More than 80 accredited colleges and universities in Texas, USA, are expected to benefit from an amount of $12.8million to be disbursed under the ExxonMobil Foundation Educational Matching Gift Program.
The amount is a contribution from ExxonMobil employees and retirees.
The contribution from employees and retirees amounted to nearly $4 million while the $8.8 million was from ExxonMobil Foundation.
The ExxonMobil Foundation program matches individual donations to accredited colleges and universities in the United States.
The American Indian College Fund, Hispanic Scholarship Fund and United Negro College Fund also receive donations as part of the matching gift program.
While the grants are unrestricted, colleges and universities are encouraged to designate a portion of the funds they receive to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs supporting student engagement.
“Supporting education is a key priority for ExxonMobil, its employees and retirees,” Kevin Murphy, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation said.
“Our educational matching gift program provides critical resources to inspire today’s students to become tomorrow’s innovators and problem solvers.”
Nationally, more than 4,100 ExxonMobil employees and retirees contributed nearly $16 million to 790 institutions of higher education in 2019, and those contributions will be matched with more than $37 million in unrestricted grants from the ExxonMobil Foundation.
The ExxonMobil Foundation matches donations to eligible U.S. colleges and universities of up to $7,500 a year on a 2-to-1 basis for employees and on a 1-to-1 basis for retirees.
ExxonMobil and the ExxonMobil Foundation also support teacher training initiatives and programs that encourage students, particularly women and minorities, to consider careers in STEM areas.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com