Doing Good, Giving Back: SC Johnson Grants and Donations Total $248 Million Since 2000

RACINE, Wis., February 6, 2013 /3BL Media/ - Since 1915 when company founder and first generation leader, Samuel C. Johnson, laid the cornerstone for what is now the Racine YMCA, SC Johnson has worked to set a standard of community leadership through philanthropic efforts. That standard has become part of the company’s ongoing commitment to doing the right thing in the communities in which it does business. An expanded section on the company’s corporate website, www.scjohnson.com/socialresponsibility highlights these efforts and introduces a new online grant giving tool.

“We are honored to work in so many diverse communities across the globe. With that opportunity, we also have a responsibility to give back and we do it through providing grants, sponsoring student programs and organizing local volunteer efforts,” said Kelly M. Semrau, Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs, Communication and Sustainability at SC Johnson. “We’re proud to share these impactful stories on our expanded web site and hope that more non-profit organizations access information regarding our grant giving program.”

Directly and through its corporate foundation, SC Johnson Giving, Inc., SC Johnson has granted more than $248 million since 2000, to local and global organizations. This includes hundreds of smaller grants every year as well as occasional large grants to support major or multi-year programs. In the last five years, SC Johnson made more than 1,250 small grants to support worthy initiatives.

For example, SC Johnson contributed to:

• Make-A-Wish of Wisconsin, to sponsor its Walk & Run for Wishes event
• Racine Kiwanis, to support renovation of a holiday lights display at the Racine Zoo
• Kenosha Public Museum, to sponsor its Sustainable Shelter exhibit

On a larger scale, SC Johnson has contributed $1 million to Gateway Technical College in Racine, Wis., to underwrite skill development training for under-employed people in the Southeastern Wisconsin area, where SC Johnson’s global headquarters is located. The company also typically provides more than $1 million annually in product donations through Feeding America to support non-profit organizations and disadvantaged families across the United States.

Social Responsibility is a Core Component of SC Johnson Values

Visitors to the expanded social responsibility pages can learn how to access these ongoing grant opportunities, read frequently asked questions and apply directly for a variety of grants. United States-based charitable organizations including service clubs, research institutions, wildlife preservation groups and others that fall into six areas of giving – Arts, Culture, & Humanities, Community & Economic Development, Education, Environment & Sustainability, Health & Wellness, and Social Services -- are eligible to apply.

Additionally, the website features information about the company’s scholarship and community programs and programs supported by SC Johnson globally. Many of these programs are dedicated to greater sustainability and social responsibility in communities close to its Racine, Wis., headquarters and operations around the world.

Giving Around the Globe

Examples of recent SC Johnson philanthropic programs include: 

• Promoting Green Education in Shanghai: Each year, the company presents the SC Johnson Shanghai Youth Awards to deserving students who take part in an event, along with their teachers and other school leaders, showcasing youth environmental protection programs. 

• Racine Reads: Dream Big!: In 2011, SC Johnson joined with community partners, including the Racine Public Library to challenge Racine elementary school students to read 1 million books during the school year. The students rose to the challenge and surpassed the goal, reading 1.8 million books. The grand prize for the school that read the most books per students was a $100,000 school library makeover.

• Supporting Education in India: Since 2009, SC Johnson India has been giving back to the local community by helping to provide quality primary education to young girls. By working with an organization that provides the necessary services, SC Johnson sponsors learning centers that focus on poor and disadvantaged communities, particularly in rural areas.

Learn more about SC Johnson’s commitment to the communities in which it conducts business and grant opportunities available from the company by visiting the expanded social responsibility section www.scjohnson.com/socialresponsibility of the company’s web site.

About SC Johnson

SC Johnson is a family-owned and managed business dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, and insect control. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, KIWI®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, TANA®, BAMA®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, MR. MUSCLE®, and RIDSECT®. The 127-year old company, that generates $9 billion in sales, employs nearly 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com

###