| Ecolab, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, celebrated its first National Corporate Philanthropy Day on February 25, 2008. Ecolab has a strong history of giving back to the communities where Ecolab associates live and work. The company believes it benefits the economic and social vitality of these communities.
In honor of Ecolab's corporate philanthropy, the company hosted an information fair by the Community and Public Relations Department at the corporate headquarters.
The Ecolab Foundation recently celebrated over 20 years of charitable giving in communities around the United States where Ecolab has a major plant location. Since 1986, over $47 million has been contributed to our communities.
Every year the Ecolab Foundation reviews over 200 grant applications. The Foundation focuses its funding in the areas of:
- Youth and Education
- Civic and Community Development
- Arts and Culture
- Community-Based Organizations
- Environment and Conservation
One partnership of particular interest is the Ecolab Visions for Learning program. Through this program, grants are awarded to individual teachers to encourage and reward them for creativity in their classroom teaching. The goal of the program is to provide additional opportunities to motivate and challenge students, raise achievement levels, and increase understanding of school and its connection to life. In 2007, $680,000 was allocated to public and private K-12 schools through more than 230 grants in 13 U.S. communities where Ecolab has a major plant location.
In 2007, Ecolab expanded its Community Giving Campaign beyond its 13 major locations to include all U.S. employees. Employees contributed $700,000 to charitable organizations nationally and internationally, including Community Shares, Global Impact, United Way and many other nonprofit organizations. Combined with the Ecolab Foundation's contributions, total donations equaled $1.2 million. Corresponding "Week of Caring" volunteer activities were also expanded nationwide, and employees around the U.S. donated their time to help local charitable organizations in addition to raising money.
To demonstrate corporate support for employee and retiree volunteerism, and the important role this plays in our communities, Ecolab maintains a Volunteer Bonus program to recognize and reward volunteer activities, as well as a Community Leadership Program to acknowledge and reward involvement of our employees and retirees on nonprofit boards of directors.
Ecolab's matching gift program was established to encourage Ecolab employees and retirees to join with the company in the financial support of eligible educational institutions and public broadcasting stations. This program provides the opportunity for the company, along with our employees and retirees, to improve the quality of life in the communities where Ecolab employees and retirees live and work.
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