NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) today announced the launch of the 10^th annual U.S. Strategy Challenge, the Firm’s signature skills-based pro bono volunteer program. The Strategy Challenge is in its fifth year in London. Over the next 10 weeks, teams of Morgan Stanley employees in New York and London will work with leadership teams at 14 nonprofit organizations to provide strategic recommendations to address their mission-critical challenges.

“At Morgan Stanley, we know our best asset is our employees’ ability to deliver innovative solutions and are committed to applying their advice to help our non-profit partners amplify their impact on the communities they serve,” said Joan Steinberg, Global Head of Philanthropy. “We are excited to celebrate the milestone of our 10^th annual Strategy Challenge showcasing employees’ continuing commitment to leveraging their skills and expertise to better the communities where they live and work.”

The 14 nonprofit organizations taking part in this year’s Morgan Stanley Strategy Challenge are:

New York:

• BronxConnect – BronxConnect's mission is to renew the mindset of the urban youth, empowering them to transform their communities from within and stay out of jail for life.
• New York Council on Adoptable Children (COAC) – COAC proactively identifies, develops, recruits, stabilizes and strengthens family systems to provide permanent, loving and nurturing homes to children.
• Education Through Music (ETM) – Education Through Music (ETM®) partners with inner-city schools to provide music as a core subject for all children and utilizes music education as a catalyst to improve academic achievement, motivation for school and self-confidence.
• Eva’s Village – The mission of Eva’s Village is to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, treat the addicted and provide medical care to those in need.
• New Alternatives for Children (NAC) – NAC provides comprehensive healthcare and social services to children living in poverty who have special medical and behavioral needs.
• Per Scholas – Per Scholas opens doors to technology careers for individuals from often overlooked communities.
• Roots & Wings (R&W) – The mission of Roots & Wings is to provide young adults who age out of the New Jersey foster care system with safe housing, educational support, case management, counseling, and life skills in order to empower motivated individuals toward self-sufficiency.
• Save the Children – In the U.S. and around the world, Save the Children gives children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm.
• YMCA of Greater New York – YMCA of Greater New York is a community service organization with three core goals: empowering youth, improving health and strengthening community for all New Yorkers.

London:

“The Strategy Challenge has helped to evolve and expand Morgan Stanley’s charitable initiatives, going beyond traditional fundraising and providing charities with our business skills, knowledge and expertise to help them achieve their goals,” said Robert Rooney, CEO of Morgan Stanley International. “2018 brings a raft of issues for our new charity partners, and Morgan Stanley is excited to once again work with them to solve these challenges and ensure their valuable time is spent not on overcoming obstacles but breaking new ground.”

• Access Sport – Access Sport uses the power of sport to enhance the life prospects of disadvantaged and disabled young people living in deprived inner city areas of England. They provide intensive support and training for inspirational coaches, volunteers and young leaders, empowering them to build thriving and connected community sports clubs.
• Mencap – Mencap work toward a world where people with learning disabilities are valued equally, listened to and included. This is achieved by changing attitudes, providing services and influencing those who support their vision.
• Shelter – Shelter helps millions of people in the UK every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness by providing advice, support and legal services. And Shelter campaigns to ensure that, one day, ‘no one will have to turn to us for help’.
• Teens and Toddlers – Teens and Toddlers believe no child should be prevented from achieving their potential. Since 2001, their award winning 18 week core programme has helped to inspire 10,995 disengaged and disadvantaged young people by giving them the essential life-skills and self-belief they need to succeed at school and in life.
• The Children’s Society – The Children’s Society has been supporting young people since 1881, working to ensure they are heard in their situation and are paired with a trusted adult as they believe no child should feel alone. They currently offer a range of programmes as well as campaigning to create change at a local and national level.

The strategies and relationships developed through the Strategy Challenge have the ability to create real, measurable impact for both the nonprofits and the communities they serve. Since 2009, Morgan Stanley employees have committed over 81,000 service hours providing tailored recommendations to 117 nonprofits, helping charities drive their missions to scale through more effective business models, expanded services and productivity improvements.

We invite people to follow the progress of the programs in the U.S. and the UK on the Strategy Challenge landing page and via #StrategyChallenge.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 42 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

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