Community Q&A
The following Q & A provides additional information on First Citizens Community to further inform the public on the eligibility, application and submission process.
First Citizens recently launched the next chapter in its sustainability programme – First Citizens Community. Subsequently the Group initiated a Call for Proposals on 3rd June 2022 inviting registered non-governmental organizations to become one of its community partners. The following Q&A provides additional information on First Citizens Community to further inform the public on the eligibility, application and submission process.
Why the name Community?
There is no doubt that as Caribbean people, many of our societies thrive on a sense of community – that idea of connecting, collaborating and achieving together. Similarly, First Citizens has enjoyed many partnerships throughout the years with an extensive corporate social responsibility programme and so when we thought of a concept that would embody and represent the work that we do and more so the partnerships that we’ve shared, Community became an excellent fit. First Citizens Community now represents our social investment programme, under which we have amalgamated all of our various initiatives.
First Citizens has always been involved in corporate social responsibility. What makes First Citizens Community different?
First Citizens has definitely been a major part of the social fabric of Trinbagonian communities for decades, evident through our involvement in a myriad of initiatives. In 2019 however, we established the First Citizens Foundation with the intent that the Foundation would have oversight for our CSR performance and operationalize our framework for good governance and transparency. As the work of the Foundation deepens, we felt it was critical to bring our investments under one umbrella brand, and so First Citizens Community was born.
Why did First Citizens find it critical not just to hone in on its CSR focus but to begin aligning these initiatives to the UN’s thrust?
As part of the UN’s agenda for sustainable development they have identified several sustainable development goals, in a call for global partnership to address various issues e.g. Gender Equality, Quality Education, Clean Water and Sanitation. Critical to achieving these goals for many organizations, has been the development of Environmental, Social and Governance programmes to streamline several initiatives that would allow them to support in achieving these goals. First Citizens Community is our first step towards implementing a full scale ESG programme and is at the heart of our efforts to create a sustainable future for all.
What does First Citizens envision will be achieved by Community?
At First Citizens we truly believe in the power of Community – that by coming together to participate in various positive initiatives we can make a change and difference in the lives of our citizens. In doing so we’ve recognized that this goal is not something we can achieve on our own and so we hope that the programme will attract those who also have the best interest of these five communities at heart and are willing to work with us to get the task done. We look forward to receiving a long list of exciting, innovative and meaningful projects that can create maximum impact across the country in the areas of Environment, Sport, Youth Development and Education, Culture and Gender.
Where can the public get further information and how can interested parties apply?
All of the information on First Citizens Community is available on our website. An application form, along with the proposal and registration documents can be submitted directly via the website and the deadline for applying is July 15th, 2022.
How can interested parties capitalize on this opportunity?
Based on our segmented pillars or communities of Environment, Sport, Youth Development and Education, Culture and Gender, social interest groups and non-governmental organisations can submit partnership proposals for the Group’s consideration and funding, once they meet the identified criteria e.g.
- Be aligned to First Citizens Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Pillars
- Be aligned to one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals or Global Goals of the United Nations established in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly
- Be clear with respect to background/context, objectives, outputs, timelines, benefits to the sponsor, impact metrics, outcomes and evaluation
- Contain a detailed budget
- Include a detailed Public Relations plan
