The 2008 Educational Matching Gift Program, lead by ExxonMobil Foundation, presented more than $36 million in donations to 900 colleges and universities nationwide with help from the company’s employees, retirees, surviving spouses and directors, who made more than 8,500 contributions totaling more than $11 million.
ExxonMobil matched their contributions with more than $25 million in unrestricted educational grants to reach the grand total of $36 million. The program began in 1962 and has since awarded $398 million to higher education institutions in the U.S. Through the matching program, donors can give $7,500 per year to colleges or universities with which they are affiliated, the American Indian College Foundation, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the United Negro College Fund, and donations are matched three to one.
“These donations are a remarkable testament to the value ExxonMobil employees and retirees place on higher education,” said Kenneth Cohen, vice president of public affairs and chairman of the ExxonMobil Foundation. “We’re investing in the future, campus by campus, by providing these much needed dollars for colleges and universities to increase their level of excellence.”
ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic division or Exxon Mobil Corp. in the U.S.