GE Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The GE Foundation is the corporate entity of the General Electric Company. It supports education, health and disaster relief in the U.S. and abroad.
IP TAKE: GE’s philanthropy consists mainly of signature programs and active partnerships. A significant portion of its education funding remains in the state of Massachusetts.
The GE Foundation is not accessible, but when it does fund, it appreciates collaboration. Its giving space is consistently crowded, as it likes to partner with other organizations in order to maximize its impact, meaning it has less to give to new grantees.
While not particularly accessible, which is not uncommon for a corporate foundation, GE has an employee matching program, so network with an employee to get your work on this foundation’s radar. A bit bureaucratic and not particularly inclined to take risks, this foundation likes to support bigger outfits, so small and grassroots organizations should note difficulty in securing funding here.
PROFILE: The GE Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Boston-based multinational corporation General Electric. The company is best known for its household appliances, but operates in several other industries, including aviation, healthcare and finance, as well. The foundation is committed to supporting the communities in which its parent company operates and “shaping the diverse workforce of tomorrow by leveraging the power of GE.” Supporting education, public health, global development and global health, a large portion of the philanthropy takes the form of signature programs that bear the GE name. The foundation’s work in education takes place mainly in the foundation’s home state of Massachusetts.
Grants for K-12 Education
GE supports K-12 education mainly through its signature Developing Skills program, which aims to “empower 14- to 24-year-old students to become globally productive citizens.” Launched in 2016 with a commitment of $25 million, Developing Skills worked with public schools in Boston to improve students’ skills and explore career opportunities in STEM disciplines. In partnership with MIT, GE developed another signature product, the GE Brilliant Career Lab, an online tool for students that “combines experiential learning with career-readiness planning in high-demand STEM fields.” Another signature project, the GE Brilliant Career Play, developed in conjunction with the Boston Celtics NBA franchise, brought mobile STEM laboratories to middle schools in Boston.
K-12 education also receives support from GE’s Workforce Diversity initiative. Through this initiative, GE partnered with the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium and the Essex County Community Foundation to implement the Advanced Manufacturing Training Expansion Program, which aimed to provide vocational education in manufacturing skills to high school students, postsecondary students and “underemployed, underrepresented populations, including veterans, minorities and women.” Several traditional and vocational high schools in the North Shore area of Massachusetts participated in this initiative, including Gloucester High School and the Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School.
Grants for Higher Education
GE’s higher education funding stems from its Workforce Diversity initiative. Several postsecondary vocational programs have participated in the foundation’s Massachusetts-based Advance Manufacturing Training Expansion Program, including North Shore Community College and the Lynn Vocational Technical Institute. The GE Foundation has also provided support for public and private universities across the U.S., including Harvard University, the University of Notre Dame, Ohio State University, St. Lawrence University, Purdue University, Cornell University, and others.
Grants for Public Health
GE supports public health through its Developing Health US program, which aims to increase healthcare access in underserved communities. Its recent areas of interest are substance abuse recovery and access to specialty care through primary care providers. Public health grantmaking consists mainly of partnerships with well-established organizations. In Massachusetts, the foundation committed $15 million to fighting the opioid epidemic, funding and collaborating on treatment and prevention programs at Mass General Hospital, the Boston Medical Center, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. GE also committed $14 million to its signature Project Echo (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), which addresses the dearth of specialty care in many rural areas in the U.S. and abroad. The program links primary care providers with specialists who help rural doctors gain the knowledge and skills they need to treat a broader range of medical issues. In addition to these signature programs, the foundation has recently given to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Ellis Hospital Foundation, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the American Heart Association.
Grants for Global Health
The GE Foundation is committed to increasing healthcare access for underserved populations around the world. The foundation’s signature Project Echo (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), which was successful in the U.S., has been extended to 38 other countries. The program gives primary care doctors access to experts in medical specialties and subspecialties so that they can “treat more patients.” Another signature program, Safe Surgery, a $25 million five-year initiative, aims to increase the quality and accessibility of surgery in countries where many people lack access. Safe Surgery partners with ministries of health, governments, universities, hospitals and other health organizations to train medical staff and expand surgical infrastructure. The program has thus far launched operations in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Cambodia and Myanmar.
Grants for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief
GE runs a disaster and humanitarian relief initiative that responds to “major global disasters and humanitarian crises.” This initiative is considerably smaller than GE’s other areas of giving, but GE also matches its employees’ contributions in this area. In 2019, the foundation supported Americare’s response to Hurricane Dorian. Other past recipients include the American National Red Cross, the United Way Worldwide, Habitat for Humanity International and Catholic Relief Services.
Important Grant Details:
The GE Foundation’s annual philanthropic giving totaled about $40 million in a recent year, although more than half of this was invested in GE’s signature programs and partnerships. Grants are generally awarded in amounts up to $100,000, with an average grant size of about $10,000.
This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications for funding, choosing instead to work through partnerships and signature programs. It is worth noting that GE also runs a robust employee matching program, and GE employees and directors may recommend nonprofits for this program. General inquiries may be directed to foundation staff via email.
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