Management Leadership for Tomorrow will support the REIT industry’s collective commitment to advancing social responsibility.
Washington, D.C. (Nov. 14, 2023) – The Nareit Foundation announced nine nonprofit organizations that will receive inaugural grants from its Dividends Through Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DDEI) Giving Campaign, including Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). The announcement was made during Nareit’s REITworld: 2023 Annual Conference.
“We are honored to receive this grant from the Nareit Foundation’s Dividends Through Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Giving Campaign,” said Cristal Baron, Head of Advancement at MLT. “This generous support empowers us to deepen our mission of nurturing underrepresented talent and forging a more diverse and inclusive workforce. We are grateful to the Nareit Foundation for recognizing the importance of our work and for their commitment to advancing progress in this space.”
MLT will use this grant funding for its Career Prep program to professionally develop and support Black, Hispanic/Latine, and Native American students pursuing career interests in real estate. Career Prep provides students with a winning professional playbook and 20 months of programming, which includes personalized coaching, and an accelerating network of 10,000 MLT Rising Leaders. This grant will help MLT advance its mission to close the racial wealth gap and ensure equal access to the American Dream.
“The work that MLT is doing and will do is critical, and I am grateful for its efforts to help us improve diversity, equity, and inclusion across our workplaces, businesses, and communities,” said Nareit SVP of Social Responsibility & Global Affairs Ayris T. Scales.
“While REITs and the publicly traded real estate industry have made significant progress in prioritizing diversity and inclusion throughout their organizations—there’s still more to do. Together, DDEI campaign donors, MLT, and the other grant recipients are paving the way for the next generation of diverse REIT executives, employees, tenants, investors, and suppliers,” Scales added.
The Nareit Foundation DDEI Giving Campaign was launched in 2022 under the leadership of Nareit’s DDEI CEO Council Philanthropy Committee. The campaign was supported by Nareit and more than 40 Nareit member REITs or their philanthropic organizations. The Nareit Foundation, in collaboration with Just Fund, held a competitive grant application process, and after extensive review, the Nareit Foundation board approved the nine nonprofit organizations each with a national reach to receive the grants. To see the full donor list and learn more about Nareit’s DDEI campaign, visit nareitfoundation.org/ddei.
Nareit Foundation Selects Management Leadership for Tomorrow and Eight Other NonProfits to Receive Inaugural Dividends Through Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Grants
