Social Impact & Volunteering

UPS Foundation Champions Volunteerism Awarding $2.4 Million to Nine Non-Profits

Dec 19, 2013 10:45 AM ET

ATLANTA, December 19, 2013 /3BL Media/ – The UPS Foundation announced today it will donate more than $2.4 million to support the volunteer efforts of nine non-profit organizations, with an emphasis on those organizations that specialize in disaster preparedness and response. This year’s volunteerism grants include a $1.2 million award to the Points of Light Foundation, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer services.

As the governing arm for global citizenship and corporate giving for UPS, a key focus area for The UPS Foundation is volunteerism. The UPS Foundation is committed to aligning itself with groups, such as the Points of Light Foundation, that are dedicated to lending a helping hand to communities around the globe. The UPS Foundation has long worked with the Points of Light National Disaster Response Program and recently funded its Disaster Volunteer Response Portal currently deployed in the Philippines.

The Points of Light Foundation mobilizes millions of people to take action to change the world. UPS’s contribution to Points of Light will go toward building non-profit capacity through volunteerism in support of disaster services. This will include assistance with a veteran’s leadership program, funding for efforts to grow volunteerism in domestic and international communities, sponsorship of the 2014 Points of Light Tribute Awards, and the 2014 Conference on Volunteering and Service. The grant will also be used for the UPS Local Employee Engagement Initiative and the Direct-to-People Digital Strategy, which will extend the organization’s reach to engage more volunteers. 

 “At UPS, we believe that volunteers are critical to building community resiliency,” said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation. “Our commitment takes many forms, including UPSers supporting relief organizations in the Philippines, assisting communities throughout the U.S. or awarding grants to our non-profit partners. For more than 60 years, UPS has championed volunteerism and we will continue to combine philanthropy with our volunteer spirit to make a powerful and purposeful impact around the globe.”

In addition to Points of Light, eight other organizations are recipients of UPS’s 2013 volunteerism grants, including:

  • BoardSource toward programs to strengthen and support non-profit board leadership capacity and impact the overall sustainability and effectiveness of the non-profit sector.  
  • International Association for Volunteer Effort to support the Disaster Working Group, programming and capacity building for their international disaster response affiliate network, and the sponsorship of the 2014 Biennial IAVE World Volunteer Conference.
  • Junior Achievement Worldwide toward the “Be Entrepreneurial” program, an initiative to teach high school students entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness.
  • National Youth Leadership Council toward initiatives that develop young leaders, Kindergarten through 12th grade, and to support educators through district-wide service-learning programs in South Carolina and Minnesota, as well as sponsorship of the organization’s 2014 conference and scholarships for students to attend.  
  • Peace Corps to allocate grant dollars to sponsor the Peace Corps’ 50th Anniversary Dinner and to support the organization’s partnership program, which funds community-initiated, grassroots development projects worldwide.
  • Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta to support its non-profit legal check-up program, which pairs non-profits with trained attorneys who conduct legal audits of the organization.
  • Taproot Foundation toward the National Service Grant Scholarship for exceptional non-profits nationwide.
  • Toolbank USA, Inc. in support of the Tool Bank Disaster Response Mobile Unit to allocate grant dollars to the launch of the organization’s disaster services and the expansion of the national ToolBank network.                                                                                                     

For more information about UPS’s corporate giving, please visit www.UPS.com/Foundation.

About The UPS Foundation

            UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a legacy as a caring and responsible corporate citizen, supporting programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs. Founded in 1951, The UPS Foundation is responsible for facilitating community involvement to local, national, and global communities. In 2012, UPS and its employees, active and retired, invested more than $97.5 million in charitable giving around the world. The UPS Foundation can be found on the web at UPS.com/foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.