Salesforce Philanthropy Q4 Recap: Catalyzing Education, Environment, and Economic Opportunity
Becky Ferguson
Editor’s Note: AI Cloud, Einstein GPT, and other cloud GPT products are now Einstein. For the latest on Salesforce Einstein, go here.
Giving back is built into Salesforce’s DNA. When the company was founded 24 years ago, we committed to giving back 1% of our time, 1% of equity, and 1% of product to our communities – and that was before we even had anything to give.
Now, as we turn our focus to a new fiscal year, we reflect on the incredible impact this model has driven to date. At the close of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023 (January 31, 2023), Salesforce has:
- Donated a total of $614 million in grants
- Provided 7.8 million employee service hours
- Supported more than 50,000 nonprofit and higher education customers through our software
Read on to learn how our fourth quarter funds made an impact.
Expanding support to 20 new grantees of the Salesforce Catalyst Fund
In the fourth quarter, Salesforce broadened the impact of its Catalyst Fund by providing $2 million in flexible capital to 20 new grantees – including 10 Black-led organizations forging pathways to education and career success for U.S. youth, and 3 organizations closing the education gap and creating career pathways for Indigenous students in Australia.
The Salesforce Catalyst Fund, which launched in June, supports 20 nonprofits in Australia, the UK, and the United States, and provides critical, unrestricted capital to nonprofits led by underrepresented leaders to counter historic gaps in philanthropic investments.
Click through the slideshow to see some of the latest Catalyst Fund recipients and their goals:
Elevating economic opportunity through giving
Today talent is everywhere — but opportunity is not. Only about 7% of people have college degrees, and many from underserved communities lack access to the education and networking opportunities needed to secure jobs in technology.
In the fourth quarter, we accelerated our longstanding mission to widen access to economic opportunity by providing $1 million total in grants to COOP Careers and Ivy Tech as they work to expand career opportunities in their communities.
Accelerating progress on $100M climate commitment
In the fourth quarter, we made strides towards Salesforce’s $100 million climate commitment, bringing total progress to date to $12 million. We also launched the Salesforce Accelerator for Nature to provide nonprofits with unrestricted funding, technology, and pro-bono support. The first cohort of the Accelerator is supporting Global Forest Generation (GFG), GreenWave, Island Conservation, and Rainforest Connection – helping ecopreneurs bring promising solutions to market.
Providing disaster relief to communities in need
At Salesforce, we are committed to supporting our communities, particularly in a time of crisis. We help prevent the impacts of future disasters through our technology and philanthropic grants, prepare humanitarian NGOs with proactive investments before disaster strikes, and empower our employees with the tools and resources to safely and effectively respond.
In response to the recent Turkey-Syria Earthquake, our early investments in disaster relief jumpstarted response efforts for our humanitarian partners, CARE, Save the Children, IFRC, and World Central Kitchen, so they could be on the ground within 24-48 hours. Within a matter of days, Salesforce employees mobilized a grassroots campaign to raise more than $850,000 in employee donations and corporate matching.
Within a matter of weeks, Salesforce employees mobilized a grassroots campaign to raise nearly $1 million in employee donations and corporate matching.
Moving forward, our vision remains focused on using our business as a platform for change and leveraging our philanthropy to build a more equitable and sustainable world for all. We look forward to the many opportunities ahead to drive impact in 2023 and beyond.
More information:
- See last quarter’s giving impact here
- Learn more about Salesforce Philanthropy
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