Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — PPG and the PPG Foundation announced Wednesday a commitment to invest 20 million by 2025 to address systematic racism and advance racial equity in the U.S. by funding education pathways for Black communities and people of colour.
“We aim to reach diverse students and communities to champion change and empower historically underrepresented populations with greater opportunities to achieve brighter futures,” said Malesia Dunn, executive director, PPG Foundation, and corporate global social responsibility. “Through this important commitment, we will prioritize equity and justice within education to close the racial gaps in STEM learning and careers, and help our society meet collective challenges quickly, creatively, and effectively.”
The commitment will strengthen PPGs focus on education, which is a priority for PPG and the PPG foundation while furthering its support of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.
The 20 million investments reflect commitments that will support: advanced STEM education and career development, K-12 STEM education; social justice, beautifying diverse communities, and ongoing impact opportunities.
The PPG foundation will direct at least 25 percent of diversity funding to organizations that serve the company’s global headquarters community of Pittsburgh. The foundation will also continue to invest more than 50 per cent of it’s U.S. based grantmaking to support causes that focus on black communities and people of colour, veterans, women, LGBTQ+ populations, economically disadvantaged individuals and families, and people with disabilities.
The community engagement supplements PPGs actions to further progress diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) companywide. PPG will continue to identify adding opportunities to ensure support to underrepresented groups around the world.
“At PPG, we believe in DE&I and have long upheld these values throughout our company and community engagement efforts to create stronger, more sustainable communities,” said Marvin Mendoza, global head, DE&I, PPG. “Our new community engagement commitments build upon PPG’s purpose to protect and beautify the world and align with our practices to create an equal and just society.”
In 2020, PPG continued its focus on DE&I across the company. In response to George Floyd’s death and the widespread civil rights movement that followed, the PPG Foundation made initial investments in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense Fund, the Center for Policing Equity, and the Equal Justice Initiative.
In November 2020, the company appointed Mendoza to design, lead and execute PPG’s global DE&I vision and strategy, and leverage data-driven insights to accelerate the company’s DE&I agenda. PPG also relaunched and expanded its ERNs, providing employees with more opportunities to share ideas, learn from one another, and leverage the unique skills, experiences, and perspectives of the PPG team.
