ExxonMobil renews commitment to women’s economic empowerment
IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In recognition of International Women’s Day, ExxonMobil announced that it is providing $7 million in grants in 2018 to renew support for local and global organizations working to empower women economically.
Grants made this year will continue ExxonMobil’s longstanding support for efforts to increase research into new methods to advance women economically, assist women, entrepreneurs, to grow their businesses, bolster women’s financial literacy and ability to invest and save, and improve the productivity of women farmers.
“We invest in programs that are proven to provide women with the skills, training and support systems needed to increase their productivity and income,” said Kevin Murphy, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. “We know from comprehensive research that when women move forward, the world moves with them.”
ExxonMobil has invested a total of $120 million in its Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative since it began in 2015, supporting dozens of initiatives that have benefitted tens of thousands of women in more than 90 countries.
One of this year’s investments will culminate in a new initiative, She Counts, which will be launched at the Council on Foreign Relations on March 22. She Counts will work with financial service providers to help women save securely, invest in their business and transform their lives. Since 2015, ExxonMobil has worked with partners like Women’s World Banking, the Center for Global Development, Technoserve, Mercy Corps, the World Bank and other financial institutions to establish a new platform to put savings and financial tools in the hands of women, enabling them to plan for a more prosperous future.
ExxonMobil’s Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative focuses on data-based, proven interventions that help women become more fully participatory in the economic life of their communities – and funds initiatives that correspond with the findings of the ExxonMobil-commissioned Roadmap for Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment .
ExxonMobil is also a founding member of the Global Business Coalition for Women’s Economic Empowerment which harnesses the power of the private sector in fostering systemic economic change for women.
In addition to grant-making, ExxonMobil spends approximately $350 million each year with women-owned businesses. WEConnect International, an organization that identifies and certifies women-owned businesses, has announced that it will honor ExxonMobil with its 2018 Corporate Member of the Year award in early April.
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