HAGÅTÑA – Bank of Guam, in partnership with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, has awarded a combined $122,500 in grants to three Guam community organizations through the FHLB Des Moines Member Impact Fund, the bank announced.
The three recipients — Inspire Marianas, I Guma Mina’åse’, and Inetnon Gefpå’go Cultural Arts Program — will use the funding to expand youth sports access, support children in protective custody, and run the island’s longest-running youth cultural arts mentorship.
Bank of Guam President and Chief Executive Officer Joaquin P. L.G. Cook said the partnership reflects the bank’s long-running community investment posture. “Every investment we make is ultimately an investment in our people,” Cook said. “Through our partnership with FHLB, we’re able to support our local organizations doing the real, everyday work of caring for our children, uplifting our communities, and creating opportunities for the next generation. We’re grateful for partners like these who uphold our same commitment to building stronger, more resilient communities.”
I Guma Mina’åse’ — a program of the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services that provides home-like care for children in Child Protective Services custody — will receive $52,500, supported by a $15,000 Bank of Guam contribution. The funding will help cover essential needs from beds and meals to enrichment and life-skills programming.
“At the Division of Children’s Wellness, we often say it takes a village to raise a child, but for children who have abuse, neglect, uncertainty, and heartbreak, it takes the kind of partner who leads with compassion and love,” Chief Children’s Services Administrator Heidi J. Quinata said. “We offer our deepest gratitude to the Bank of Guam for standing beside I Guma Mina’åse’ and, more importantly, for standing beside the children who call it home. Because of Bank of Guam’s generous support, ‘home’ becomes so much more than four walls. It becomes a warm bed after a long and difficult day. A nourishing meal when a child is hungry not just for food, but for care. Art supplies and activities that give little hands the chance to create, imagine, and dream again.”
Inspire Marianas will receive $52,500, supported by a $15,000 Bank of Guam contribution, to bring sports equipment to village gyms across Guam in partnership with CLUTCH Guam. The initiative targets safe, active spaces for youth, particularly in underserved communities.
“Inspire Marianas is extremely grateful to Bank of Guam and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for their generous support and commitment to our island,” Inspire Marianas President Victor Calvo said. “This investment helps provide sports equipment for our youth, creating opportunities to stay active, build confidence, and connect through community. By supporting our villages, we’re bringing people together, strengthening families, and improving our island, building a healthier, more united Guam for generations to come.”
Inetnon Gefpå’go Cultural Arts Program, known as IGP, will receive $17,500, supported by a $5,000 Bank of Guam contribution. The funding will cover the Uritao Mentorship Program, including coordination, space, and materials, reducing barriers for families and expanding access for youth across Guam.
“On behalf of the thousands of youth I have had the privilege to serve over the past 25 years, I am deeply honored to partner with the Bank of Guam in creating opportunities that empower the creative expressions of our youth to celebrate who we are, carry our culture forward, and contribute to the healing and strengthening of our island community,” Inetnon Gefpå’go Creative Director and Founder Vince Reyes said. “I am truly grateful and excited for what lies ahead as we continue this journey together.”
The Member Impact Fund is a matching-grant program administered by FHLB Des Moines. Member institutions like Bank of Guam contribute funds that are matched by the cooperative to support affordable housing and community development. Recipient organizations were selected based on their capacity-building or working-capital needs to strengthen their work in areas including job training, financial literacy, food banks, and youth programs.
The current Member Impact Fund cycle will result in FHLB Des Moines awarding more than $12.9 million across Alaska, South Dakota, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, according to the announcement. Since the program’s launch in 2023, the fund has provided more than $83 million in grants from FHLB Des Moines, generating over $113 million in combined support for affordable housing and community development.
FHLB Des Moines President and Chief Executive Officer Kris Williams said the fund is designed to amplify member institutions’ community impact. “The Member Impact Fund is designed to help our members champion the organizations that make a real difference in their communities,” Williams said. “By partnering with our members, we’re able to multiply resources and support their vital work as they continue to strengthen opportunities for the people they serve.”
Bank of Guam was established more than 50 years ago and is Guam’s first locally owned and chartered bank, with a network of more than 500 employees across 16 branches spanning Guam, the CNMI, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and San Francisco, California.
FHLB Des Moines is a member-owned cooperative that serves 13 states and three U.S. Pacific territories, and is one of 11 regional banks in the Federal Home Loan Bank System.
