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Levitt Foundation Launches Multi-Year, $120K Matching Grants to Strengthen Communities through Free Outdoor Concerts

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Applications now open for grants, which will support organizations nationwide to present free outdoor concert series—
activating underused public spaces and building community through the power of free, live music

LOS ANGELES, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Levitt Foundation, a national social impact funder that supports the largest free outdoor concert series in America at the intersection of music, public space, and community building, today announced the open application period for its Levitt Music Series Grants.

Levitt Music Series Grants are an exciting, multi-year matching grant program bringing the joy of free, live music to towns and cities across the country. Each Levitt Music Series location presents 7-10 free outdoor concerts per year that inject new life into underused public spaces, creating joyous, inclusive community destinations. From rural communities with populations of less than 2,000 to our nation’s largest cities and metro areas, Levitt Music Series reach a wide range of communities across America, presenting seasoned, award-winning artists to acclaimed, emerging talent in a broad range of music genres, spanning pop, rock, folk, World music, country, jazz, Latin, children’s shows, blues, and more.

For the 2026–2028 grant cycle, the Levitt Foundation will be awarding matching grants of up to $40K per year (up to $120K over three years) to 501(c)(3) nonprofits nationwide to present free outdoor concerts in their communities. These locations will join over 50 other communities coast to coast in which the Levitt Foundation currently supports free, live music.

Reflecting the Foundation’s commitment that all Levitt projects be community-driven, the top finalists will be selected through public voting in September (via online and text to vote). Grant recipients will be announced November 18, 2025. Interested nonprofits may view the eligibility criteria at levitt.org/music-series-grants and apply for this grant opportunity beginning May 1 through June 30, 2025.

“Since launching this grant program in 2015, we’ve seen the incredible positive impact of Levitt concerts in building thriving communities, creating pride of place and a sense of belonging, and spurring additional investments supporting the local economy,” said Sharon Yazowski, President & CEO of the Levitt Foundation. “We are excited to open applications to towns and cities across America seeking to harness the power of free, live music to connect people of all ages and backgrounds and create joyful gathering destinations in their communities.”

About the Grants

Levitt Music Series Grants encompass three grant opportunities: Levitt AMP, Levitt VIBE, and Levitt BLOC. Levitt AMP is geared to small to mid-sized towns and cities up to 250,000 people. Levitt VIBE takes place in large cities over 250,000 people. Levitt BLOC is open to communities of all sizes and takes place in multiple public spaces within a town or city. Levitt Music Series Grants are open to 501(c)(3) nonprofits across sectors—past grantees have included nonprofits from the arts, creative placemaking, parks, Main Street organizations, community development, affordable housing, colleges and universities, among others.

As all Levitt Music Series Grants are matching grants, each applicant must secure a dollar for dollar match of up to $40K each year (based on the number of concerts presented) from other sources such as local businesses, individual donors, municipal and county departments, and foundations, among other entities. Up to half of the matching requirement may be in-kind, such as donated sound equipment, professional services or contributed marketing. In addition to the monetary award, Levitt Music Series Grant recipients receive the Levitt Music Series Toolkit containing valuable resources to help them produce their concert series, in-person trainings with the Levitt Foundation, and access to peers within the national Levitt network of venues and concert sites. Also, applicants advancing to the public voting phase will receive a $1,500 mini grant from the Levitt Foundation to support their efforts.

Since 2015, the Levitt Foundation has provided funding to over 50 communities across America through Levitt Music Series Grants, activating underused outdoor public spaces, ensuring access to the arts, creating economic opportunities, and strengthening the social fabric of communities, by bringing people together of all ages and backgrounds through a free concert series featuring a diverse lineup of artists, music genres and cultural programming.

Special Grant Opportunities for Mississippi and Tennessee

The Levitt Foundation has partnered with the State of Mississippi and State of Tennessee for additional grant opportunities.

Tennessee

The Levitt Foundation has partnered with the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, with support from the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, to award up to six communities based in Tennessee with multi-year Levitt AMP matching grants, which will bring up to 180 free concerts across the state over three years.

This partnership applies to the Levitt AMP grant opportunity only. There is no separate application process to be considered and interested Tennessee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits should proceed with completing their application on the Levitt Foundation website. Levitt AMP grant applicants from Tennessee that advance to the public voting phase will be in the running with other Tennessee-based Levitt AMP grant applicants only—to learn more about this grant opportunity, visit levitt.org/partners-tn. Nonprofits based in Tennessee that are interested in applying for the Levitt VIBE or Levitt BLOC grant opportunity may still submit an online application, though if advanced to the public voting phase will be in the running with applicants from across the country.

Mississippi

The Levitt Foundation has partnered with the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) to award a public art grant combined with a multi-year Levitt AMP matching grant to two Mississippi-based communities. Each will receive a MAC grant award to create a public art installation, with additional funds from MAC and the Levitt Foundation to activate their public art site through hosting an annual series of 10 free outdoor concerts in 2026, 2027 and 2028.

A Letter of Intent period will open July 2025, with the full application open in August. Mississippi-based, community-focused 501(c)(3) nonprofits are eligible to apply. Priority will be given to rural communities with populations under 25,000. The combined public art/music series grant opportunity is administered by MAC and applications must be submitted via the MAC website, where additional information about this grant opportunity may be found. Mississippi-based nonprofits interested only in a Levitt Music Series Grant without the public art component should proceed with completing their application on the Levitt Foundation website.

How to Apply

To learn more about the Levitt Music Series Grants, see eligibility criteria and access the application, please visit levitt.org/music-series-grants.

About the Levitt Foundation

The Levitt Foundation is a private family foundation that exists to strengthen the social fabric of America. We support changemakers and nonprofits across the country to activate underused public spaces through free outdoor concerts, creating welcoming and inclusive destinations where the power of free, live music brings people together, fosters belonging and social connections, creates economic opportunity, and invigorates community life. Levitt venues and concert sites attract people of all ages and backgrounds and reflect the character of their town or city, while benefitting from the framework and best practices of the Levitt program.

In 2025, the Levitt network is presenting 650+ free concerts in more than 50 towns and cities across the country, with a total audience of nearly a million people. In addition to funding free concerts, the Levitt Foundation supports advancing vibrant music ecosystems through research and partnerships. www.levitt.org

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SOURCE Levitt Foundation

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JinkoSolar Unveils Tiger Neo 5.0 All-Black Residential Solar Module with 25.52% Efficiency

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SHANGRAO, China, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (“JinkoSolar” or the “Company”) (NYSE: JKS), today unveiled Tiger Neo 5.0, an all-black residential solar module built on its all-new TAC technology. The first version to reach the market, an all-black 48-cell module, delivers a maximum power output of 510 W with a module efficiency of 25.52%. It was designed to redefine the upper limits of what a scenario-specific module can deliver in both appearance and efficiency for premium homes and other architecturally refined residences.

The module showcases a deeper, more uniform and more refined black appearance than conventional back-contact (BC) modules. Semiconductor-grade low- and high-temperature processes bring the power temperature coefficient down to -0.24%/℃, meaning stronger energy yield in high-temperature environments.

TAC technology combines the excellent carrier transport of TOPCon with the low-temperature processing and positive electrode passivation of HJT, pushing peak cell efficiency to 28%, approaching the theoretical limit of monocrystalline silicon cells. Together with a zero-gap cell layout and hidden-ribbon technology at module level, the module achieves an efficiency of 25.52%. Compared with conventional BC products, it delivers approximately 30 W more power, and a lower temperature coefficient. Its deeper, more premium black appearance blends seamlessly into residential rooftops— especially dark-colored ones — making it a standout in the residential module category for both power and aesthetics.

“Our vision for Tiger Neo 5.0 was to develop a panel tailored to premium residential rooftops. It pushes the boundaries of both performance and aesthetics with innovations in cell technology, passivation processes, structural design, module format and interconnections. With this launch, we aim to help move the industry toward solutions tailored to specific applications,” said Charlie Cao, CEO of Jinko Solar Co., Ltd.

About JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is a holding company combining clean energy industrial operations and strategic investment in emerging technologies. Its industrial foundation is a controlling interest in Jinko Solar Co., Ltd. (SSE: 688223), a global leader in clean energy technology. The Company makes disciplined strategic investments in renewable energy, advanced materials, artificial intelligence, commercial space and other frontier technologies, drawing on its industrial experience and its ability to identify emerging technologies and bring them to commercial scale.

Through Jinko Solar Co., Ltd., the Company distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in China, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, South Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Greece and other countries and regions.

JinkoSolar has over 10 production facilities globally, over 20 overseas subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, India, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United States, Mexico, and other countries, and a global sales network with sales teams in China, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Spain, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Vietnam and India, as of June 30, 2026.

To find out more, please see: www.jinkosolar.com 

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and the Company’s operations and business outlook, contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in JinkoSolar’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Ms. Stella Wang
JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.
Tel: +86 21-5180-8777 ext.7806
Email: pr@jinkosolar.com

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SOURCE JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

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AGFUND wins international award for excellence in inclusive banking and social impact

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 Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal credits the founders of AGFUND’s microfinance banks for laying the foundations of its development impact

BANGKOK, Oct. 17, 2026 /CNW/ — The Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND) won the “Excellence in Inclusive Banking and Social Impact” award at the 2026 Sustainable Development Goals Awards, organized by the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI) in cooperation with the European Savings and Retail Banking Group (ESBG).

AGFUND CEO Hammam bin Nasser bin Juraid accepted the award in Bangkok, Thailand, alongside the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group.

HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, President of AGFUND, said the recognition acknowledges AGFUND’s experience using financial services to empower underserved communities, strengthen livelihoods and promote economic independence.

He credited the founders of AGFUND’s microfinance banks, particularly the late Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, for establishing institutions centered on empowering people.

He added that the award reflects over two decades of commitment, the dedication of financial inclusion banks and partners, and clients who transformed financing into businesses and family income. He emphasized expanding opportunities and measuring success through lasting improvements in people’s lives.

Prince Abdulaziz stressed that the recognition reflects the value of institutions reaching excluded populations and encourages broader access and economic opportunities for families.

AGFUND’s financial inclusion banking network has served more than 1.3 million clients and disbursed over US$1.37 billion in financing since inception. Women represent 59 per cent of borrowers, demonstrating its contribution to economic empowerment.

Presented by WSBI, established in 1924, together with ESBG, the award recognizes an approach linking financial services, social impact and sustainable development.

Following its first bank in Jordan in 2004, AGFUND expanded across nine countries: Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Mauritania and Sierra Leone, focusing on communities underserved by conventional financial institutions.

The network has issued more than 1.5 million loans, opened over 927,000 savings accounts, established 112 branches and employed more than 1,500 people. Its services finance micro and small enterprises and income-generating activities, improving livelihoods and economic independence.

AGFUND plans to strengthen development partnerships, advance digital solutions and innovative financial products, and integrate financing with training, capacity development, market access and risk protection.

It is also exploring geographic expansion, particularly in Africa, through institutional partnerships that adapt successful approaches to local needs and extend sustainable financial inclusion to more communities.

Website – https://agfund.org/

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SOURCE The Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND)

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GAC Showcases Multiple Models at Canton Fair: Systemic Global Expansion as a Response to High‑Level Opening‑Up

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On 15 October, the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) kicked off in Guangzhou. Dubbed “China’s No.1 Exhibition” with a 70‑year history, it serves as a vital window for global merchants to understand China, and one of GAC’s stages to connect with the world. For international buyers, GAC serves not only as a sourcing platform but as a trusted channel for experiencing Chinese automotive innovation and building long-term local partnerships. Having made its debut in 2012, GAC has participated in the fair 30 times to date. Together with the Canton Fair, it has witnessed the transformation of Made‑in‑China products into Chinese global brands.

This transformation is reflected in GAC’s global expansion journey through a string of continuously refreshed sales figures. Overseas sales stood at 90,000 units in 2024, hit 130,000 units in 2025, and exceeded 197,000 units in January‑September 2026, representing a year‑on‑year surge of 138.9%. GAC is sprinting full steam ahead toward its annual target of 300,000 overseas units. GAC has accomplished a shift from “product export” to “system‑level global expansion”.

At the GAC booth, XT80, AION i60 and AISTALAND GX7 showcased intelligent driving, three-electric systems and premium cabins. The energy-ecology zone featured DC ultra-fast charging piles, 7 kW smart home chargers, multi-in-one electric drive units and PV-Storage-Charging-Swapping Technology, addressing range anxiety. Opening day drew buyers from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and Africa. At the Music & Cuisine Festival, GAC built three immersive spaces blending smart mobility, Cantonese cuisine, camping and sports. The XT80, AION N60, GAC S7 and AISTALAND GT7 served as lifestyle carriers, letting guests enjoy morning tea, global cuisines and intangible cultural heritage.

GAC will advance its ONE GAC 2.0 strategy, deepening localized operations and expanding its systematic global layout. As a tribute to the Canton Fair’s 70th anniversary and a new business card for China’s auto industry, GAC will help drive Chinese intelligent manufacturing onto the global stage.

For further information about GAC, please visit https://www.gacgroup.com/en or follow us on social media.

 

SOURCE GAC

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