Social Justice

Artist and activist Ai Weiwei and leading arts non-profit Public Art Fund are partnering for a second time with eBay to exclusively release a series of six powerful new works of art for charity on June 20, World Refugee Day.

GRI’s new task force is looking for solutions to support companies that are making their supply chains more transparent through sustainability reporting. They will be able to increase the effectiveness and value of data regarding modern slavery, for actionable change. Read more about how to join the effort to battle modern slavery!

Sappi North America, a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper and packaging products, today announced the call for entries for its 2018 Ideas that Matter grant program, inviting designers to show the world how design – specifically print – can play an important role in changing lives for the better.

Rebuilding Together, the leading home and community revitalization national non-profit organization, today announced the launch of [Re]Build, a grassroots movement to repair homes and revitalize communities across the country.

The UPS Foundation, which leads the global citizenship efforts of UPS (NYSE: UPS), today announced it is awarding 2018 grants and in-kind support totaling more than $16 million to non-profit, non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies for humanitarian relief, community resilience and safety programs worldwide.

To further strengthen its commitment to the transformative power of travel and the belief that connecting people from different cultures opens minds, builds connections and inspires shared humanity, Holland America Line is establishing the Shared Humanity Award to be given annually starting this year. The award will be presented to a leader and change-maker who has dedicated their life to inspiring others to see that the things that unite us are greater than those that divide us.

After sparking a national anti-gun violence movement, the Stoneman Douglas student group #NeverAgain is preparing to once again push for stricter gun laws with a nationwide march, led by the newest generation of activist consumers: Gen Z. This Saturday, over 1 million people are expected to descend on Washington, D.C. for the March for Our Lives, advocating for changes to gun regulations and school safety, with “sibling marches” expected to take place across the country and world.

The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have been thrust into a national debate and have made it clear that thoughts and prayers are not enough – they are demanding action from politicians, schools, the NRA and even businesses. We have seen this highly-politicized and divisive issue in the news before, but this time is different. Those students can’t be ignored. Companies are increasingly more comfortable standing up for and speaking out on hot button issues that have dominated the news over the last year.

Since the first day that I started working in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the late 1980’s – under the wise tutelage of Reynold Levy, then president of the AT&T Foundation – I both learned and asserted that the purpose of any good corporate philanthropy or CSR program was to find the intersection between societal needs and the business interests of the company and to create real impact for both -- paying attention to a company’s various stakeholders and conducting your business in a responsible manner with an eye on the long-term value for business and society.

“With $84 million through eBay for Charity in 2017, we are demonstrating our commitment to supporting the thousands of charities who use our platform to connect and raise funds every day,” said Brenda Halkias, General Manager of eBay for Charity. “This year, we will continue to focus on leveraging our platform for good and delivering new experiences on behalf of the eBay community. Together with our eBay buyers and sellers, we aim to raise $1 billion for charities by 2020."