Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation Annual 2011 Giving Totals $38 Million

Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation announced combined community giving of $38 million in 2011, compared with $36.8 million in 2010. The annual giving results were released in recognition of International Corporate Philanthropy Day, which celebrates business-community partnerships around the world.

“International Corporate Philanthropy Day is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to a model of ‘shared value creation,’ where together with governments, businesses, civic groups, and our employees, we engage in work that makes communities stronger for us all,” said Paula Davis, president, Alcoa Foundation.

Focus on STEM Education and Workforce Development

As the world evolves, so do the skills needed to stay competitive. To prepare communities for these rapid changes, Alcoa Foundation is focusing on programs that increase the number of students enrolled in STEM education and initiatives that train individuals for careers in engineering and manufacturing.

The recipients of Alcoa Foundation’s $1.1 million investment in STEM and workforce development 2012 programs include:

·         Academy of Model Aeronautics: Providing STEM-based education “toolkits” to elementary and middle school teachers in Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom, and the U.S.

·         American Corporate Partners: Helping veterans transition from the armed services to the civilian workforce through mentoring, career counseling, and networking

·         Engineers Without Borders International: Providing engineers and engineering students with opportunities to apply their knowledge on social impact projects with local nonprofit organizations in Australia, Canada, and the U.S.

·         FIRST©Tech Challenge: Supporting a robotics competition in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, and U.S. high school students responsible for designing, building, and programming robots.

·         Manufacturing Institute: Supporting certification programs developed with employers and select U.S. community colleges to provide students and workers with postsecondary credentials that add real value in the workplace; and a virtual global symposium to discuss best practices in curriculum and corporate partnerships in Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the U.S.

·         Metals Service Center Institute: Providing professors and teachers with access to an innovative program to teach the next generation about lightweight metals, such as aluminum.

Contribution Highlights
In 2011, Alcoa Inc., contributed $17 million to support projects and partnerships with non-governmental and nonprofit organizations around the world. That same year, $21 million in Alcoa Foundationfunding was allocated for the environment, education, and enhancing the communities where Alcoa operates globally:

·         $1.5 million for Girl Scouts Forever Green, the global project for the 100Year Anniversary that engages Girl Scouts and Girl Guides in environmental projects

·         $410,000 to Keep America Beautiful to sponsor America Recycles Day, provide waste management training for the College and University Recycling Coalition, and promote recycling through RecycleMania, a competition between more than 600 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada

·         $301,000 to The Nature Conservancy to support a reforestation project in the Atlantic Forest in Paraná, Brazil and advance Alcoa’s commitment to plant 10 million trees by 2020.

2011 Record Employee Volunteerism
Alcoa achieved record employee-community engagement in 2011, with 56 percent of employees participating in the company’s annual Month of Service. According to Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, average engagement for a corporation is 17–31 percent. In total, Alcoa’s global workforce volunteered more than 900,000 hours in 2011, averaging more than 16 hours per employee. That’s the equivalent of 475 people working full-time for a year. In 2012, Alcoa plans to reach a million volunteer hours.

“Community service has always been a core value at Alcoa, and so we look for ways to encourage and enable our people to get more involved in the causes that are important to them,” said Davis.

Malika Harrison is community engagement and communications specialist at Alcoa Foundation.