Bank gives grants to minority owned businesses

Four minority-owned small businesses in the state, three of them in the New Haven area, were among 100 recipients of $15,000 grants from Citizens Bank designed to drive social equity and economic advancement in underserved communities.

The grant recipients were spread across 10 of the 11 states where Providence, R.I.-based Citizens Bank has its branches. The four Connecticut businesses receiving the grants were:

D&D Sports Consulting in Madison, which operates a field hockey training program for young women that operates under the name HTC Field Hockey Club.

Kelly Koren Unlimited, a leadership and educational consulting business in New Haven that works with first-generation college students.

Our Community Counseling, a Woodbridge-based business that provides social service help for teens.

Nerd Haven in Bloomfield.

None of the Connecticut business owners who received the grants was immediately available for comment.

The grant recipients were chosen, in part, through their response to a short essay question. The business owners were asked to explain how they would use the money to strengthen and sustain their business while at the same time helping their community.

In addition to receiving the grant money, the Citizens Bank program also includes an opportunity to work with representatives of the Service Corps of Retired Executives, or SCORE. The organization is the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors.

Jack Murphy, president of Citizens’ business banking division, said the interest in the program by those operating minorityowned business “was overwhelming.”

“We are confident that our recipients will play a continuing vital role in strengthening the communities they serve,” Murphy said.

Citizens Bank has 33 branch offices in Connecticut, including 14 in the New Haven area. The bank has 1,200 branches in 11 states, including Connecticut.