NAR Awards More Than $50,000 In Grants To Support Local Diversity Initiatives

WASHINGTON, November 20, 2006

The National Association of Realtors® today announced the recipients of 12 Diversity Initiative Grants totaling $51,575. The grants are awarded to local and state Realtor® associations to help fund their outreach efforts to minority consumers and bring more cultural diversity into association membership and leadership.
 
The Diversity Initiative Grant program was established by NAR to provide financial support for association programs and activities that position Realtors® as leaders in their increasingly diverse communities. Grants of up to $5,000 are awarded twice per year to local and state Realtor® associations for their diversity activities. Since 2004, 53 grants totaling more than $154,000 have been awarded through the program. 

"Realtors® embrace diversity and play a positive role in building our communities," said NAR President Pat Vredevoogd Combs of Grand Rapids, Mich., vice president of Coldwell Banker-AJS-Schmidt. "By providing our local and state Realtor® associations with the tools and information they need to carry out diversity initiatives, they are better equipped to meet the homeownership needs of our diverse society."

More than 20 Diversity Initiative Grant applications were received and the following 12 Realtor® associations were named winners:

Southland Regional Association of Realtors®, Van Nuys, Calif.
$5,000 to support training of minority committee members to enhance their effectiveness as future association leaders.

Metro South Association of Realtors®, Morrow, Ga.
$4,075 to develop, recruit and train minority members as future leaders in the association.

Iowa City Area Association of Realtors®, Iowa City, Iowa
$2,500 to provide a monthly lunch for members to learn about traditional and modern diverse cultural influences on consumer issues.

Chicago Association of Realtors®, Chicago
$5,000 to increase the frequency of member instruction on fair housing, providing regular updates on best practices, legal reviews and suggested policies.

Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors®, Lexington, Ky.
$5,000 to create a program plan to promote diversity and prepare members to serve diverse customers in the area.

Northeast Association of Realtors®, Chelmsford, Mass.
$2,000 to update the association's Web site to provide access to real estate resources translated into various languages and to hold two programs educating members about understanding cultural differences and working with diverse consumers.

Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors®, Edina, Minn.
$5,000 to host a multicultural summit, with a documentary and panel discussions on race disparities.

Charlotte Regional Realtor®Association, Charlotte, N.C.
$5,000 to develop a model program to heighten the knowledge among minority real estate agents of the benefits of being a member of the association and to create a stronger minority leadership presence in the association.

Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors®, Cincinnati
$3,000 to create a diversity awareness program for brokers and office managers, which will provide them with the skills to address racial steering issues.

Columbus Board of Realtors®, Columbus, Ohio
$5,000 to support a partnership with the African Community Organization that will provide language and cultural training to members working in communities with substantial immigrant African populations and homeownership training to members of the immigrant African community.

Realtors® Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh
$5,000 to hold a series of seminars to help Realtors® learn about the increasingly diverse consumer base in the Pittsburgh area.

Washington Association of Realtors®, Olympia, Wash.
$5,000 to develop an assessment tool for Realtor® associations to understand their ability to work with members and consumers of various national origins.

Since 1999 more than 25 percent of NAR's new Realtor® members have been minorities. In 2007, NAR plans to begin an ongoing campaign to encourage diverse members to enter the association's leadership ranks as well.

To help encourage minority members to become leaders of the Realtor® community, NAR has created a new toolkit, titled Developing Diversity in Leadership. The toolkit provides tools such as talking points for member presentations, articles for publication in association magazines, and steps for implementing diversity programs. The toolkit also includes Realtor® success stories and association case histories to help educate and guide Realtor® members in taking on leadership roles at the local, state and national levels.
 
For additional information on NAR's Developing Diversity in Leadership toolkit or to download a Diversity Initiative Grant application form, visit www.realtor.org/diversity. NAR will consider grant applications twice in 2007; first round applications are due to NAR on April 20, 2007, and second round applications are due by October 19, 2007.

The National Association of Realtors®, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

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