We believe that financial literacy, the ability to save, budget, spend wisely and invest, is an essential tool to have. We also know that dealing with personal finances can be daunting at any age. We've partnered with Everfi to power the Eastern Financial Academy - an online learning tool to help you learn how to take control of your finances, plan for life's big moments and develop better long-term money management skills. This complimentary resource is available here.

We’re also a member of the FDIC Money Smart Alliance and proud supporter of the Money Smart Program. This program is a standardized banking curriculum that covers basic financial topics and offers resources and materials to participants to reinforce their learnings after the course is over. Better financial habits begin with better money management skills, and we believe giving people in our communities the tools they need will only help improve their lives and the communities they live in.

It’s no secret that there are racial, gender and other disparities in our country that lead to income and wealth gaps in our communities. With underserved communities being perpetually left behind, we took action and created the Foundation for Business Equity. At its core, the independent non-profit organization helps foster greater economic mobility through the growth of Black and Latinx-owned businesses. In 2017, we offered a $10 million commitment to address the widening income and wealth gaps disproportionately affecting these communities by helping enterprises of color scale their businesses with the help of strategic advisors, mentorships and personalized growth plans.

Our experience assisting Black and Latinx business owners has been rewarding. In fact, more than 40 businesses have participated so far, resulting in millions of dollars in new business revenue, significant workforce growth, and millions of capital invested in local businesses. While these results are promising and exciting, there is still room for improvement, and we’re up to the challenge.

Learn more about the Foundation for Business Equity here.

Small businesses are vital to helping our economy grow and flourish. Unfortunately, securing capital is one of the biggest and earliest challenges for small business owners. At Eastern Bank, we know the value that small businesses and their owners bring to each and every one of the communities we serve, so we’ve dedicated ourselves to helping them in a number of ways.

We’ve partnered with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to offer loans specifically designed to help small to mid-sized business owners get past the initial hurdles like the ever changing business cycles, a line of credit or capital expansions.

We’ve been voted the #1 SBA lender in New England for eleven consecutive years, and we’re proud of it. The way we see it, the more small businesses that thrive, the more opportunities there are for the whole community to do the same.

Learn more here.

Our culture is rooted in community service and involvement. At Eastern Bank, we’re proud to donate more than just money but time to worthy causes and initiatives that improve the lives of the people we serve. In fact, our employees have historically donated more than 50,000 hours annually to organizations and causes that are important to them, which is more than any other company in the Greater Boston region.

The best part? Donating time isn’t mandated for any employee. But our company and the people within it value the act of service and the opportunity to do so. We offer hundreds of dates, times and causes to fit within our employees schedules, ages and interests. We benefit organizations like Cradles to Crayons, Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, Project Citizenship and The Food Project just to name a few. Because as a bank dedicated to serving our communities, giving back isn’t just what we do, it’s who we are at our core.

To request a corporate volunteerism event, click here.