/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ - MetLife Foundation today announced that it is awarding $500,000 among 12 nonprofit community development groups in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area as part of its 2010 Community Development Initiative. The organizations are being recognized for leadership and excellence in implementing affordable housing and economic development activities that increase access and opportunity in diverse lower-income neighborhoods. The groups received grants of up to $50,000 each. Since 2009, MetLife Foundation has awarded $1 million through the Community Development Initiative.

"Community development organizations play a critical role in building livable neighborhoods," said Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. "We are pleased to recognize these organizations for their affordable housing and economic development initiatives which will help meet growing needs and build opportunity and hope."

The recipients of the 2010 MetLife Foundation Community Development Initiative are:

• Asian Community Development Corporation (Boston, Mass.) for its Comprehensive Housing Opportunities program, which provides financial literacy and home buying education and counseling services to clients whose primary languages are Cantonese and Mandarin.


• Beyond Shelter (Los Angeles, Calif.) for Career Link Collaborative, an initiative to help unemployed South Central Los Angeles residents obtain and maintain living-wage careers.


• Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation (Chicago, Ill.) for its Sustainable Affordable Housing Preservation and Restoration initiative, including a focus on affordable rental housing.


• Chinatown Community Development Center (San Francisco, Calif.) to provide green affordable housing in the Chinatown, North Beach, Russian Hill and Tenderloin neighborhoods.


• Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (Dorchester, Mass.) for expansion of transit-oriented development along the Fairmount commuter rail line, as well as financial counseling and foreclosure prevention.


• East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (Oakland, Calif.) for its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for low-income residents of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.


• Fifth Avenue Committee (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for its affordable housing, workforce, and economic development program in South Brooklyn.


• Greater Southwest Development Corporation (Chicago, Ill.) for the Southwest REACH Center, a no-cost one-stop resource to help families build their financial future.


• LTSC Community Development Corporation (Los Angeles, Calif.) for its Affordable Housing Collaborative, through which LTSC partners with other groups to build multi-family housing.


• Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (New York City, N.Y.), for technical assistance and training for residents of tenant-controlled buildings in Washington Heights and Inwood.


• Nuestra Communidad Development Corporation (Roxbury, Mass.) for the Partnership for Greening Blue Hill Avenue, a collaboration with YouthBuild Boston to weatherize housing along a major transit corridor.


• Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation (Bronx, N.Y.) for its Home-based Childcare Program.

MetLife Foundation was established by MetLife in 1976 to carry on its longstanding tradition of contributions and community involvement. Grants support health, education, civic and cultural programs. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.

MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its long-standing tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. MetLife and MetLife Foundation have invested more than $15 million for Alzheimer's research and public information programs, including $10 million through the Awards for Medical Research program. Working with the Alzheimer's Association, the Foundation has supported caregiving videos, resources for the Hispanic community and the Safe Return identification program, which addresses the problem of senior wandering. The Foundation has expanded its focus on aging issues, including helping people remain physically and mentally fit and remaining engaged in the community. It also supports programs addressing issues of caregiving, intergenerational activities and volunteer opportunities. Grants support health, education, and civic and cultural programs. More information about MetLife Foundation is available at www.metlife.org.

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