BLOOMINGTON – First Financial Bank (Nasdaq: FFBC) and the First Financial Foundation have announced $18,500 in grants to two Bloomington organizations, reaffirming the bank’s commitment to community growth.
The recipients of the local funding are CDFI Friendly Bloomington and Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County.
The grants are part of the bank’s most extensive annual grant campaign in its history, which in 2025 allocated $550,000 to 96 organizations across the Midwest. First Financial focuses its grants on key areas, including neighborhood development, workforce development, education, and culture in the arts, with a specific emphasis on supporting low-income communities.
Roddell McCullough, chief corporate responsibility officer for First Financial, highlighted the bank’s mission. “Supporting our clients and communities has always reflected who we are as a bank,” McCullough said. “Every year of our annual grant campaign brings us new optimism around the positive impacts we’re delivering through our local partners.”
The bank also increased its campaign funding this year with a contribution from CREA, a low-income housing tax credit organization, to extend assistance to more people.
This grant campaign is a core component of First Financial’s wider strategy to engage in the growth of its communities. The bank is currently in the second year of its 2024-2028 Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), which includes a goal of providing $18 million in philanthropy.
The Federal Reserve Board has recognized First Financial’s dedication to community investment, awarding the bank the highest overall rating of Outstanding under the Community Reinvestment Act in the last two review cycles—an achievement only reached by a small number of banks. In addition to financial contributions, First Financial team members also donated more than 14,000 volunteer hours last year through a bank program that provides employees with dedicated volunteer time.
