TD Seeking Innovative Solutions for a Changing World, Launches the TD Ready Challenge to Help Prepare People and the Economy for the Future

New signature initiative has ten $1 million (CDN) grants available annually for organizations in Canada and the United States

The Ready Challenge helps bring to life The Ready Commitment, targeting $1 billion in total by 2030 to help open doors for an inclusive and sustainable tomorrow

TORONTO and CHERRY HILL, NJ, June 4, 2018 /CNW/ - TD today launched the TD Ready Challenge, an annual North American initiative that has ten $1 million (CDN) grants available to help catalyze innovative solutions for a changing world.

The announcement follows the recent launch of The Ready Commitment, a multi-year program targeting CDN $1 billion (US $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving.

The TD Ready Challenge will address the four areas identified within The Ready Commitment as critical to building an inclusive future ? Financial Security, a more Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Each year, eligible organizations will be invited to submit proposals offering scalable solutions to a specific issue identified within The Ready Commitment.

Acting as a springboard for social innovation, the TD Ready Challenge will forge relationships, test new ideas and surface solutions to emerging problems. In its inaugural year, the TD Ready Challenge will focus on financial security, seeking innovative solutions to help increase income stability and prepare people for the skills they need for the economy of the future.

In a period of unprecedented change, the makeup of our workforce continues to shift. Technological acceleration and automation have given way to inconsistent work hours, multiple sources of income, self-employment, and the gig economy ? all of which have the potential to increase income volatility.

"TD wants to help open doors for people so they can more confidently move forward in a rapidly changing world and be prepared to seize the opportunities that come with accelerated shifts in how we work and live," says Bharat Masrani, Group President and Chief Executive Officer, TD Bank Group. "The TD Ready Challenge will help encourage new ways of thinking towards solutions that help foster greater income stability. We look forward to helping people and communities prepare for the future by providing financial support to eligible organizations with innovative ideas."

TD will begin accepting grant applications for the 2018 TD Ready Challenge on June 4.  Applications will be accepted until July 27 and judged in two rounds by a panel consisting of TD executives and external subject matter experts. Grant recipients for the first year of the TD Ready Challenge will be announced this fall.

To learn more about the TD Ready Challenge, visit www.td.com/readychallenge. Additional details about The Ready Commitment can be found at td.com/thereadycommitment.

About TD Bank Group

The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank"). TD is the sixth largest bank in North America by branches and serves more than 25 million customers in three key businesses operating in a number of locations in financial centres around the globe: Canadian Retail, including TD Canada Trust, TD Auto Finance Canada, TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD Insurance; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®, TD Auto Finance U.S., TD Wealth (U.S.), and an investment in TD Ameritrade; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with approximately 12 million active online and mobile customers. TD had CDN$1.3 trillion in assets on April 30, 2018. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.

SOURCE TD Bank Group