The Center Receives a Multiyear Grant & Leadership Training to Expand Critical Services Locally
BofA Names Benedict College B.E.S.T. Lives Center its Columbia 2025 Neighborhood Builder – The Center Receives a Multiyear Grant & Leadership Training to Expand Critical Services Locally
COLUMBIA, SC, December 22, 2025 – Bank of America has named Benedict College B.E.S.T. Lives Center as its 2025 Neighborhood Builder® for its work to provide educational and workforce development opportunities in the community.
Bank of America’s signature Neighborhood Builders program continues to be one of the nation’s largest philanthropic investments into nonprofit leadership development, while providing unique multiyear flexible grant funding annually to high-impact nonprofits in communities nationwide.
As a Neighborhood Builder, the Benedict Empowers Students and Transforms (B.E.S.T.) Lives Center is awarded a $50,000 grant over two years, leadership training for the executive director and an emerging leader and the opportunity to connect with nonprofits in a peer network. Since the program’s inception, seven nonprofits have been selected as Neighborhood Builders in Columbia, with the bank investing more than $350,000 in philanthropic capital into these nonprofits.
“The B.E.S.T. Lives Center provides valuable support for students of all backgrounds pursuing education, helping them build pathways to long-term success, as well as supporting the region’s workforce development needs,” said Vaughn Reynolds, president, Bank of America Columbia. “Through flexible funding and comprehensive leadership training, our Neighborhood Builders program helps organizations like the Center promote economic opportunity for individuals and families in our communities.”
The B.E.S.T. Lives Center is an innovative learning hub dedicated to empowering military families, former foster youth, formerly incarcerated individuals, and adult learners, while remaining true to the mission of the College. The Center addresses workforce development concerns and barriers to educational access by assisting individuals with enrollment, financial assistance, and support services while attending Benedict College.
“With the generous support from Bank of America through the Neighborhood Builders grant, the Benedict College B.E.S.T. Lives Center is well-positioned to enhance its innovative Drone Program and empower community members with job training and new skills. We are particularly excited about the leadership training provided to our administrators, which will reinforce our development as community leaders, “said Dr. Vanessa Harris, executive director for B.E.S.T. Lives Center. “This partnership reflects our unwavering commitment to fostering future leaders and advancing technology education within our community.”
Neighborhood Builders is part of the bank’s longstanding efforts to build thriving communities by addressing issues fundamental to economic opportunity. Since 2004, Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders program has invested more than $346 million in communities across the U.S. and trained more than 4,000 leaders at nearly 2,000 U.S. nonprofits.
Pictured (left to right): Vaughn Reynolds, president, Bank of America, Columbia; Leandra Hayes Burgess, vice president for institutional advancement, Benedict College, and Nicole Scott, marketing executive, Bank of America, Columbia.
Benedict College
Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution offering 29 competitive baccalaureate degree programs and two master’s degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from several counties in South Carolina, states across America, and countries around the world. The College also has a diverse faculty deeply engaged in teaching, research, and service.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications. Benedict College is the recipient of the 2024 UNCF Institutional Excellence Award given by UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building Program in celebration of an HBCU that achieved next-level performance. Benedict was also named HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest and voted the number one Gold Winner in The States’ BEST College or University in 2025.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Environmental Engineering, Studio Art, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving nearly 70 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,600 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 59 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
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