TD Charitable Foundation to Award $2.5 Million in Grants to Non-Profits Focusing on Affordable Housing Initiatives

CHERRY HILL, N.J. and PORTLAND, Maine, July 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank^®, today announced it will award $2.5 million in grants to support affordable housing initiatives through its sixth annual "Housing for Everyone" grant competition.

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The "Housing for Everyone" grant competition is one of the TD Charitable Foundation's most widely known signature programs. The competition invites local non-profit organizations from Maine to Florida to submit proposals outlining their plans and initiatives to support and provide affordable housing initiatives in their communities. Twenty-five organizations throughout TD Bank's footprint from Maine to Florida will be awarded a $100,000 grant for a total grant donation of $2.5 million.

"Housing experts have identified a pressing need for more energy efficient, affordable housing and the qualified staff to help build them," said Elizabeth K. Warn, President of the TD Charitable Foundation and Senior Vice President of Community Development for TD Bank. "We are proud to award grants to local non-profit organizations that focus on these critical areas and make a meaningful difference in meeting their communities' affordable housing needs."

This year's "Housing for Everyone" theme is Building for the Future, focusing on three critical areas in affordable housing:

• Energy efficiency, including weatherization initiatives, HVAC improvements, or implementation of alternative or renewable energy sources;
• Capacity building, including the expansion of programmatic efforts or staff development for organizations that provide affordable housing services for low-to-moderate-income individuals or in low-to-moderate-income communities. Infrastructure investment to expand services provided will also be considered;
• And new unit creation, where organizations focus their efforts on the creation of new affordable housing units that benefit low-to-moderate-income individuals or communities.

Organizations that wish to enter the 2011 "Housing for Everyone" grant competition must have tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status; must develop or maintain affordable housing, or provide housing-related programs and services to low-to-moderate-income individuals or families; and serve the communities where TD Bank does business. Applicant organizations must also demonstrate fiscal responsibility and the impact they have made on affordable housing efforts in their communities.

Proposals will only be accepted online at www.TDBank.com (click on Our Community) and must be submitted by 4 p.m. on Friday, September 2, 2011. Notification of awards will be made in late October 2011.

For the past five years, the TD Charitable Foundation has invested over $7.1 million in the "Housing for Everyone" competition to help create or maintain more than 6,300 affordable housing units.

Follow @TDBank_US on Twitter and check #housing4everyone for competition news and announcements.

About the TD Charitable Foundation

The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank N.A., which operates as TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank^®, and is one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. The Foundation's mission is to serve the individuals, families and businesses in all the communities where TD Bank operates, having made $73.5 million in charitable donations since its inception in 2002. The Foundation's areas of focus are affordable housing, education and financial literacy, and the environment. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation, including an online grant application, is available at www.TDBank.com.

SOURCE TD Charitable Foundation