Motorola is an American global communications developer. Based in Schaumburg, Illinois, Motorola is a Fortune 500 company, posting sales of $30.1 billion in 2008.

Given that Motorola is the developer of several of the most historic communications equipment in use today, the company clearly has a dynamic and vibrant culture of invention that has benefited society in countless ways.

As a corporate citizen, Motorola takes its social responsibility seriously and strives to make a positive societal contribution at every opportunity by partnering with government and nongovernmental organizations to address community needs and advancing socio-economic development.

Founded in 1953, The Motorola Foundation serves as the company’s philanthropic arm and focuses on training, partnerships, and science and math education.

Motorola promotes enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to generate interest in science careers among young people in the United States and elsewhere. Through its Innovation Generation grants, $4 million dollars have been committed to science clubs and after-school programs as well as funding for research to look into the barriers which that girls and minorities from pursuing careers in science.

In order to nurture the youth’s inventive spirit, Motorola has been in partnership with FIRST to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, particularly on robotics. It holds FIRST Robotics Competitions, contributing over $880,000 in funding to support the robotics contents in the US, Europe, Israel and Latin America.

Support for science education extends outside the US and toward developing countries where there are educational difficulties. The Foundation worked alongside China Youth Development Foundation to create 100 Hope Schools, donating more than $6 million to assist more than 25,000 rural children to attend elementary school and provide teacher training and scholarships.

Motorola has participated in various humanitarian efforts around the world. To aid the victims of a 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy, it donated $50,000 to the Italian Red Cross and provided radio equipment. It also donated $25,000 for the flood victims in North Dakota with the help of the American Red Cross as well as $46,000 for those affected by Australian bushfires. Employee contributions generated $3.9 million to support disaster relief operations worldwide.

It has also provided support to disaster-stricken areas in the form of communications technology equipment. In China, it gave $3.29 million cash and in-kind equipment for the Sichuan quake. It has also contributed over $1.5 million to support relief organizations operating in various countries all over the world.

Post Author: guest

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 2:48 pm and is filed under Philanthropy News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.