ATLANTA, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Expanding the impact of the Lighting the Way Awards in their second year, the SunTrust Foundation today announced 30 nonprofit organizations will receive grants to further their local efforts to help individuals build financial confidence. The grants, totaling $800,000, were awarded to groups that have a specific focus in one or more of the Foundation's four strategic financial well-being areas – financial education, financial counseling, career readiness/workforce development, and small business/entrepreneurship.

"The Lighting the Way Awards recognize organizations for their community programs that align with the SunTrust Foundation's purpose of helping everyone achieve financial confidence," said David Fuller, president of the SunTrust Foundation. "We are proud to support the many ways these organizations are changing individuals' lives for the better and helping them create a path to financial well-being."

The winners of this year's Lighting the Way Awards also will participate in a local Financial
Well-Being Summit to discuss the role their organization plays in promoting financial well-being in their communities. Held throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic region, the summits will bring community leaders together to discuss ways they can help individuals move from financial stress to confidence.

Since its inception in 2008, the SunTrust Foundation has been committed to SunTrust's purpose of Lighting the Way to Financial Well-Being through community partnerships with educational institutions and nonprofits. Today the Foundation has provided more than $112 million in grants, including last year's total of $16.6 million in grants to more than 1,500 nonprofit organizations.

This year's "Lighting the Way" Awards were granted to the following organizations:

• Gulfstream Goodwill (West Palm Beach, FL)
• Centro Campesino Farmworker Center (Florida City, FL)
• HabCenter (Boca Raton, FL)
• Urban League of Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
• Carolina Small Business Development Fund (Raleigh, NC)
• Housing Consultants Group (Greensboro, NC)
• Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Foundation (Charleston, SC)
• South Carolina Community Loan Fund (locations across South Carolina)
• Friends of Guest House (Alexandria, VA)
• Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training (MCVET) (Baltimore, MD)
• Davis Memorial Goodwill Industries (Washington D.C.)
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation D.C. (LISC-DC) (Washington D.C.)
• Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia (Roanoke, VA)
• Virginia Local Initiatives Support Corporation (Richmond, VA)
• Greater Richmond ARC (Richmond, VA)
• Community Investment Collaborative (Charlottesville, VA)
• PowerMyLearning Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
• Future Foundation (East Point, GA)
• Quest, Inc. (Orlando, FL)
• Central Florida Urban League (Orlando, FL)
• Goodwill Industries of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
• weVENTURE Rockledge at CareerSource Brevard (Rockledge, FL)
• Project Prosper (Clearwater, FL)
• Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Inc. (Tampa, FL)
• Starting Right, Now (Tampa, FL)
• Minority Enterprise Development Corporation (Tampa, FL)
• Studer Community Institute, Inc. (Pensacola, FL)
• Oasis Center (Nashville, TN)
• Open Door Community House (Columbus, GA)
• BrightBridge (Chattanooga, TN)

About SunTrust Foundation
The SunTrust Foundation is committed to SunTrust Bank's purpose of Lighting the Way to Financial Well-Being by engaging with local and national organizations to advance financial confidence. Grants and activities focus primarily on financial education, financial counseling, career readiness and small business/entrepreneurship, in addition to local community grants. The SunTrust Foundation supports American Red Cross disaster relief efforts and contributes as a United Way Global Corporate Leader. Established in 2008, the SunTrust Foundation has proudly provided grants totaling more than $112 million throughout the United States.

SOURCE SunTrust Foundation