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UP reconfigures charitable giving

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
Union Pacific

Union Pacific on Feb. 1 unveiled its Community Ties Giving Program, which increases its overall charitable giving to more than $20 million. Designed to support two primary areas—Local Grants and Key Partnerships—UP’s philanthropic outreach “aligns with its longstanding commitment to Building America,” the railroad said.

Each area or “pillar” of the program supports one or more of UP’s corporate social responsibility goals:

• Safety: Helping communities prevent and prepare for accidents and emergencies.

• Workforce Development: Providing job opportunity awareness and education for the next generation of skilled workers.

• Community Spaces: Building and enhancing neighborhoods, parks and other unique spaces contributing to a community’s identity and preserving its history.

UP said local grants in various amounts will be awarded to select nonprofit organizations “whose objectives fulfill [our] social impact goals.” The next application period will run April through May 2018.

Key Partnerships incorporates two subgroups, regional and national, and provides “large-scale, targeted grants intended to achieve significant, measurable and sustainable impact in our communities.”

Following a nationwide search, UP selected Safe Kids Worldwide, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and the National Park Foundation as national Key Partners. Each will receive $1 million in 2018. Regional partners will be selected only by invitation.

“For more than 150 years, Union Pacific has served as an economic engine, improving the lives of millions across the United States,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Scott Moore. “The Community Ties Giving Program builds on that foundation, funding programs to support safe, prosperous and vibrant communities where our employees live and work. Union Pacific is proud to partner with these world-class nonprofit organizations, empowering communities to create a safer place for children and families, bring economic prosperity and wellbeing to our neighborhoods and explore boundless opportunities through one of our country’s greatest treasures—national parks.”

To learn more about Union Pacific’s Community Ties Giving Program or apply for local grants, visit www.up.com/foundation.

ABOUT SAFE KIDS WORLDWIDE

Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to prevent childhood injury, the number one cause of death for children in the U.S. Throughout the world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and almost every one of these tragedies is preventable. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S. and with partners in more than 30 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. Since 1988, Safe Kids has helped reduce the U.S. childhood death rate from unintentional injury by 60%.

ABOUT LISC

With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America—great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families. Since 1980, LISC has invested $17.3 billion to build or rehab 366,000 affordable homes and apartments and develop 61 million square feet of retail, community and educational space across the country. A decade ago, LISC invented Financial Opportunity Centers, now a network of 80 sites across the country that offer an integrated set of employment and financial coaching supports for 20,000 low- and moderate-income people each year—from helping build up their credit to addressing educational gaps. Data indicates that this bundled approach leads to concrete gains in job retention, net income and credit scores.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

Celebrating 50 years, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the Foundation raises private funds to help protect more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, connect all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and engage the next generation of park stewards. In 2016, commemorating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, the Foundation launched The Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks, a comprehensive fundraising campaign to strengthen and enhance the future of these national treasures for the next 100 years.

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