Encouraging Community Service Where Our Employees and Customers Live and Work
Service is the rent we pay for living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time." -- Marian Wright Edelman At American Express, service has been a hallmark of our company throughout its 160-year history. This service ethos comes to life every time we help a customer – whether with a simple, everyday request or in an emergency situation. We show the same care and commitment to service in our communities.
We encourage good citizenship by supporting organizations that cultivate meaningful opportunities for civic engagement by our employees and members of the community, whether as volunteers, donors, voters or patrons.
We also serve our communities by supporting immediate and long-term relief and recovery efforts to help victims of natural disasters. Funding also goes to support preparedness programs that allow relief agencies to be better equipped in responding to emergencies as they occur.
Criteria:
Supported programs encourage community service and civic participation, and deliver measurable outcomes that have a lasting impact on communities through one or more of the following:
- Building the capacity of nonprofits by assisting them in developing, engaging and retaining community members as volunteers.
- Encouraging citizens to play an active role in civic processes (e.g., voting).
- Engaging community members and American Express employees in ongoing service. This may involve a variety of activities from promoting individual philanthropy, volunteerism or participation in local civic organizations.
Recent Grants
Association for Persons with Special Needs, Singapore
The Center was established in 1997 to provide a comprehensive range of
programs and services for adults with mild intellectual disability. American
Express volunteers were engaged in the development of the center and as
mentors to its clients. Support was provided to the Association’s Center for
Adults to develop an ecology facility designed to empower persons with
special needs through environmental activities.
Brighton Dome and
Festival, Brighton, UK
Brighton Dome and Festival (BDFL) is a hub of the Brighton and Hove
cultural community. The Brighton Festival brings an international mix of
entertainment events to residents and visitors to this seaside community in
the UK. Support from American Express will fund a new BDFL Access Project
for People with Disabilities that will bring together, through cultural
activities, community members who are disabled and those who are
able-bodied. This included development of enhanced artistic programming (sign language
and audio enhancements, multi-sensory experiences) for audiences with
disabilities and creation of productions that integrated able-bodied and disabled
artists and performers.
Feeding America, Chicago, IL
Feeding America is the largest charitable hunger-relief organization in the United States. Support from American Express funds the expansion of its Store Donation Program which recovers perishable products that do not meet retailers' marketing standards, but are still usable and safe for consumption, for donation to Feeding America food banks. This support will help Feeding America reach its goal to collect and distribute 605 million pounds of food through this program in 2012.Junior Achievement (JA), Multiple Locations, U.S.
Through its support of programs in Florida, Central Arizona, Greensboro, and New York City, American Express supports Junior Achievement’s mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA provides in-school and after-school programs for students, which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.United Way of New York City, New York, NY
BoardServeNYC provides comprehensive board service training and placement services to committed New Yorkers seeking to engage in meaningful service opportunities with nonprofits. American Express funded the development of a dedicated website (available at boardservenyc.org) that will enable trained board candidates and participating nonprofits to find appropriate matches and begin a dialogue about board service.Click here for more information about other initiatives within this theme.
