Citizens Financial : Joins with EVERFI to Present Black History Month Challenge Supporting Youth Education on Black Experiences Throughout History

02/09/2022

PROVIDENCE, R.I., FEBRUARY 9, 2022 - Citizensis partnering with EVERFI to raise awareness and provide educational opportunities focused on Black experiences as well as award eleven student scholarships. The Black History Month Challenge - a unique competition taking place throughout February - uses EVERFI's African American History courses to help high school students better understand the Black experience through education that highlights Black perspectives, successes, and struggles.

The month-long challenge, created by social impact education innovator EVERFI, features four digital lessons and a capstone essay contest in which students will share a plan for maintaining a year-round conversation about Black history in their community. Eleven winners across Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, New York, and one national winner will each receive a $2,500 scholarship and a brand new Apple MacBook Pro, courtesy of Citizens Pay.

"Citizens is committed to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive world for all," said Barbara Cottam, EVP and Head of Corporate Affairs and Corporate Responsibility at Citizens. "We are proud to sponsor the Black History Month Challenge and hope it will elevate history as a lens to understand current events and encourage meaningful dialogue about race and social justice."

The Black History Month Challenge is designed to inspire today's students by sharing stories about the Black experience in America; empower students by amplifying Black perspectives across generations; elevate history as a lens to understand current events; and transform students' perception of the world around them. Students will explore both historical and current events and learn about the many "firsts" that Black leaders have accomplished in the business and medical fields while also showcasing Black professionals who have blazed trails and made significant contributions to their respective sectors.

In addition to supporting the Black History Month Challenge, Citizens works with EVERFI to support schools and teachers in providing students with knowledge around financial empowerment, financing higher education, digital banking safety, and early literacy to help them succeed in and outside the classroom.

To learn more about the Black History Month Challenge, visit www.citizensbank.com/EVERFI

# # #

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation's oldest and largest financial institutions, with $188.4 billion in assets as of December 31, 2021. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,000 ATMs and approximately 940 branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

About EVERFI, Inc.

EVERFI, a Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) company, is an international technology company driving social impact through education to address the most challenging issues affecting society ranging from financial wellness to mental health to workplace conduct and other critical topics. Founded in 2008, EVERFI's Impact-as-a-ServiceTM solution and digital educational content have reached more than 45 million learners globally. In 2020, the company was recognized as one of the World's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company and was featured on Fortune Magazine's Impact 20 List. The company was also named to the 2021 GSV EdTech 150, a list of the most transformative growth companies in digital learning. Blackbaud, the world's leading cloud software company powering social good, acquired EVERFI in December of 2021. To learn more about EVERFI please visit everfi.com or follow us on Facebook,Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter @EVERFI.