Enterprise ROAD Forward Program Reaches $14 Million in Local Grants to Help Address Social and Racial Equity Gaps
Second Annual ROAD Forward Grants Awarded to Nearly 700 Local Nonprofits Across U.S., Canada and Europe
ST. LOUIS, June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Enterprise Holdings, through the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, is awarding its ROAD Forward grants for the second consecutive year to nearly 700 local nonprofit organizations. The grants, totaling more than $7 million in 2022, will be distributed across the organization’s operating groups in the United States, Canada and Europe as part of a broader five-year, $55 million ROAD Forward commitment to advance social and racial equity.
Today’s announcement advances Enterprise’s ROAD Forward program, launched in 2020, to allocate $35 million over five years to its 70-plus global operating teams. The local grant program empowers the organization’s more than 75,000 employees to work on identifying social and racial equity issues in their communities and the local organizations best equipped to address them.
In addition to $35 million in local-market grants, the commitment includes $20 million across four renowned nonprofit organizations – The Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, UNCF, Girls Inc. and Parents as Teachers – to support young people in underserved communities.
“At Enterprise, we feel immense responsibility to contribute to the health of the communities where we live and work. Employees are invited to nominate organizations driving meaningful impact in their hometowns,” said Enterprise Holdings Foundation President Carolyn Kindle Betz. “In the program’s second year, ROAD Forward’s local grants will enable nearly 700 nonprofit organizations to drive progress in three key social equity areas: early childhood development, youth health and wellness, and career and college preparation.”
The 2022 local grant recipients were selected from an outstanding slate of applications submitted by employees on behalf of local nonprofits. Notable recipients of the grants include:
- In the U.S.: One Hundred Black Men, a New York-based organization that supports childhood success through mentorship; The Bridge Builders Foundation in Southern California, which focuses on career and college preparation by pushing to remove barriers of race, poverty and ignorance; the Girls Empowerment Network of North Texas which aims to improve youth health and wellness by empowering elementary school girls.
- In Canada: More than 65 organizations including Le Carrefour d’Action Interculturelle, which provides immigrants with resources through personalized support and social-cultural activities and drives awareness of challenges faced; and La Maison D’Haiti which focuses on immigrants, and works to welcome, educate, integrate, and improve their living conditions.
- Across Europe: More than 65 organizations including Fundación MAPFRE in Spain, an organization committed to improving people’s well-being and social progress as well as Children’s Books Ireland, an organization which aims to inspire and enable children to become readers for life.
- In addition, approximately 70% of the organizations, including the Houston Health Foundation, Fresh Start Recovery (Canada) and Freundeskreis Arche Frankfurt am Main e.V. (Frankfurt) are being awarded a grant for the second year in a row.
“At Enterprise, the lifeblood of our work is people—the people who serve our customers, the people who do business with us, and the people who make up our communities. And we have a role to play in helping break down barriers to opportunity in neighborhoods around the world,” said Enterprise Holdings Chief Diversity Officer Errin Braddock. “ROAD Forward demonstrates one step we are taking to drive continued progress in this area by empowering our people to lift up their own communities and support the organizations that are making a true difference.”
Enterprise Holdings first announced the ROAD Forward commitment in November 2020. The initiative focuses on Respect, Opportunity, Achievement and Diversity (ROAD) for youth and families by helping to address three areas in need of urgent attention: early childhood development, youth health and wellness, and career and college preparation.
- Early childhood development: The foundation for future success is built on access to preschool, pre-K, kindergarten and other opportunities for introducing learning and literacy. We believe in laying the building blocks of empowerment through early development and education to generate enthusiasm for lifelong learning.
- Youth health and wellness: Health disparities are unfortunate symptoms of racial and socioeconomic inequality. We’re supporting the creation of opportunities to engage in positive behaviors that nurture physical and mental well-being. This enables self-sufficiency and closes the gap in healthy outcomes among our youth.
- Career and college preparation: The transition from childhood to adulthood is a crucial time for establishing a productive and healthy life. We’re investing in programs and organizations that provide college admissions and financial aid guidance, exposure and access to employers, career development coaching, skills training, and interview preparation. Equal access to these critical resources promotes long-term financial stability and mobility.
The first ROAD Forward grants were distributed in 2021 and totaled more than $7 million across nearly 700 nonprofits in local communities in the United States, Canada and Europe. This year’s grants bring Enterprise’s total allocation in 2021 and 2022 to approximately $34 million across both local ($14 million) and national ($20 million) nonprofits.
For more information about Enterprise Holdings’ philanthropic initiatives, visit https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/corporate-social-responsibility/philanthropic-initiatives.html.
Enterprise Holdings, Inc. is a leading provider of mobility solutions, owning and operating the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands through its integrated global network of independent regional subsidiaries. Enterprise Holdings and its affiliates offer extensive car rental, carsharing, truck rental, fleet management, retail car sales, as well as travel management and other transportation services, to make travel easier and more convenient for customers. Privately held by the Taylor family of St. Louis, Mo., Enterprise Holdings manages a diverse fleet of more than 1.85 million vehicles through a network of nearly 10,000 fully staffed neighborhood and airport rental locations in more than 90 countries and territories.
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