Advocacy

Working to end systemic racism, closing the racial wealth gap, and driving greater economic inclusion and mobility will take years of collective work. That includes expanding our support for groups working to strengthen all Black and Brown and underrepresented communities, raising our voice even louder to support economic mobility, inclusion and equity, and fueling the ecosystem for entrepreneurs of color. We are continuing our support with our largest donation ever to the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund, and we are broadening our support for historically-marginalized populations with increased donations to the Latino Equity Fund, the Asian Community Fund, and the LGBT Equality Fund.

We work to eliminate barriers and advance women in the communities we serve. We have given our support and advocated for public policy on pay equity and greater representation of women on corporate boards of directors as well as other issues that disproportionately affect women, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, health care, and early childhood education.

We are committed to supporting active military, Veterans, their families and the organizations assisting them through philanthropic investments and advocacy. Our partnerships with Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, Veterans Legal Services and the New England Center and Home for Veterans help Veterans gain access to additional support and mentorship. Our advocacy has also supported proposed legislation addressing post-traumatic stress disorder. A long-standing affiliation with UMass Lowell Veterans Services provides emergency funding grants to Veterans for tuition, housing and other short-term needs from application to graduation. Eastern Bank’s Military Veterans and Families Employee Network helps to lead our contributions to the military and Veteran community.

Advocating for and defending LGBTQ+ rights has long been important to Eastern. For the ninth consecutive year, Eastern earned a perfect score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, a nod to our corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Our “Equality Under the Blue” Employee Network is highly visible in the communities we serve, and we also provide our support through legislative and policy actions. We helped to establish the LGBT Chamber of Commerce and its LGBT Business Network, the charitable arm of the Chamber, which focused on building capacity of LGBT-owned businesses.

We are proud to be part of the revitalization and economic inclusion within the Gateway Cities across our region. Working with others in the private sector, local elected officials and nonprofit executives, we continue to expand public-private partnerships to create and drive economic inclusion, support initiatives and advocate for legislative and policy changes to ensure all our cities are safe and welcoming for every person.

A healthy environment is an integral component of a community’s ability to thrive. Climate change and other environmental damage affect our most vulnerable citizens disproportionately. As part of our commitment to social justice, our sustainability efforts focus on formal initiatives, volunteer programs and advocacy.