Fulton Bank Announces Early-Stage Financing Program in Partnership with Baltimore Community Lending

$250,000 grant from Fulton Forward Foundation will support funding for entrepreneurs.

Lancaster, Pa. (Dec. 30, 2024) – Fulton Bank, N.A., a subsidiary of Fulton Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: FULT), and Baltimore Community Lending today announced a new program to provide early-stage financing to entrepreneurs.

To support the program, Fulton Forward Foundation, an independent, private nonprofit foundation funded by Fulton Bank, has provided a $250,000 grant to Baltimore Community Lending.

The grant will provide early-stage funding to entrepreneurs with limited financing options. Investment grants of $10,000 will be made to each business approved by a grant committee established by Baltimore Community Lending, a community development financial institution in Baltimore.

Grant recipients also will receive business advisory services from Baltimore Community Lending and will work with a Diverse Business Banking Advocate from Fulton Bank to monitor progress and provide assistance. Diverse Business Banking Advocates receive special training to enable them to support the growth and success of diverse business owners.

“Baltimore Community Lending is devoted to supporting Baltimore area entrepreneurs who are low-income, low-wealth, or otherwise disadvantaged, and who cannot find support anywhere else. This exciting partnership with Fulton Bank and the Fulton Forward Foundation gives BCL the opportunity to help those small business owners who are not yet ready for a loan, thus preparing them for long-term success,” said Bonnie Crockett, VP and Director of Small Business Lending at Baltimore Community Lending.

“We are excited to launch this new program with our partners at Baltimore Community Lending,” said William “Smokey” Glover, Director of Fair and Responsible Banking for Fulton Bank and President of the Fulton Forward Foundation. “This initiative reflects our commitment to providing access to capital and resources to traditionally underserved business owners. As trusted advisors to these entrepreneurs, we can help support them and continue to grow businesses that serve the whole community.”

“With support from partners like Fulton Bank and the Fulton Forward Foundation, micro-enterprises and small businesses can achieve significant goals. Baltimore Community Lending supports revitalizing and strengthening underserved communities throughout the Baltimore metro area through innovative and flexible financial assistance designed to promote community development,” said Watchen Harris Bruce, President and CEO at Baltimore Community Lending.

From left to right: Dionne Waldron-McNeal, Fulton Bank Community Outreach Officer; Joel Barnett, Fulton Bank Director of Commercial Affinity Banking, Watchen Bruce, BCL President; Joe Durham, Fulton Bank Market President; Sean Chrysostom, BCL Technical Assistant Officer; Bonnie Crockett, BCL Vice President & Director of Small Business Lending; Ulric Donawa, BCL Loan Officer; and Susan Kelly, BCL Chief Financial Officer.

About Fulton Bank

Headquartered in Lancaster, Pa., Fulton Bank is a premier community bank in the Mid-Atlantic region. As a subsidiary of Fulton Financial Corporation, a more than $30 billion financial services holding company, Fulton Bank offers a broad array of products and services at 200 financial centers across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. At Fulton Bank, we seek to change lives for the better by building strong customer relationships, providing significant community support and empowering more than 3,400 employees to do the same. Through the Fulton Forward^® initiative, we’re helping build vibrant communities.

About Baltimore Community Lending

Baltimore Community Lending, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and mission-based lender serving the Baltimore metro area. BCL is 100% dedicated to delivering responsible, affordable lending products to help low-income, low-wealth, and other disadvantaged people and communities join the economic mainstream. BCL makes loans and provides training to small business owners and real estate developers committed to developing underserved neighborhoods.