Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation Annual 2011 Giving Totals $38 Million

 

 

“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 with professionals.

 

 

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 the U.S. for teams of 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 light weight metals, such as aluminum.

 

 

2011 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 Foundation funding was directed towards improving the environment, educating tomorrow's leaders and enhancing the communities where Alcoa operates around the world.

 

 

$1.5 million for Girl Scouts Forever Green, the global project for the 100th Year 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. For 2012, Alcoa has a goal of reaching one 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.

 

 

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 Alcoa

 

 

Alcoa is the world’s leading producer of primary and fabricated aluminum, as well as the world’s largest miner of bauxite and refiner of alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry, Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the past 120 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa? wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral part of Alcoa’s operating practices and the product design and engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 10 consecutive years and approximately 75 percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 61,000 people in 31 countries across the world.