$200K grants for Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County, Pacific Symphony

Shari Battle, market manager, Bank of America in Orange County; John Forsyte, CEO and president, Pacific Symphony

Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County and Pacific Symphony were named as the 2022 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders awardees for their work in the Orange County community removing economic and healthcare barriers to advance opportunities.

The Neighborhood Builders program provides each organization with a $200,000 grant over two years; comprehensive leadership training for the executive director and an emerging leader on topics ranging from increasing financial sustainability, human capital management and strategic storytelling; joins a network of peer organizations across the U.S.; and supplies the opportunity to access capital. The invitation-only program is highly competitive, and organizations are selected by a committee comprised of community leaders and past Neighborhood Builders honorees.

Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County will use the grant to expand their sedation programs and reduce wait times for anesthesia services, especially for older children and young adults with special needs, a population that has a particularly difficult time with access to care, typically having to wait 12-18 months to receive dental services.

Pacific Symphony will use its grant to expand the Heartstrings program, which brings education and music therapy programs to more than 60 nonprofits and schools throughout Orange County.

Said John Forsyte, CEO and president, Pacific Symphony: “Our music education and therapy programs are touching thousands of lives, and this grant enables us to expand our reach, making an even bigger impact on underserved communities that can benefit from the healing power of music.”