Alcoa Foundation Partners with DonorsChoose.org and GlobalGiving to Support STEM Education and Global Grassroots Projects
Online platform provides efficient approach to charitable giving
Alcoa
Foundation announced today its partnership with online charities,
DonorsChoose.org and GlobalGiving, to encourage and empower Alcoa (NYSE:
AA) employees, partners and customers to give back in a meaningful and
sustainable way. In recognition of its focus areas, Alcoa's key
stakeholders can fund programs of their choice focused on the
environment and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
education.
DonorsChoose.org
supports specific classroom projects at public schools in the United
States, and GlobalGiving
provides vetted social entrepreneurs and nonprofits anywhere in the
world a chance to raise money needed to improve their communities.
Through an online platform, these organizations offer an efficient
approach to charitable giving.
'By giving people the chance to become micro-grant makers in their own
backyard or across international borders, we involve them in our causes
and create connections to work that′s being done around the world,' said
Paula Davis, President, Alcoa Foundation. 'This is a great way to
educate, engage and inspire our employees and partners and grow support
for worthy local efforts.?
According to 2011 Online Giving Report by Blackbaud, online giving is up
13 percent year-over-year, a number that is on the rise.
DonorsChoose.org and GlobalGiving allow individual donors to contribute
as little as $1 or $10 respectively, to local community based programs
and see tangible results.
'Through our partnership with Alcoa Foundation, we expect to fund an
estimated 1,000 classroom projects, reaching 2,500 students in
communities all across the U.S.,? said Charles Best, Founder and CEO of
DonorsChoose.org. 'This will help teachers receive the materials they
need to not only instruct, but to improve the overall learning
experience.?
'Our aim is to unleash the potential of people around the world through
grassroots initiatives,? said Donna Callejon, Chief Business Officer,
GlobalGiving. 'With the help of Alcoa Foundation, we expect individual
donations to benefit environmental projects across three continents.
These contributions directly support the entrepreneurial work of global
project leaders who are bringing innovative, empowering solutions to
challenging social problems at the local level.?
About Alcoa Foundation
Alcoa Foundation is one of the largest corporate foundations in the
U.S., with assets of approximately US$446 million. Founded more than 50
years ago, Alcoa Foundation has invested more than US$550 million since
1952. In 2011, Alcoa Foundation contributed more than US$20 million to
nonprofit organizations throughout the world, building innovative
partnerships, engaging its people to improve the environment and
educating tomorrow′s leaders. The work of Alcoa Foundation is further
enhanced by Alcoa′s thousands of employee volunteers who share their
energy, passion and purpose to make a difference in the communities
where Alcoa operates. Through the company′s signature Month of Service
program, in 2011, a record 56 percent of Alcoa employees took part in
more than 1,200 events across 24 countries, reaching 81,000 children,
serving 9,000 meals, planting 34,000 trees and supporting 1,800
nonprofit organizations. More information can be found at www.alcoafoundation.com.
About DonorsChoose.org
Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it
easy for anyone to help students in need. Public school teachers from
every corner of America post requests, and individuals can give directly
to the ones that inspire them. To date, 235,000 public and charter
school teachers have used DonorsChoose.org to secure $119 million in
books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students
need to learn.
About GlobalGiving
GlobalGiving (www.globalgiving.org)
enables donors to find and direct funds to high-impact, grassroots
projects. GlobalGiving also works in collaboration with corporate
partners on international grant management, charity vetting, employee
engagement and matching programs, disaster relief, and charity gift
cards. Corporate partners include Ford Motor Company, Pepsi, Discovery
Communications, Gap Inc., and Alcoa, among others. To date GlobalGiving
has facilitated over $65 million in contributions to more than 5,500
projects around the world. For more information, please contact Nicole
Kukowski at nkukowski@globalgiving.org.
Alcoa Foundation
Suzanne van de Raadt, 212-836-2662
