PHILADELPHIA, PA: Today, Riverfront North Partnership announced that it received $50,000 from the Arbor Day Foundation’s Community Resilience Grant program in partnership with Bank of America. This grant will strengthen vulnerable neighborhoods against the impacts of a changing climate.

Riverfront North Partnership plans to use the grant to plant and give away 350 trees with the TTF Watershed Partnership in Holmesburg and Frankford.  Philadelphia is one of four U.S. cities selected to receive the grant.

“Our goal with this grant program is to help communities enrich not only their green spaces but also enrich lives,” said Dan Lambe, President, Arbor Day Foundation. “We’re supporting Philadelphia in its effort to build awareness about the benefits of trees, educate residents on proper tree care, and lay the groundwork for a greener future.”

“We are excited and grateful to work with our communities, the City of Philadelphia, TreePhilly, and TTF Watershed to bring more trees to Holmesburg and Frankford,” said Stephanie Phillips, Executive Director, Riverfront North Partnership, “We are glad to do our part in supporting the City’s goal to have at least 30% tree canopy in every neighborhood.”

Urban trees have numerous benefits, but the U.S. Forest Service has found that urban forests are shrinking in many U.S. cities. As the climate changes, the environmental impact of trees is particularly important. Cities increasingly face more frequent and intense ecological disturbances, including heat waves, coastal flooding, extreme storms, and poor air quality. Urban trees can alleviate these challenges. Tree coverage has been linked to cooler cities, improved air and water quality, more effective stormwater control, and better health outcomes. Research has shown urban trees also increase property values and reduce energy costs.

“This program builds on tree equity and climate resiliency efforts in underserved communities, which are more adversely impacted by the effects of climate change,” said Jim Dever, President, Bank of America Greater Philadelphia. “This effort will make a positive difference in Philadelphia and for our residents.”

The grant program enables the design and implementation of projects that utilize trees and other green infrastructure to build resilience in low-moderate income neighborhoods in Philadelphia and these other grant recipients: Mesa, Arizona; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Columbia, South Carolina; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more information, visit https://www.arborday.org/programs/BankofAmericaGrant/

About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters, and valued partners. During the last 45 years, more than 350 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, climate change, deforestation, poverty, and hunger.

About Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com.

About Riverfront North Partnership

Riverfront North Partnership is a non-profit corporation that is connecting communities to their river. We are working with the City of Philadelphia to build, activate, and steward an 11-mile linear network of parks and trails on the Delaware River in Northeast Philadelphia.  For more information on Riverfront North Partnership’s past and current projects, please visit riverfrontnorth.org, call us at 215-425-8350, or follow us on social media: @riverfrontnorth. Associated blogs and cleared photos for this story can be found at riverfrontnorth.org/mediahub