Carrie Grip was excited. She had been hoping for this phone call.

The executive director of Rebuilding Together Sacramento had just learned that her nonprofit would get a $200,000 grant from Bank of America.

Rebuilding Together Sacramento won the unrestricted funds as part of the bank's fifth annual Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Neighborhood Builders Awards.

The nonprofit won for "making a difference" by rehabbing thousands of substandard homes in the Sacramento area since 1991, the bank said.

"This award is amazing," said Grip, whose program relies on volunteers to help repair or modify the homes of needy families. "We were so excited to hear about it."

She said that Rebuilding Together will use the grant for community outreach and to leverage additional donations.

"We often say that Rebuilding Together is one of the area's best-kept secrets," she said. "This grant will help us tell people about who we are and what we do, and we'll be able to provide services to those who need them."

She added, "We want to tell more people who need our services about what we can provide to make their homes safer and help them live independently."

"We're extremely grateful to Bank of America for the grant," Grip said. "It's a huge gift that will allow us to build our infrastructure."

Rebuilding Together is the nation's largest volunteer home-repair organization. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the program has affiliates across America.

Also winning an NEI Neighborhood Builders award from Bank of America was the Explorit Science Center of Davis.

The center provides hands- on exposure to science to thousands of children and adults each year, through its museum and school outreach program serving 14 area counties.

Explorit will use its $200,000 grant partly to expand the scope of its curriculum and increase the number of museum exhibits, according to a press release.

Both winners were honored Sept. 19, during a special program at the Sacramento Convention Center.

"Our 2008 Neighborhood Builders have taken leadership roles in meeting underserved needs in the fields of science education and improving the quality of life for low- income homeowners," Kathie Sowa, Sacramento market president of BofA said in a statement.

"Bank of America is proud to support these organizations and honor them," Sowa said.

Bank of America's Neighborhood Excellence Initiative began in 2004. Since then, the bank has recognized and rewarded more than 300 nonprofit organizations and 1,500 individuals across the nation for "strengthening and revitalizing" their communities.

Individual recipients of Bank of America's "Local Heroes" awards also were announced on Sept. 19.

They are:

• Janet Boulware of Davis, who helped create the Davis Bridge Educational Foundation to help improve the academic achievement of low-income students.

• Ramona Garcia of Sacramento, a retired public health nurse and president of the Resources for Independent Living board.

• Cliff Haskell, a firefighter for more than 30 years with the city of Sacramento, with a 50-year history of volunteerism. He founded the Firefighters Burn Institute and successfully advocated for the first burn center in Sacramento, according to a press release.

• Joyce and Grover McCurdy of Penryn, retirees who since 1989 have focused their attention on community service.

• Harriet Taniguchi, of Sacramento, a committed educator and community leader. She was a founding member of Asian Pacific Community Counseling, an agency that provides mental health treatment and prevention services for Pacific Islanders in the Sacramento area.

Each hero will direct $5,000 to a nonprofit of his or her choice.

Call The Bee's Edgar Sanchez, (916) 321-1088.