Social Investment at Suncor- 2023 Report on Sustainability

We broke new ground when we first began publicly reporting our sustainability performance in the mid-1990s. Twenty-eight years later, our Report on Sustainability and its companion publication, the Climate Report, continue the practice of disclosing our progress in more than a dozen areas of environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. Read more on our ESG progress in our reports here.

Suncor contributes to the communities where we operate by making direct investments to support social, economic and environmental solutions through Suncor, Petro-Canada™ and Syncrude.

This work is supported by the programs of the Suncor Energy Foundation and the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation™. Suncor independently contributed approximately $40 million in 2022 to community, charitable and non-profit groups.

The Suncor Energy Foundation

The Suncor Energy Foundation (SEF) embodies our purpose of caring for each other and the Earth by working directly with communities seeking solutions to challenges today and for generations ahead. SEF combines community and Suncor strengths to find social, economic and environmental solutions to complex challenges. To bring this work to life, we focus on three interconnected pillars: strategic funding priorities, social innovation capacity and community presence. SEF increased its donations in these areas to approximately $18 million in 2022.

• Strategic funding priorities

Through SEF’s funding priorities, we are learning from and with Indigenous Peoples and others to strengthen community while the world is going through an energy transition. We are collectively experiencing many changes, but we believe Indigenous knowledge and community strengths will help us all adapt. 

• Social Investment

Through SEF’s funding priorities, we are learning from and with Indigenous Peoples and others to strengthen community while the world is going through an energy transition. We are collectively experiencing many changes, but we believe Indigenous knowledge and community strengths will help us all adapt. 

• Community presence

Suncor and SEF both invest in local communities where we have operations across Canada and internationally. We also offer employee engagement, volunteering and donation opportunities through the SunCares program. SunCares inspires employees to contribute to communities and support the causes that are important to them. Through SunCares, almost $6.2 million was contributed to communities in 2022.

Syncrude

Syncrude has played a key role for decades in supporting essential community services and initiatives in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and beyond. Through Syncrude, $4.2 million was donated to community organizations in 2022, totalling more than $44 million since 2015. Whether it is investing in local infrastructure, stocking the food bank or opening the doors to learning, these contributions made a difference in the communities where employees live and work. This also included donations through the Good Neighbours program (employee volunteering and educational matching grants) and support to the United Way.

Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation™

Since introducing the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation™ in 2020, we’ve made a difference in the lives of caregivers who devote their lives to helping loved ones. The CareMakers Foundation™ creates awareness about family caregiving in Canada. We inspire Canadians to help by raising funds for Canadian charitable organizations to provide critical programs and resources for family caregivers. CareMakers receives contributions from Suncor, the proud owner of Petro-Canada™, as well as other corporate and individual donors. The foundation has awarded more than $4 million in grants to date, including $1.7 million in national grants in 2022. It also approved approximately $0.5 million through local grants across nine provinces last year. The foundation launched an innovative campaign and website in 2022 called 24 Hours of Care. Visit 24HoursofCare to see the experience of real-life caregivers. As its profile grows among Canadians, CareMakers continues to demonstrate our purpose and complements our social investment activities. 

We believe we have the opportunity – and responsibility – to help build a better future. Read more on our community investments here.