Climate First Bank headquarters branch rendering, St. Petersburg. (Photo from First Climate Bank)
ORLANDO | Climate First Bank has kicked off the new year vowing to donate funds to the LGBT+ Center in Orlando for every Pride Banking account opened until June 30.
To celebrate the LGBTQ community, the Pride Banking account features a $100 donation from Climate First Bank to The Center Orlando, account holders’ preferred name will reflect on debit cards and accounts earn 0.1% interest with no monthly fee.
“We’re excited to promote the account because the more people that we bring in, that’s the more money that we’ll able to contribute to The Center,” Chris Cucci, chief of staff of Climate First Bank, says.
The Center Orlando promotes the intellectual, physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being of Central Florida’s LGBTQ community through access to quality programs and services.
“LGBTQ rights and environmentalism have always been closely conjoined,” Dr. George Wallace, CEO of The Center Orlando, says in a press release. “We are incredibly glad for the support of Climate First Bank and its customers as we work together to champion a greener future in an inclusive world.”
The Pride Banking account started in June 2022 with a six-month partnership with the KindRED Pride Foundation. Cucci says the company knew they wanted to change partners throughout the course of the account and allow different organizations to be the recipient of the donations.
“The more I got to know (The Center), I just really became a fan of their mission. We were really excited when they said yes to being our sponsor to kick off 2023,” Cucci says.
Through their previous partnership with KindRED Pride, Cucci says he learned how to better market to the LGBTQ community.
The preferred names and pronoun option was instituted with Climate First Bank initially, but he never thought to market it. Cucci started talking to more people in the community and realized that having preferred names benefited them more than the other services offered.
“Banking is a relationship business,” Cucci says. “We want people to know that if they need to come into the bank or if they need to call us on the phone, it’s okay for that person to be who they are.”
Climate First Bank originated in St. Petersburg, Florida, and expanded to Winter Park last year. The company has always spoken out about social issues such as global warming and abortion rights, Cucci says, and Florida has proven to be challenging to start a bank with these values. Despite criticism, Climate First Bank has continued to be very vocal on all these topics and doesn’t plan on stopping.
“It’s an uphill battle, but we’re seeing great growth as a company. While I would say there are some people who aren’t fans of us, other people really love us,” Cucci says. “Our belief is that if we can do it here and do it well when we’re able to go nationwide in the next couple of years, we think we’re just going to be able to kill it.”
Along with support to the LGBTQ community, Climate First Bank also prides itself in its constant activism towards climate change. Cucci says the company is always looking to engage in projects that are going to have a positive impact on society.
“You have to also attack social issues to do that successfully because a lot of the times, the communities that are most impacted by the effects of climate change, are those communities with low to moderate income,” he says.
Climate First Bank offers applicants debit cards, online banking, business and consumer checking products, savings accounts and different types of loans. Home loan options include electric vehicles, hybrid autos, solar and electric vehicle charging.
To open an account, applicants must bring a form of identification and have a minimum balance of $50. A credit check is not required.
“I absolutely love being a part of the Central Florida community,” Cucci says. “Banking through community organizations, to me, is awesome.”
