OREANDA-NEWS. The UPS Foundation, the philanthropic arm of UPS (NYSE: UPS), will award grants to 10 non-profit organizations as part of its focus to increase the global volunteer movement. Totaling more than $2.4 million, these grants will support initiatives to build stronger and more resilient global communities, including disaster recovery, veterans engagement leadership training, and youth development and service learning.

Among the 2015 grant recipients is the Points of Light Foundation, a long-time The UPS Foundation community partner. A new initiative this year is to partner with the Points of Light Foundation’s critical efforts in response to the Syrian refugee crisis, including mobilizing volunteers and coordinating supply deliveries, as well as other disaster recovery initiatives. Both organizations will extend efforts to develop and implement new technologies to assist volunteers with more efficient aid administration. This is part of a more than three year effort to support the Syrian refugee crisis through a multi-faceted approach by The UPS Foundation. Additionally, a portion of the grant will back the Points of Light Foundation’s Veteran Leader Corps program which mobilizes AmeriCorps members to provide direct employment services to veterans/their families and to engage veterans in service to their communities. 

“For more than 60 years, UPS has taken great pride in our efforts to build stronger and more resilient communities around the world,” said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation and chief diversity and inclusion officer at UPS. “Achieving these goals requires the dedication and support of non-profit and NGO organizations who share our commitment to service. Volunteers are a key component of their ability to provide these critical needs. We are honored to recognize 10 organizations who lead by example and are paving the way for the next generation of problem solvers.”

In addition to the Points of Light Foundation, The UPS Foundation will award grants to the following nine organizations:

  • The Boston College Center for Citizenship, in support of its 2016 International Corporate Citizenship Conference being held in Atlanta
  • BoardSource, to back programs that strengthen non-profit board leadership capacity and develop a new peer-to-peer engagement platform
  • The International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), for the continued development of the IAVE Global Network and the GCVC Disaster Research Working Group
  • IMPACT 2030, to advance the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals; UPS is a founding member of IMPACT 2030, a business-led global collaboration of the United Nations, the private sector and civil society organizations
  • Junior Achievement Worldwide, in support of its “Be Entrepreneurial” youth development program that teaches business skills, financial leadership and work readiness to high school students
  • The National Youth Leadership Council, to encourage youth development programs for K-12 students in Georgia, Illinois and Minnesota
  • The Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, for its non-profit Legal Check-Up Program which pairs non-profits with trained attorneys who conduct in-kind legal audits
  • The Taproot Foundation (Tapfound Inc.), to aid its skills-based volunteerism efforts which provide non-profit organizations in five major U.S. cities with marketing, design, human resources, technology and strategic planning expertise
  • Toolbank USA, to advance the Toolbank Disaster Services response network which provides volunteers with tools and resources for effective disaster recovery

These grants are part of The UPS Foundation’s commitment to global volunteerism. UPS has set a goal to contribute 20 million hours of global volunteer service by the end of 2020.  October 2015 was UPS’s 13th annual Global Volunteer Month, during which nearly 15,000 volunteers from the company’s worldwide offices and business units participated in more than 192,000 hours of philanthropic activities.