Partner Spotlight
Union Bank of California
Mission:
To provide comprehensive financial services solutions and place a premium on superior, day-in, and day-out service, to our customers. Union Bank of California is a full-service bank providing a broad mix of financial services, including customer and small business banking; middle market banking; real estate finance; investment and financial management; personal and business trust services; private banking and global custody.
Union Bank and The Bank of California united on April 1, 1996, to form Union Bank of California, which is currently the third largest commercial bank in California, and is among the 35 largest banks in the United States, based on assets. The Bank of California was founded in San Francisco on July 5, 1864, as the first commercial bank in the West. With $2 million in capital at its founding, it was the second-richest bank in the nation and was instrumental in developing the western territory. The bank's holding company is UnionBanCal Corporation, which is approximately 67 percent owned by The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Ltd. UnionBanCal Corporation was incorporated in the state of California in 1952.
Union Bank of California looks at its philanthropic efforts as investments in the Community community – striving to help the schools develop strong leaders for the future, increasing awareness of resources that are available to the community, and strengthening the communities in which it conducts business.
The Union Bank of California Foundation supports education programs such as Junior Achievement, Operation Hope, etc., as well as internship programs for college students, in order to acquaint students with financial literacy, free enterprise, and banking. The bank also provides internship opportunities in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, and Seattle.
Union Bank of California's employees serve on boards of nonprofits and employees volunteer for events that benefit nonprofits, such as Rebuilding Together, Project Open Hand, Habitat for Humanity, AIDS Foundation, etc. Union Bank employees also volunteer to tutor at local elementary schools.
Why Springboard Schools?
The Union Bank of California Foundation has chosen Springboard Schools as the commemorative organization to sponsor during its current 50th year of giving because of Springboard Schools' proven effectiveness in raising achievement in public schools. Springboard Schools' efforts in the schools are critically needed.
Program Description
Union Bank of California supports Springboard Schools' Local Collaborative Coaches Network – an innovative professional learning community. This Network is comprised of 60 teacher leaders engaged in a year-long leadership development program of coaching, workshops, and peer-review sessions designed to strengthen teacher practices in the classroom and foster inquiry based reform, also known as continuous quality improvement, in Bay Area public schools. With Union Bank's assistance, Springboard Schools seeks to build the leadership capacity of teachers throughout the Bay Area, which Springboard Schools believes is necessary to drive strategies that improve academic performance – particularly among our lowest performing students – and narrow the pervasive achievement gap.
I think ]Springboard Schools] has done a tremendous job of helping me to be a better educator and being a better instructional leader. The information and the knowledge . . . it's 
been profound.
