ORLANDO, FL (January 14, 2025) FAIRWINDS Foundation, the philanthropic arm of FAIRWINDS Credit Union, recently announced the recipients of its 2025 grants at a breakfast event held at Full Sail Live. The event, attended by prominent community leaders and representatives from sixteen organizations, celebrated the Foundation’s largest grant distribution to date.
This year, FAIRWINDS Foundation increased its grant contributions by $100,000, bringing the total to an impressive $500,000. Since 2018, the Foundation has dedicated over $2 million towards initiatives aimed at enhancing financial well-being, underlining its commitment to improving lives through financial literacy.
Among the recipients, the Black Business Investment Fund (BBIF), through its charitable affiliate Black Business Community Development Corporation (BBCDC), was awarded $30,000. This grant will support BBIF’s ongoing efforts to empower underserved business owners with critical financial literacy education.
"We value our ongoing relationship with FAIRWINDS Foundation," stated Duane Lewis, Executive Director of BBCDC & COO of BBIF. "Their support helps us deliver the vital resources and guidance that underserved business owners require to succeed. FAIRWINDS' commitment to financial literacy education is one that we deeply admire, as it is crucial for empowering entrepreneurs."
Initiated in 2022 with the support of FAIRWINDS Foundation, BBIF’s Financial Literacy Workshop Series, led by Community Development Officer Karlon Johnson, has been a cornerstone of this initiative. The workshops address key financial topics such as personal credit, debt management, and cash flow strategies. To date, the series has positively impacted hundreds of entrepreneurs, reinforcing the importance of financial education in the growth and success of minority-owned businesses in Central Florida. Thanks to this renewed grant, BBIF is set to expand these vital services, reaching an even broader audience of entrepreneurs in the upcoming year.
“When families and individuals have the information and tools needed to secure and improve their financial health, we collectively impact and improve our community’s economic well-being,” said Elisha González, vice president of community relations and government affairs at FAIRWINDS and executive director of FAIRWINDS Foundation. “These non-profits are conducting incredible work to advance financial literacy and shepherding our communities to experience financial freedom and reach broad-based prosperity.”
About FAIRWINDS Foundation
FAIRWINDS Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is dedicated to helping individuals achieve a path toward financial responsibility, security and freedom and inspiring them to transform the lives of others by living generously.
Through education, financial contribution and volunteerism, the Foundation works with and supports organizations that align with its passion of improving lives through financial literacy.
For more information, visit www.fairwinds.org/foundation.
About FAIRWINDS
For 75 years, FAIRWINDS Credit Union has helped members achieve financial freedom by saving more, eliminating debt, building wealth, and living generously. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, FAIRWINDS serves more than 225,000 members with innovative and secure personal and commercial financial services, including deposits and loans, wealth management, retirement planning, treasury services, merchant services, and more. With a member satisfaction score twice the banking industry average, FAIRWINDS members experience confidence and peace of mind. FAIRWINDS is consistently named a top employer of choice, including American Banker, Credit Union Times, and Florida Trend. Recognized among Central Florida’s most philanthropic companies by Orlando Business Journal, FAIRWINDS builds financial literacy in the region through its FAIRWINDS Foundation. For more information, visit www.fairwinds.org.
About BBCDC
The Black Business Community Development Corporation (BBCDC) was created in 1993. It is a 501c3 entity that provides fundraising, education, and networking opportunities to develop and support the growth of minority businesses and underserved communities. Additionally, BBCDC has the vision to develop sustainable communities by providing low to moderate and affordable housing. BBCDC is the charitable affiliate of BBIF. The previous name of BBCDC was Black Business Capital Financing Corporation (BBCFC). In early 2020 the BBCFC board felt it was necessary to transition to a CDC, hence changing the name to BBCDC. The new name, BBCDC, became effective on March 16, 2020.
About BBIF
Created in 1987, BBIF’s mission is to develop and promote Black business enterprises through education, training, loans, investments, and other activities and to aggressively promote an atmosphere conducive to their development. A mission-driven lender, BBIF helps communities and businesses thrive by providing loan capital and specialized financial technical assistance services. BBIF is a CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) and CDE (Community Development Enterprise) certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Community Advantage and Micro Loan lender as certified by U.S. Small Business Administration, Money Smart for Small Business collaborator certified by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and is AERIS rated triple star, A. Since its inception, BBIF has provided over 1,100 loans totaling $89.7 million and leveraged $468.9 million in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) community investments. BBIF’s investments have helped to create/sustain over 14,000 jobs all while maintaining a historical loan loss rate of 2.79%. Learn more at www.BBIF.com.
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