Our giving strategy is focused on key areas in order to have the greatest impact possible. Further, we believe that there are several ways that we can assess what kind of systemic change we are helping to drive. It is the combination of these drivers that help us determine impact.
Our key drivers of impact are:
- dollars and programs leveraged;
- program reach;
- leadership development; and
- employee engagement.
Following are some outcomes of our programs in 2011.
STRATEGIC FOCUS AREAS
Arts & Culture
Altria's grants are focused on innovative programs to develop new audiences and increase access to the arts. In 2011, more than 900,000 people experienced Altria-sponsored arts & culture events in Richmond and Washington, D.C. We supported the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as presenting sponsor of its landmark Picasso exhibition – showcasing Richmond as the show’s only East Coast venue and providing nearly $29 million of economic impact to Virginia. We also continued our sponsorship of the Richmond Jazz Festival and the Richmond Folk Festival, bringing world-class musicians to our headquarters community. Altria also partnered as a major performing arts sponsor with the John F. Kennedy Center and many other leading cultural, performing and visual arts groups in Washington, D.C.
Education
Altria and its companies focus their education contributions, in part, on programs to strengthen students’ experiences in urban middle and high schools. In 2011, Higher Achievement opened two after-school learning centers in Richmond, Va., with start up support from Altria. Altria also announced a $1 million grant to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to support certification of minority math and science teachers in priority communities.
Environment
Altria contributed to programs in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. that address water quality issues in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This giving included support for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Chesapeake Bay Stewardship program. Altria’s contribution to NFWF leveraged additional support from the EPA, the USDA and local organizations – contributing to greater impact and sustainability in the Chesapeake Bay.
In 2011, Keep America Beautiful implemented the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program in 252 communities and other sites across America, reducing cigarette litter on average by 54 percent. Now in its ninth year, more than 1,000 locations have implemented the program.
In our operating communities, some of the activities Altria supported include:
- planting 100 rain gardens in Nashville to mitigate storm water runoff;
- assisting 15 Philadelphia area municipalities in identifying and measuring areas with high potential for watershed pollution;
- monitoring and recording beach health in the Great Lakes; and
- educating Richmond city homeowners on best management practices needed to protect a local creek.
Positive Youth Development
Altria’s tobacco companies support LifeSkills® Training, a positive youth development and risky behavior prevention program for middle school students that has been found to reduce tobacco, alcohol and other drug use by 50-75 percent. During the 2010-2011 school year, nearly 100,000 middle school youth across ten Southeastern states and Washington, D.C. received LifeSkills® Training. An additional 98 schools representing about 13,000 youth will receive the program during the 2011-2012 school year.
Positive youth development grants made by our tobacco operating companies in 2011 are projected to reach 1.5 million youth through 2012.
Employee Involvement
To support our employees’ passion and encourage contribution of their time and talent, Altria offers several charitable giving and volunteerism programs.
In 2011:
- 64 percent of executives at Altria and its operating companies served on nonprofit boards – a 28 percent increase over 2010;
- the Altria Companies Employee Community Fund (ACECF), an employee run non-profit organization that serves as the cornerstone of our employee involvement programs, awarded $2.55 million to 113 organizations; and
- our companies' employees, their friends and families volunteered more than 27,000 hours of community service in company-sponsored events.
