[February 27, 2014]

First Foundation Announces Las Vegas Winners of $1 Million Nonprofit Initiative

First Foundation today announced that it has chosen three local nonprofits - the Grant a Gift Autism Foundation, The Las Vegas Philharmonic and the Nevada Blind Children's Foundation - as Las Vegas-area recipients of the company's "Supporting Our Communities" initiative. The announcement was made in conjunction with the grand opening of First Foundation's Las Vegas office, located at 6725 Via Austi Parkway, Suite 100, which provides a full suite of investment management, wealth planning, consulting, insurance, trust and banking solutions.

As part of the announcement, Lianne Nishida-Costello, regional representative for U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D., Nev.), and Ken Minster, staff assistant of Rep. Joe Heck (R., Nev.), attended the event and awarded each of the recipients a certificate of recognition.

Supporting Our Communities

First Foundation's "Supporting Our Communities" program is designed to enhance the organizational strength and capacity of local charities. The Company selects 20 charities each year, located throughout its service areas, to receive a combination of cash grants and in-kind consulting services, the combined value of which is $1 million over two years. Each program provides each selected nonprofit organization with a cash grant of up to $5,000 to be applied to implement any of its capacity-building programs, as well as up to 20 hours of consulting services or interative workshops and seminars, selected by the recipient.

These three Las Vegas-area organizations are the recipients of the 2014 Supporting Our Communities award:

• Grant a Gift Autism Foundation - The foundation helps children, youth and their families fight Autism.
• The Las Vegas Philharmonic - The Philharmonic has provided live symphonic music at the highest artistic standards of performance for the residents of Southern Nevada.
• Nevada Blind Children's Foundation - The foundation provides the essential building blocks for children who are visually impaired and their families through extended educational curriculum, provisioning blind-specific technology, transitional skills programs and social activities.

"First Foundation is honored each year to work with a wide range of local nonprofits that benefit our communities in a meaningful way," said Doug Freeman, senior managing director. "We are pleased to expand the program into the Las Vegas area this year."

Office Opening

"Nevada offers unique estate planning opportunities that do not exist in many states, including California," said Scott Kavanaugh, CEO of First Foundation. "Two primary examples are Nevada asset protection and dynasty trusts. In an environment where high taxes seem likely to continue, these types of trusts can be powerful tools to preserve and protect family wealth over several generations. This has been particularly important to our clients in the highest tax brackets. Now, with Nevada trust powers, we believe we have a strong alternative that fits these clients' needs."

The Nevada team is comprised of long-time Nevada residents who average more than 20 years of financial services experience:

• Melani Shanks, Vice President, Private Banker - Trust. Ms. Shanks provides trust administration for individuals, families and private foundations in Nevada.
• Viola Hill, Vice President, Private Banker. Ms. Hill is responsible for the private banking needs of Nevada clients.
• Robert Hoffman (News - Alert), Managing Director. Responsible for the investment and financial planning needs of our Nevada clients.

First Foundation Inc. is a wealth-management and private-banking firm whose mission is to enhance the wealth and well-being of its clients. First Foundation Inc. provides two separate and distinct services: (1) investment advisory services through First Foundation Advisors, as an SEC (News - Alert) registered investment adviser, and (2) banking, trust and insurance services through First Foundation Bank. First Foundation's offices are located in Irvine, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Diego, Palm Desert, the Imperial Valley and Las Vegas.

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