Strategic community investment

In addition to addressing community priorities where we do business, we partner with governments and nongovernmental organizations to help enhance the quality of life in the communities where we operate around the world. Whether through the ExxonMobil Foundation, our corporation or our international affiliated company operations, we strategically invest in social programs that consider community needs and host country economic and social goals. In 2016, we contributed $242 million to communities around the world.

We focus our efforts on our signature initiatives: improving education, combating malaria and advancing economic opportunities for women. We concentrate on these three areas because research shows they help build a foundation for economic prosperity and human progress.

Education initiative

Education is a fundamental building block for individual opportunity and economic growth. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills, in particular, are critical to ensuring today’s students are prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. Additionally, we hire highly skilled scientists and engineers to perform a variety of jobs in our company. For these reasons, we invest in education and teacher development programs designed to encourage students to pursue careers in the STEM fields. Since 2000, we have contributed nearly $1.2 billion to education programs around the world, with $72 million invested in 2016 alone.

Malaria initiative

We support the health of our employees, their families and members of the communities where we operate, which is why we invest in health programs aimed at combating preventable and treatable illnesses. In 2016, ExxonMobil contributed nearly $10 million to support a variety of malaria research, educational and treatment programs. Since 2001, the antimalarial programs we have funded have reached more than 125 million people, and our support has resulted in the distribution of approximately 14.3 million bed nets, 4.3 million doses of antimalarial treatments and nearly 3 million rapid diagnostic kits, as well as the training of more than 589,000 health workers. Our cash grants during the past 15 years total $155 million, making us one of the largest private-sector grant-makers in the fight against malaria.

Women’s economic opportunity initiative

Empowering women economically is a key element to enhancing local and national development. Investing in women helps support broad economic transformation in developing regions and contributes to a more equitable society. In the developing countries where women are more fully participatory in their national economies, we find lower infant mortality, improved health and nutrition, increased educational opportunities, enhanced economic growth and food security, and lower rates of poverty.

Since 2005, ExxonMobil has invested – through our women’s economic opportunity initiative – approximately $104 million in programs that support research to identify the most effective ways to improve women’s economic status; develop women farmers, entrepreneurs and business leaders; and improve women’s access to technology. Our support has reached tens of thousands of women in more than 90 countries. In 2016 alone, our contributions totaled $10 million.

Up close

Expanding economic opportunities for women farmers in Mozambique:

In Mozambique, women face pervasive obstacles to achieving economic empowerment. To help overcome those barriers, in 2016, the ExxonMobil Foundation partnered with Opportunity International to launch the Projecto para Empoderamento das Mulheres e Desenvolvimento da Agricultura (PEMA) program to expand economic opportunities for women farmers in Mozambique.

The initiative includes both theoretical and practical application of strategies for helping women more effectively benefit from commercial agricultural markets in Mozambique. Since the program launched in January 2016, PEMA has provided support to more than 400 farmers and gained valuable insight into the delivery of agricultural inputs, services and finance to women farmers. In 2017, we aim to significantly increase the number of program participants through innovations in agricultural finance, comprehensive agricultural support services and technology to improve the productivity, income, financial inclusion and overall empowerment of women farmers in Mozambique.