DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), announced today it will provide a combined $3 million in new racial justice grants in 2022 to multiple organizations working in the United States. The funding aligns with Baxter’s ACT: Activating Change Today program, a global multidimensional and multiyear initiative to advance racial justice within the workplace and within the communities and markets the company serves.
“As part of our Activating Change Today program, Baxter is partnering with organizations working in communities to advance racial justice,” said José (Joe) E. Almeida, Baxter’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We are honored to help support organizations like YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and NAACP in their efforts to reach additional residents with programming and services that address local needs.”
The announced funding includes a $1 million grant to YWCA Metropolitan Chicago (YWCA), one of the longest-running organizations in the Chicagoland area working to eliminate racism and empower women. YWCA will use the grant to increase capacity for its services in the region and strengthen its infrastructure in line with its rapid and significant growth in recent years. Additionally, YWCA will use the funds to support the sustainability of its community programming, including its services for women and families to promote economic empowerment, safety and wellness, and the enhancement of its efforts to measure impact over time.
“On the heels of the pandemic, we continue to see an incredible demand for our services across the Chicagoland area,” said Nicole Robinson, chief executive officer of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago. “This generous gift from the Baxter International Foundation builds our organizational resilience to provide services that advance health, economic, social and racial equity today and for years to come.”
The Baxter International Foundation also awarded a $1 million grant to the NAACP, the country’s largest civil rights organization. The NAACP will use the funds to help build the capacity of its more than 2,200 local units to spur community actions aimed at eliminating race-based discrimination and ensuring the health and wellbeing of all persons. Additionally, the funds will help the NAACP to align its local efforts to maximize the organization’s national impact and create meaningful change for generations to come.
“We appreciate this support from the Baxter International Foundation to expand our operations,” said Antoine Holman, vice president of corporate relations, NAACP. “By investing in our local organizations, NAACP is poised to mobilize millions more action-oriented citizens and strengthen our role as America’s change agents.”
Finally, the Baxter International Foundation is providing $1 million in funding to a third organization whose programming challenges racial injustices and helps change the narrative about race in America through research, documentation, and education.
With this new round of funding, Baxter and the Baxter International Foundation have now committed more than $13.5 million in total over the last two years as part of its ACT: Activating Change Today initiative. This includes a $3.5 million grant to The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), announced earlier this year, to support students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Learn more about the company’s commitment to fighting racial injustice on its website and in its Corporate Responsibility Report.
About Baxter
Every day, millions of patients, caregivers and healthcare providers rely on Baxter’s leading portfolio of diagnostic, critical care, kidney care, nutrition, hospital and surgical products used across patient homes, hospitals, physician offices and other sites of care. For 90 years, we’ve been operating at the critical intersection where innovations that save and sustain lives meet the healthcare providers who make it happen. With products, digital health solutions and therapies available in more than 100 countries, Baxter’s employees worldwide are now building upon the company’s rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the next generation of transformative healthcare innovations. To learn more, visit www.baxter.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
About the Baxter International Foundation
Every day, Baxter and the Baxter International Foundation strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people who depend on our products, and in the communities where our employees live and work. The Foundation helps advance Baxter’s mission to save and sustain lives by partnering with organizations around the world to increase access to healthcare for the underserved, develop the next generation of innovators who will lead the way in advancing healthcare and to create a positive, long-lasting impact in communities globally. For more information, please visit our Corporate Responsibility page.
About YWCA Metropolitan Chicago (YWCA)
Founded in 1876, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is a social enterprise committed to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. As a leading association among a national network of more than 200 YWCAs, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago impacts tens of thousands of individuals and families annually through comprehensive human services provided across the region. YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is a leading service provider in the areas of sexual violence support services, early childhood and child care provider services, family support services, youth STEM programming, and economic empowerment services. A commitment to racial justice, equity, and inclusion runs through all YWCA activities. Located in the third-largest American city, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago serves as a national incubator for innovative programming, outreach and engagement strategies. Contributing to a diverse and balanced economy, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is working at the individual and systems levels to create an inclusive marketplace where everyone thrives. The organization is also an active member of many national, state, county and city-level coalitions, advocating for policies that combat racism and positively affect women and families. Learn more at www.ywcachicago.org or follow @ywcachicago.
About NAACP
Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
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