PPG published a report highlighting its 2016 community engagement initiatives. PPG and the PPG Foundation provided nearly $10 million in financial support for global charitable activities. The report and a fact sheet detailing PPG’s efforts in 2016 are available here.

“Every day, PPG collaborates with employees and partners to realize our vision of bringing color and brightness to our communities,” said Sue Sloan, PPG executive director of corporate global social responsibility. “We dedicate financial resources, apply our products and leverage the volunteer power of our passionate employees to address the needs of our communities.”

The Colorful Communities program is PPG’s signature initiative for community engagement efforts, with the aim to enhance, protect and beautify neighborhoods where the company operates around the world. The program increases PPG’s commitment to invest in communities and supports projects that transform community spaces, providing PPG volunteers and donated PPG products.

PPG extended the Colorful Communities program in 2016 to:

• Complete 46 projects in 20 countries (nearly four times as many projects as completed in 2015). In 2015 and 2016 combined, PPG completed nearly 60 Colorful Communities projects
• Impact more than 1.8 million individuals in total since the program launched in May 2015

In addition, PPG and the PPG Foundation invest in educational opportunities to grow today’s skilled workforce and develop tomorrow’s innovators in fields related to coatings and manufacturing. Highlights of PPG’s efforts supporting educational projects and organizations in 2016 include:

• Donated $3.6 million in support of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs around the world
• Launched the interactive PPG Laboratory of Colors at the HUMANITARIUM science center in Wroclaw, Poland
• Provided more than 950 grants to local schools in the U.S. to support creative science-related programming.

PPG also empowers employees to make positive impacts in communities by supporting their charitable giving and by encouraging them to volunteer in support of projects and organizations. In 2016, the company and foundation bolstered PPG employees’ efforts through:

• The new Charity Partner program, an initiative through which employees at 65 sites across 12 countries in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region selected local organizations to support with their fundraising efforts and matching PPG funds
• Employee programs in the U.S. and Canada, which matched employees’ donations, recognized their volunteer service and rewarded their local schools with a total of nearly $760,000