GE Aerospace today announced the launch of the GE Aerospace Foundation, celebrating a new chapter that builds on the more than 100 year-legacy of the previous GE Foundation. The GE Aerospace Foundation’s philanthropic strategy and programs will help fulfill the company’s purpose to “lift people up” in GE Aerospace communities, with a focus on workforce development, disaster relief and amplifying the efforts of GE Aerospace employees.
“The responsibility to support and strengthen the communities where we live and work is one that GE Aerospace takes seriously,” said GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. “The launch of the GE Aerospace Foundation will help transform local communities and develop a stronger workforce for the future by leveraging our unique expertise as a global leading aerospace company. We are proud to carry on a 100-year legacy of positive impact, and I look forward to seeing the GE Aerospace Foundation continue to make a difference for many years to come.”
The Foundation’s programs will focus on three core areas and represent more than $22 million in new programming through 2030. Efforts will include cultivating a robust and diverse workforce in the manufacturing and engineering industries, investing in humanitarian and community programs that have demonstrated efficacy in global impact, and amplifying employee engagement worldwide.
The Middle East has received nearly $2 million dollars in total Foundation related giving over the past 10 years, which includes grants and related programming.
“We are immensely proud to oversee this next chapter of philanthropic support with a focus on a stronger future workforce, disaster relief and amplifying employee giving,” said GE Aerospace Foundation President Meghan Thurlow. “We look forward to expanding our work supporting communities around the globe and advancing the development of a more diverse and skilled industry.”
Next Engineers and STEM education
The Foundation has committed $20 million through 2030 to expand Next Engineers, a global program working to increase the diversity of young workers in engineering, bridging the gap from middle school to college. The Next Engineers program has reached nearly 18,000 students to date. The GE Aerospace Foundation announced today that it will extend the successful Cincinnati program through 2028. The Foundation also announced it will expand the Next Engineers program to four additional cities, including Warsaw, Poland with additional sites to be announced in coming years.
Workforce development
In response to growing aviation and manufacturing workforce demands, the GE Aerospace Foundation will donate $2 million to support workforce development programs. A new $1 million workforce development partnership with United Way of Greater Cincinnati will position the GE Aerospace Foundation as the convener of various worker skills programs in the area, bringing them under one umbrella to share best practices and lessons learned. This will help increase awareness of existing programs, bolstering engagement and benefitting workers, employers and the community. The GE Aerospace Foundation is also proud to continue supporting the Advanced Manufacturing Training and Expansion Program (AMTEP), which helps build a sustainable and ready-to-work talent pipeline across Massachusetts’ North Shore.
Disaster relief and humanitarian efforts
Drawing on GE Aerospace’s people, technology, and other resources, the Foundation announced a $2 million commitment to disaster relief and humanitarian aid, including a $1 million partnership with Airlink Flight in recognition of the important role aviation plays in disaster response.
Matching Gifts program
The Foundation is also proud to continue its Matching Gifts program, bolstering employee efforts in their personal philanthropy, and the STAR Awards program providing competitive scholarships to children of eligible GE Aerospace employees around the world. GE created the concept of corporate matching gifts in 1954, with donations and matching exceeding $1.5 billion since inception. The STAR Awards program has provided more than $21 million in financial support through more than 15,000 awards since its launch in 1984.
The creation of the GE Aerospace Foundation follows the launch of GE Aerospace as an independent public company on April 2, 2024, that is defining the future of flight.
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