Bank honors combined legacies and commitments to local communities
across the western region
Umpqua Bank and parent company Columbia Banking System (Nasdaq: COLB) today announced the nonprofit recipients of $1 million in local grants to mark their respective 70th and 30th anniversaries.
According to David Moore Devine, Umpqua’s Chief Marketing Officer, this year’s anniversaries are especially meaningful given the merger of Umpqua Bank and Columbia Bank earlier this year.
“Umpqua Bank and Columbia Bank were formed with the vision of creating financial institutions deeply committed to the prosperity of local communities and providing a strong, relationship model of banking for families and businesses,” said Moore Devine. “These grants reflect our ongoing appreciation for the nonprofit organizations that are committed to making a difference in our local communities.”
Umpqua Bank and Columbia Bank merged in March 2023, combining the two premier Northwest banks to form a leading western bank and a top 30 bank in the U.S. Currently based Lake Oswego, Oregon, Umpqua Bank was formed in 1953 to support the southern Oregon community of Canyonville in Douglas County, Oregon. In 1993, Columbia Bank, under the banner of Columbia Banking System Inc., was established in Tacoma, Washington, and quickly grew to become the leading community bank headquartered in the state.
Grant recipients were selected for their strong community leadership, their commitment to improving access to economic opportunity, and their support for a variety of under-resourced communities in the areas of affordable housing and homeownership, education, career readiness, entrepreneurship, and health and wellness.
To support the expansion and continued success of the recipients’ strategic work, grants in the amounts of $50,000 were awarded by the Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation to the following Idaho-based organizations:
$50,000 Grant Recipients:
- NewWest Community Capital, Inc. (Boise, ID)
NewWest increases access to capital for affordable housing and community facilities, halts community deterioration, and creates jobs throughout the economically disadvantaged areas of the western United States.
- Nimiipuu Fund (Lapwai, ID)
The Nimiipuu Fund facilitates financial independence by enhancing the personal and entrepreneurial capacity of the Nez Perce Reservation and surrounding communities. The fund promotes economic growth while embracing the cultural values and traditions by providing tailored culturally relevant financial products and services.
In addition to the $1 million in strategic local grants awarded by Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation in honor of the bank’s anniversary celebration, Umpqua Bank provided a special grant to Cake4Kids, a nonprofit that delivers free homemade cakes to at-risk and underserved youths across the country. Umpqua Bank awarded a $35,000 grant to the fourteen chapters that serve communities across the bank’s footprint in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
To learn more about Umpqua Bank and its commitment to supporting local communities across the markets it serves please visit www.umpquabank.com/our-impact/partnerships/.