Alcoa Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Alcoa Foundation invests in the prevention and management of climate change, biodiversity, global development and education. It prioritizes the geographic areas where its parent mining and metals company maintains operations.
IP TAKE: It will likely be difficult to get on the radar of this corporate funder. Alcoa tends to work through corporate partnerships with established grantees, and it does accept applications or provide a direct avenue for getting in touch. Networking with higher-level employees and/or former grantee partners may be the only way to move forward here.
PROFILE: Established in 1952, the Alcoa Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Alcoa Corporation, a leading U.S. aluminum and industrial company. The foundation seeks to “contribute to environmental excellence, economic success and social responsibility around the globe,” and its geographic priorities include the twelve countries around the world where its parent company has a presence and several areas in the U.S. Alcoa names climate change, biodiversity and sustainability as specific areas of interest, but its grantmaking supports global development and educational programs as well.
Grants for Climate Change and Education
Alcoa’s climate change funding invests in the prevention and sustainable management of climate change in the geographic areas where its parent company operates. It also supports research and education toward these goals. Alcoa’s generally works with organizations that have demonstrated positive, measurable results and that have the potential to continue their work beyond the foundation’s support. Past grantees include American Forests and the Recycling Partnership, a New York-based organization that works to mitigate solid waste management, toxic substance disposal and water pollution. Alcoa has also supported climate change policy development at the Brookings Institute.
While the Alcoa Foundation does not name education as a funding initiative, its work in the areas of climate change, sustainability and development often overlap with K-12 and STEM education.
Grants for K-12 Education
Alcoa has demonstrated a commitment to preparing K-12 students for the study of engineering, nurturing talent in science and engineering and teaching student populations about sustainability and climate change.
Alcoa’s K-12 education grants support out-of-school learning opportunities for high school students. The foundation’s signature Alcoa Scholars program brings students from around the world together for outdoor learning and research experiences. Alcoa has also supported Youthbuild USA, the Skills USA economics program and educational programs at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Grants for STEM Education
Alcoa’s STEM grants focus mainly on science and engineering and often prioritize low-income or underserved populations in the U.S. The foundation has also sponsored programs at vocational schools and community colleges that provide training in STEM disciplines. Past STEM grantees include the Beating the Odds Foundation and the FIRST Tech Challenge, which provides technology education and mentoring to low-income students. Higher education grantees include mathematics and engineering programs at the University of Oviedo in Spain, the Great Smoky Mountain Mathematics Institute, Wenatchee Valley College and the National Society of Black Engineers.
Grants for Animals and Wildlife
The Alcoa Foundation has demonstrated concern for the restoration and preservation of biodiversity around the world. One recently funded project is a partnership between the Nature Conservancy and Australia’s Murdoch University for the building of a shellfish reef in the Mandurah waterway. Other past animal and wildlife grantees include the World Wildlife Fund, the National Wildlife Federation and the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Grants for Global Development
Alcoa’s global development funding supports a broad variety of causes, with many grants addressing best practices, sustainability and working conditions in the operations of its parent company’s businesses—namely mining and engineering. One grantee in this area is Engineers Without Borders, which used funding to educate engineers in developing countries about best practices in leadership, community engagement and communications. In Spain, Alcoa funded a small business development program at the Regional Ministry of Education and University Organization of Galicia. And in Brazil, the foundation runs its signature Alcoa Institute, which has partnered with local organizations in the greater Sao Paulo area on literacy initiatives and to prevent teen pregnancy. It’s work has also gone to address the Ebola crisis in Africa.
Important Grant Details:
Alcoa Foundation grants range from $5,000 to $500,000, with an average grant size of about $25,000. This funder supports a broad range of organizations, including some small, grassroots nonprofits and education programs. Alcoa’s geographic priorities include Western Australia, Brazil, Canada, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Suriname. In the U.S. it prioritizes regions in Pennsylvania, Washington, Indiana, Texas, Arkansas, New York and Louisiana.
The Alcoa Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or letters of inquiry and does not provide a direct avenue of communication. The Alcoa Corporation provides a contact page on its website.
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