development

We committed $1.175B in community development loans in 2022.

Enterprise LA and NYC

We invested $10M in Enterprise Community Partners in 2022, with 7 out of 9 projects being new construction.

Backing Broadway Onstage and Off

As a leading bank for Broadway, it was only natural for us to support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS —
the philanthropic heart of the theater community.

As one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations, Broadway Cares helps people in the theater community get lifesaving medications, healthcare, nutritious meals, counseling and emergency financial assistance. Like many nonprofits, Broadway Cares must raise every dollar of its budget each year to fulfill its mission. As a result, Broadway Cares uses all funds carefully and wisely, maximizing their impact on the programs they organize and support.

While about 90% of Broadway Cares sponsorship events are based in New York, grants are made to organizations across the United States.

City National’s relationship with Broadway Cares began in 2008. Since that time, our support has grown to include annual sponsorships of numerous events and fundraising efforts.

As we look back on 2022, some significant achievements stand out. We sponsored Broadway Bares, a modern-day burlesque production number that kicks off Pride Week in New York. Colleagues also volunteered during the Red Bucket campaign, a six-week fundraising program that occurs biannually in the spring and fall. At the end of the campaign, participants gather for the Red Bucket Follies, a performance of skits, songs and presentations led by numerous Broadway actors, during which the total amount raised is announced. Numerous City National colleagues helped with the Red Bucket collections, including our SVP of Theater Banking, Erik Piecuch.

Half of the funds raised for Broadway Cares go to the Entertainment Community Fund, which runs health and housing programs and retraining programs for performers. The beauty of the Broadway community is that it includes countless contributors who play integral roles in live theater, including producers, venue owners and general management firms, many of whom are also clients of City National. Broadway Cares helps support the entire community.

Habitat for Humanity

Homeownership promotes generational wealth building for many Americans.
That’s why we’re proud of our national partnership with Habitat for Humanity, a leading nonprofit that helps low- to moderate-income families become homeowners. 

Since 2001, we’ve donated $1.9 million to Habitat for Humanity. But our efforts transcend donations.

City National colleagues volunteer at Habitat for Humanity sites, lending a hand to build and renovate homes. 

Our goal is to continue this trajectory, getting families into their first homes and helping to build more of them.

Increasing Community Reinvestment Act Grants

For many families, homeownership feels out of reach. But it remains a dream for almost everyone. 
Through these grants, we’ve helped make homeownership a possibility for more people.

In 2020, we awarded a $100,000 CRA grant to LINC Housing Corporation to build out broadband for a newly built, 95-unit affordable housing complex in Long Beach, CA.

In 2021, to continue to bridge the digital divide for LINC Housing residents, City National’s grant support included colleagues from our Black Colleague Alliance (BCA) using the high-speed broadband to teach a series of Dollars + Sense financial education courses at LINC’s computer lab. The interactive lessons were also broadcast live to eight other LINC properties.

In 2022, our grant support focused on LINC’s Digital Equity Initiative. It supported their Laptop Lending System for three properties. The lending system allows LINC residents to check out computers to assist with education, homework, banking and other tech tasks. 

Helping LISC Increase Housing

A New York-based nonprofit created in 1979 by the Ford Foundation, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has raised and deployed $24 billion in grant, debt and equity capital, ultimately helping to create more than 436,000 affordable homes and 74 million square feet of commercial space in low-income neighborhoods.

City National has been committed to this initiative for the past 21 years and counting, investing $135 million in LISC’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funds over that time. In 2022, we invested $12.2 million in LISC’s New York and California Funds. This investment has supported 1,030 units, which will include 626 new affordable housing units.

The past two decades of working together have inspired us and we are optimistic about the successes still ahead for LISC. We can't wait to see how our continued partnership will help transform local communities.

Helping Communities Prosper

Project REACh LA
We made a $25,000 grant to Project REACh LA in 2022 to help promote financial inclusion in underserved populations.

In 2022, we teamed up with Project REACh LA, a community program that promotes financial inclusion. The project brings together leaders from the banking industry, national civil rights organizations, business and technology to reduce specific barriers that prevent full, equal and fair participation in the economy.

As part of the project, we’ve helped promote financial inclusion through greater access to credit and capital. This provides underserved populations with more opportunities to succeed and benefit from the nation’s financial system. In addition, we hosted two lunch-and-learns at City National Bank’s downtown L.A. headquarters for industry leaders and the banking sector.

Topics included the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance, and cybersecurity — complex issues that we’re happy to help people navigate so they can establish a stronger economic foothold. 

The Downtown Women’s Center
Our Women’s Network helped raise $10,000 in matching donations to support the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) in 2022.

For unhoused people and survivors of domestic violence, landing a job is a tremendous step forward in rebuilding their lives. When women and families have fled traumatizing situations with only the clothes on their backs, having the opportunity to provide for their families and start rebuilding is truly life-altering.

That’s why our Women’s Network (WN) is helping out at the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC). The DWC is a Los Angeles organization focused exclusively on serving and empowering formerly homeless women and women currently experiencing homelessness. It is also a sanctuary for families affected by domestic violence.

For the past 20 years, City National has provided leadership support to The Center. In 2022, our focus was creating an initiative for Women’s History Month. Through colleague support and matched donations, the organization raised $10,000 over the month of March. City National also orchestrated an opportunity to provide professional clothing for the women to wear at job interviews.

Project Angel Food
Since 2020, we’ve sponsored Project Angel Food’s yearly telethon, which raised $1.2M in 2022.

For 18 years, City National has supported Project Angel Food, a nonprofit organization that prepares and delivers more than 1 million meals each year to people facing serious illnesses in L.A. County. Since 2020, City National has sponsored the group’s yearly telethon. In 2022, the broadcast raised $1.2 million, exceeding its fundraising goal by 17%.

Several City National executives serve as leadership volunteers at Project Angel Food. Charles Frazier, senior vice president and team leader in Entertainment Banking, sits on Project Angel Food’s board of directors and serves as the organization’s treasurer.

Baby2Baby

In the past 10 years, Baby2Baby has distributed more than 175 million items to children in homeless shelters, domestic violence programs, foster care, hospitals, and underserved schools, as well as to children who have lost everything after disasters.

Our support for Baby2Baby started in 2021. In that short period, we’ve sponsored several events, including the organization’s annual gala and its Family2Family Adopt-a-Child Drive, which provided more than 50 children with holiday gifts.

For the second year, our CEO of City National Entertainment Kelly Coffey and a team of nearly 100 volunteers joined members of City National’s Senior Management Team to assemble care packages for families impacted by various crises. The event took place in Culver City, where volunteers packed more than 1,000 health and hygiene kits for children living in shelters and cars.

Additionally, volunteers assembled more than 700 baby bundles containing diapers, baby wipes, shampoo, bibs, toys and more for clinics and hospitals. Our colleagues packaged more than 6,000 pieces of clothing for all ages.

EnCorps STEM Teachers Program

As we move into 2023 and think about our communities, City National has engaged with a new organization, EnCorps STEM Teachers Program.

EnCorps challenges current educational inequalities by connecting under-resourced schools with high-quality STEM educators to eliminate the systemic injustice preventing children of color from entering the future STEM workforce.

The organization’s vision is to give as many students as possible — from all backgrounds — a strong STEM foundation to help them navigate an increasingly complex world. In 2022 City National presented EnCorps with a $100,000 donation.

Supporting a Platform for Indigenous People

City National is dedicated to increasing representation for all diverse communities, including Native Americans.

For the past three years, we’ve been an official sponsor of the Red Nation Celebration Institute’s month-long Red Nation International Film Festival, which occurs every November.

It celebrates cinema created by American Indian and Indigenous people. One of its goals is to see stereotypes replaced with recognition, new vision, arts, culture and economic prosperity.

The idea to support the festival originated with a City National colleague. The experience has been inspiring and enlightening, giving us a chance to empathetically support Indigenous colleagues, who often selectively refrain from identifying with their heritages owing to a history of discrimination and even violence.

In 2022, City National's sponsorship of the festival included a panel discussion with the founder and a featured actress.