Philanthropy

Man and woman planting
Man and woman planting

Sustainability Report

 

Since 1952, the Caterpillar Foundation has been on a mission to improve lives by focusing on the human, natural and basic services infrastructure needed for individuals to thrive and communities to be resilient.

Caterpillar works alongside our dealers and customers to build the social infrastructure needed to make the world run. Our success contributes to the stability of regions around the world.

 

Caterpillar Foundation

Through the Caterpillar Foundation we have been on a mission to improve lives since its founding in 1952. As a Foundation, we focus on the human, natural and basic services infrastructure needed for individuals to thrive and communities to be resilient. Our philanthropic purpose builds on Caterpillar’s historical legacy of improving lives — finding new ways to tackle modern issues and identifying room for continuous improvement.

Foundation Focus Areas

The Foundation invests in the skills people need to join the modern workforce, and the natural and vital infrastructure they rely upon.

Empowering the workforce of the 21st century

We invest in skills development and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to equip people with the skills required for tomorrow’s economy, putting them on a path to prosperity. Skills-based education leads to better jobs, and better jobs lead to better futures.

Building resilient communities to address critical environmental challenges

We support natural infrastructure development and access to basic services, such as water resource management and energy.

Giving back in our communities

Caterpillar’s global team helps build a better world using their passion, time and talent to give back, maximizing impact through the Foundation’s disaster and matching gifts programs, United Way and volunteer efforts.

Boy and mother working on toy robot
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Boy and mother working on toy robot
Nearly $851m invested in global communities since 1952.
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Nearly $851m invested in global communities since 1952.
In 2021, the Foundation invested more than $41 million helping improve the lives of people in more than 39 countries around the world. Together with the help of the Foundation’s partners:
  • 3.3 million individuals will have better access to industry-aligned STEM education programs.
  • Over 530,000 acres will be restored through reforestation, ecosystem restoration and more sustainable land use management practices.
  • Nearly 15,000 individuals are projected to enter the workforce after successful completion of technical and vocational education programs.
  • Approximately 500 water system interventions are projected to be installed to connect communities with reliable water sources.
  • Around 12,000 individuals will earn one or more industry-recognized credentials.
  • More than 2.5 million short tons of carbon are projected to be removed, sequestered or captured.
  • Over $4 million in disaster damage costs reduced.
 

Establishing Natural Infrastructure

The ‘It Starts with a Tree’ campaign aims to plant 290,000 trees in 95 communities. Along with Foundation partner One Tree Planted, we are addressing individual communities’ natural and economic infrastructure needs on a global scale. This innovative campaign serves as a launch pad to establish natural infrastructure that protects and strengthens communities.

Some of these impacted communities include the 40 beekeepers who work in the Biobio region near Santiago, Chile, whose local businesses suffered due to recent brushfires. With 4,000 new trees planted, the habitat will be protected — allowing for the reproduction of bees. This will enable the beekeepers of Santiago to reactivate their businesses, putting them on a path toward economic success and financial independence.

Hands in dirt
Hands in dirt

Creating the Workforce of the 21st Century

To thrive in our changing world, individuals and communities need the skills, resources and services. Investments in workforce readiness and STEM aim to create human infrastructure through an empowered, prepared and skilled workforce.

Across Latin America, unemployment and a lack of education among young people are critical problems. Through a program that teaches students skills that align with the most relevant and profitable in-country sectors such as advanced manufacturing, agriculture, automotive, IT and logistics, Adriana enrolled in a welding course provided by International Youth Foundation. She was hired by a company that valued her skills and abilities and is now happily working as a computer numerical controlled machine operator.

Caterpillar Foundation partner International Youth Foundation training students for 21st century workforce.
Caterpillar Foundation partner International Youth Foundation training students for 21st century workforce.

Disaster Relief

The Caterpillar Foundation is a member of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP). Our $1 million annual global investment helps provide a funding base, allowing the Red Cross to provide immediate relief to those impacted by disasters. This model ensures that the Red Cross has funds to prepare for disasters before they occur. In addition to the Foundation’s initial investment, Caterpillar team members eager to help in a time of crisis contributed more than $20,000, which was matched by the Foundation to make an even greater impact.

The Foundation’s support enabled the Red Cross to respond to disasters such as the Mayfield, Kentucky area when tornadoes ripped through the center of the United States, catastrophic flooding in several European countries and the Category 4 hurricane that made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

Coordinated effort by Caterpillar, Caterpillar Foundation, Assist International and Convoy of Hope resulted in a donation of 100 generators for those impacted by the tornadoes in Mayfield, Kentucky.
Coordinated effort by Caterpillar, Caterpillar Foundation, Assist International and Convoy of Hope resulted in a donation of 100 generators for those impacted by the tornadoes in Mayfield, Kentucky.

Social Justice

Caterpillar believes communities are strongest when there is equality for all. Partnerships with the Legal Defense Fund, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Aspen Institute support community programs that address the destructive effects of racism and the fight for equal justice. Through its partnerships and initiatives, the Foundation is creating pathways for underserved and underresourced individuals to gain 21st century jobs through workforce readiness, vocational training and STEM education.

In 2021, the Foundation announced the creation of the first-ever Caterpillar Curator of African American Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). Through a $2 million grant, this position will direct initiatives to help NMAAHC advance new conversations and understanding of diversity and inclusion through the lens of African American innovation
and entrepreneurship in science and technology. 

Team putting hands in
Team putting hands in

 

Caterpillar Foundation and The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)

The Caterpillar Foundation’s investments align with several of the UN SDGs. The Caterpillar Foundation works to build resilient communities in the places where we live and work and where there is need.

4 - Quality Education
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4 - Quality Education
6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
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6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
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7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
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8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
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9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
11- Sustainable Cities and Communities
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11- Sustainable Cities and Communities
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