UPS Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The philanthropic arm of UPS supports economic opportunity and education initiatives through its diversity and inclusion grantmaking. It provides disaster relief organizations with full package assistance and awards grants for natural disaster response, relief, and recovery, as well as global humanitarian crises. The foundation also invests in environmental sustainability, volunteerism, and community safety.
IP TAKE: UPS Foundation is not accessible as it does not accept unsolicited proposals; however, organizations for which UPS employees volunteer may become eligible for grant funding after the employee has served a certain number of hours. For grantseekers, funding from this foundation is all about who you know.
This foundation also gives in-kind donations derived from its logistics expertise and fleet of trucks and planes. At the beginning of every year, the UPS Foundation meets with its strategic partners to discuss its emergency funds and in-kind budgets. When a disaster strikes, the partners are able to choose whether they want to pull resources from their in-kind budgets or their emergency funds. According to the foundation, these budgets are one of the reasons why UPS is “able to act so quickly.”
PROFILE: The UPS Foundation, established in 1951 by UPS founder Jim Casey, seeks “to help build stronger and more resilient communities around the world.” For UPS, “giving means more than writing a check” and emphasizes employee volunteerism as well as providing “logistics expertise, transportation assets and charitable donations.” In total, the foundation boasts worldwide contributions of more than $100 million in a recent year. UPS funds four focus areas—health & humanitarian relief, equity and economic empowerment, local engagement and planet protection.
Grants for Disaster and Humanitarian Relief, and Immigrants and Refugees
The UPS Foundation offers comprehensive funding for disaster relief and humanitarian causes through the Health & Humanitarian Relief program. While the foundation does not have separate programs that address disaster relief, UPS offers indirect aid through full-package logistical assistance. This package often includes large grants, trucks, inventory-tracking software, and teams of technical experts who guide grantee organizations on how to disseminate food, medical supplies, and other necessary goods as efficiently and rapidly as possible.
Though the foundation does not have a program dedicated to refugees, it conducts related work through its relief efforts. The UPS Foundation has partnered with the UNHCR to address an array of refugee crises around the world. It has continued to fund organizations that address Syrian refugees, among other affected groups.
Grants for Work and Economic Opportunity, and Higher Education
The foundation conducts most of its work and economic opportunity-related funding through its equity and inclusion program. It seeks to “to empower everyone to bring their authentic selves to work and inspire the inclusion of diverse people, thoughts and perspectives.” It supports access to higher education, economic empowerment for veterans and minorities, and mentorship for young adults of disadvantaged demographics.
UPS Foundation does not have a publicly available grants database, but past and current partners include United Negro College Fund, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the National Urban League.
Grants for Higher Education
The foundation’s support of higher education stems from its environmental sustainability and equity and inclusion programs. The environmental program names research and education as a sub-initiative and prioritizes carbon reduction, conservation and reforestation. UPS’s diversity and inclusion program funds college mentoring and scholarship programs for underserved and underrepresented students.
Past grantees include the United Negro College Fund, the Council of Independent Colleges, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Morehouse College, Spelman College and Gonzaga University.
Grants for Environment
UPS makes grants to environmental causes through its environmental sustainability program, which supports “areas that are linked to the Company’s environmental and sustainability initiatives, expertise and priorities, focusing on carbon reduction, reforestation, research, and thought leadership.”
Past grantees include Earthwatch Institute, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Student Conservation Association, Georgia Conservancy, Inc. and the Bruce Trail Conservancy. UPS tends to make fewer and smaller grants through this program than in other focus areas.
Important Grant Details:
UPS grants range between $25,000 and several millions of dollars and have supported organizations of all sizes.
Grant awards often include large-scale grants with continued support. As a result, awards are given on a competitive basis.
Grants are awarded on an invitation-only basis.
UPS offers grant support, inventory-tracking software tools, transport vehicles, and volunteers from its logistics management teams as part of grant packages.
While UPS does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding, another route to funding; however, is through “a recommendation made by a UPS employee who is actively volunteering with the agency.”
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