Posted on February 3, 2012

UPS Foundation Awards $6 Million for Diversity Programs

The UPS Foundation has announced grants totaling $6 million to nearly a hundred and twenty organizations working to promote diversity and support underserved and underrepresented communities across the country.

The grants include more than $450,000 to the National Organization on Disability, Paralyzed Veterans of America, the National Federation of the Blind, and other organizations working to support the economic empowerment and workforce transition of people with disabilities; and more than $450,000 to organizations that provide youth leadership and mentorship opportunities, including 100 Black Men of America, Girls Inc., the National Hispana Leadership Institute, and the Japanese American Citizens League.

Other recipients include the National Council of La Raza, which was awarded $750,000 in support of its efforts to implement a regional strategy focused on capacity building for Latino community organizations; the NAACP, which received $655,000 for educational programs and events; the American Indian College Fund and Brigham Young University, which received $235,000 in support of scholarships for Native American students; and the Organization of Chinese Americans, which was awarded $200,000 in support of its scholarship program for "first-in-family" Asian American college students.

"Supporting diversity is the largest area of our funding," said UPS Foundation president Ken Sternad. "We have long sought to help bridge opportunity gaps in areas like economic empowerment, education, leadership, mentorship, and advocacy. Through these grants, we are helping many great organizations improve lives and create opportunities."