BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Symetra Life Insurance Company has been named a 2022 top corporate philanthropist by the Puget Sound Business Journal. The publication celebrated the region’s top 76 corporate philanthropists — ranked in small, mid-size and large categories based on revenue — at its annual Corporate Citizenship Awards ceremony, held May 19 at the Sheraton Grand Seattle. Symetra was recognized among the top 26 large-sized companies. Collectively, the corporate philanthropy list makers had combined cash giving in Washington state of over $200 million in 2021.
“We are honored to be included again this year on the Puget Sound Business Journal’s Corporate Citizenship list. Symetra’s community focus is deeply aligned with our core values as a business, and our programming and support strive to build equitable and transformative change both here in our hometown region and in communities across the country where we work, live and do business,” said Sharmila Swenson, vice president, Public Affairs & Social Impact.
Symetra Empowers Communities
Through its ‘Symetra Empowers Communities’ program, Symetra contributed $2 million to 1,200 nonprofit organizations in Washington state and across the country in 2021 through direct grants, employee giving and company match. The program works hand in hand with Symetra’s community partners, professional sports team relationships, and civic and business coalitions to build strong and resilient community support systems with a focus on underserved BIPOC communities, women, youth and students.
Grounded in the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion values, Symetra Empower Communities aims to drive transformational change by addressing systemic issues like gender inequality, racial injustice and homelessness that disproportionately affect the program’s focus populations.
In 2021, Symetra …
- More than doubled the amount of funding directed to local and national community organizations addressing racial equity and social justice issues.
- Increased the number of Partner grants ($2.5K–$20K) awarded to 65 from 26.
- Engaged with multiple coalitions, including Washington Employers for Racial Equity, to raise awareness and increase actions to address racial justice in the business sector, and We Are In, to educate the public on homelessness, racial inequities, and solutions across King County, Wash.
Moving into its third program year, Symetra Empowers Communities is a key component of the company’s recently launched corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, Symetra Social Impact. Unified under an equity and inclusion framework that emphasizes social impact, the new CSR program integrates community, environmental sustainability, and governance efforts to more broadly influence and drive positive outcomes for customers, communities and employees.
To learn more about Symetra Empowers Communities, its programs and its partners, visit Symetra Empowers Communities: 2021 Year in Review.
About Symetra
Symetra Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corporation, a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Washington. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent financial professionals and insurance producers. For more information, visit www.symetra.com.
