For the second consecutive year, Comcast NBCUniversal was recognized as one of America’s most community-minded companies by The Civic 50, an annual initiative that identifies and recognizes companies for their commitment to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business. The company also ranked first among its communications industry peers. Points of Light, the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteer service, conducted the survey in partnership with Bloomberg LP. All companies with $1 billion in revenue or more are invited to apply for The Civic 50.
The Comcast Foundation has donated more than $18 million in 2014 to nonprofit organizations in the communities it serves nationwide, and since 1999, it has donated nearly $158 million. In addition to the grants from the Comcast Foundation, Comcast NBCUniversal also responds to community needs through local sponsorships and in-kind support, such as airing public service announcements, employee volunteerism, and providing technology equipment and services to organizations across the country.
“We are honored to receive this recognition and have a longstanding commitment to leveraging our global assets to connect and strengthen communities to address some of the nation’s most critical issues, including improving digital literacy,” said Charisse R. Lillie, Vice President of Community Investment for Comcast Corporation and President of the Comcast Foundation. “Giving back is a significant part of the Comcast NBCUniversal culture, and we strongly believe in fostering a civically-engaged workforce.”
The Civic 50 was created in 2012 to measure corporate civic engagement and recognize companies that incorporate socially responsible practices and community leadership into their culture. A working group of leading researchers, industry thought leaders, and corporate advisors provided strategic guidance on the program’s objectives, including defining indicators, developing methodology and identifying partners and participants.
Comcast NBCUniversal empowers communities throughout the year by investing in local organizations, developing programs and partnerships, and using our resources to connect people and inspire positive and substantive change. The company’s community
investment efforts are highlighted by two signature initiatives, Comcast Cares Day and Internet Essentials.
Comcast Cares Day is the company’s decade-plus celebration of service and the nation’s largest single-day corporate volunteer effort. Every spring, tens of thousands of employees, families, friends and local partners join together to make a difference in the communities we serve. In 2014, a record 95,000 volunteers contributed 570,000 hours to
improve more than 820 parks, schools, beaches, senior centers, and other vital community sites around the world. Since the first Comcast Cares Day in 2001, more than 600,000 volunteers have contributed 3.7 million hours of service.
In 2011, Comcast launched Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program, with a focus on closing the digital divide and connecting more low-income Americans to the Internet. In just three years, the program has connected more than 350,000 families, or 1.4 million low-income Americans, to the power of the Internet at home.
Comcast NBCUniversal also recently announced a new five-year national partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America that includes the launch of My.Future, a new technology initiative designed to teach Club members about our digital world and ignite their passion for technology. Additionally, the company has a longstanding partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and launched its Beyond School Walls program in 2008, which has grown to become the nation’s largest workplace mentoring program with the organization.
The Civic 50 survey was developed this year under the guidance of an academic panel of nine experts from leading universities throughout the country. The survey evaluates companies based on several criteria, including how extensively and strategically resources are applied to community engagement and how a community engagement program supports business interests and integrates into business functions. Other criteria include how a company supports community engagement through its institutional policies, systems, and incentives, and how a company measures the social and business impact of its community engagement program. True Impact, a company specializing in helping organizations maximize and measure their social and business value, administered the survey.