Community Engagement
PPG and the PPG Foundation invest in building the next generation of diverse and innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) leaders, delivering community transformations through our Colorful Communities projects and activating the talent of our employees. From helping students thrive to aiding our neighbors in times of need, our community engagement activities support our company's purpose to protect and beautify the world.
| Target | 2023 progress |
| $5 million additional commitment to Colorful Communities projects globally by 2030, with all projects incorporating an element of sustainability, making the total investment $15 million since 2015 | $13.8 million donated by end of 2023, 92% of committed funding |
| $20 million by 2025 to advance racial equity in the U.S. by funding educational pathways for Black communities and people of color | $18.1 million donated by end of 2023, 89% of committed funding |
Other funding commitments
| Commitment | 2023 progress |
| NEW in 2023 $2 million to support workforce development initiatives through 2025 | $800,000 donated by end of 2023, 40% of committed funding |
| NEW in 2023 $5 million commitment by 2030 to environmental sustainability education, aligned with climate action and a more circular economy | $450,000 donated by end of 2023, 9% of committed funding |
In 2023, PPG Global Giving and the PPG Foundation donated more than $17.5 million in total. More than 2,500 worldwide PPG volunteers* contributed more than 25,000 hours of their time. We partnered with more than 450 community organizations across 40 countries, to ensure our funding and volunteer hours were put to the best possible use in communities where we live and work.
PPG and the PPG Foundation announced two new funding commitments in 2023, $2 million to support workforce development programs through 2025 and $5 million to support environmental sustainability education programs by 2030. These commitments reflect our focus on ensuring the future workforce has the skills and knowledge to succeed, regardless of where their career journey takes them.
Our community engagement programs are organized along three pillars:
- Education
- Community sustainability
- Employee engagement
*Volunteers only include those from Colorful Communities projects
Community engagement around the world
PPG and the PPG Foundation aim to bring color and brightness to communities around the world. We supported hundreds of organizations across more than 40 countries in 2023. By investing in educational opportunities and transforming community assets, we help grow today's skilled workforce and develop tomorrow's innovators.
Sumaré, Brazil: PPG employee volunteers in Sumaré, Brazil, partnered with participants in the "Attitude for the Planet" program, a collaboration with Junior Achievement Brazil that addresses the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability.
Nickerie, Suriname: Colorful Communities project volunteers helped to revitalize the OS Skroetjie primary school.
Jingmen, China: Combining PPG's Colorful Communities program with the Chevrolet Red Chalk teacher support program for schools in rural regions, New Paint for a New Start completed a colorful makeover at Caochang Primary School. Caochang, a rural school that serves seven villages with a total population of over 13,000, is currently home to more than 470 students and educators.
Dahej, India: Volunteers from PPG and Asian Paints helped revitalize the Dahej Kanyashala primary school for girls.
Valladolid and Camarma de Esteruelas, Spain: PPG supported girls' interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields at our Valladolid and Camarma de Esteruelas automotive sites through our longstanding national partnership with STEM Talent Girl.
Vantaa, Finland: PPG provided a grant to the Finnish Science Centre, Heureka to support STEM education and workshops for young students.
Pretoria, South Africa: PPG volunteers participated in a New Paint for a New Start project to refurbish more than 10 school buildings, including 33 classrooms, at the Mamelodi Secondary School.
Denver, Colorado: PPG employees participated in a New Paint for A New Start project at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College. The project brought a fresh coat of paint to classrooms, hallways and offices, and was complemented by a STEM grant to support programs like state competitions and certification classes.
Education
PPG has a longstanding commitment to support education in the communities where we operate. Our goal is to build the next generation of diverse and innovative science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) leaders by inspiring learning and cultivating careers for students of all ages. In 2023, we reached more than three million students across the range of educational programming that we support.
In 2023, PPG and the PPG Foundation announced two new educational commitments: a $2 million commitment to support workforce development initiatives through 2025 and a $5 million commitment to support environmental education by 2030. Both of these commitments aim to support the next generation of innovators. Our workforce development commitment will introduce students to a diverse array of high-tech career paths within modern industry and provide them with educational opportunities to pursue fields such as advanced manufacturing, automotive collision repair, automotive refinishing and painting, and decorative and industrial painting. The environmental education commitment will provide students and teachers with education on a range of topics related to climate action and circularity, including recycling and reuse, clean energy, climate change, energy efficiency and more. As with all of our support for educational programming, these commitments are geared toward preparing students for future STEM careers.
STEM education with ScienceFest
PPG and the PPG Foundation are focused on inspiring and supporting young people with an interest in STEM. In 2023, PPG partnered with VědaFest, or ScienceFest, the largest open-air science event in Czechia.
During the event, PPG sought to inspire young minds through interactive experiments, handson activities and demonstrations. Visitors had the opportunity to participate in experiments to explore water repellency, create color-changing fabrics, develop "blue" photos using a cyanotype process, test out glowing solutions and more.
Czech artist Klaudie Svrckova captured these experiences on canvas using PRIMALEX™ paints by PPG, which were then donated to the House of Children and Youth of the Capital Prague.
With PPG's support, the festival delivered educational inspiration to hundreds of student participants. By supporting educational events like ScienceFest, PPG is helping to develop the next generation of STEM innovators.
Educators NEED energy education
In the fall of 2023, PPG and the PPG Foundation teamed up with National Energy Education Development (NEED) to host a series of Energy Education Workshops. NEED's mission is to promote an energy conscious and educated society by creating effective networks of students, educators, business, government and community leaders.
The goal of the Energy Education Workshops was to create starting points and classroom inspirations for STEM careers that can help to address climate change and protect our environment. PPG employees and leadership volunteered their time to participate, providing an overview of sustainability and renewable energy practices at PPG. The workshops equipped approximately 60 teachers with hands on training, activities, and tools to take back to their classrooms in Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
This partnership between NEED and the PPG Foundation aligns with PPG's commitment to invest $5 million by 2030 in educational programming related to environmental sustainability. Learn more about the educational programs we support on our Communities website.
Our $20 million commitment to advance racial equity in the U.S. also centers around education. We are focused on funding educational pathways for Black communities and people of color to help support equity in STEM fields. To that end, we have made 89% progress and are on track to meet our commitment ahead of schedule. Funding has supported a wide variety of educational programs, including Colorful Communities projects in diverse communities, social justice partnerships, and other programs identified by PPG employees and community partners. Learn more about our work to advance racial equity in the diversity, equity and inclusion section.
STREAM Global Innovations partnership
Particularly in under-resourced communities, many young people face systemic barriers that limit their exposure to professional mentorship and career opportunities. PPG is committed to supporting education and career development in our communities around the world.
In 2023, PPG continued our longstanding partnership with S.T.R.E.A.M.™ Global Innovations (STREAM), a global non-profit focused on connecting the dots between education and career access in under-resourced communities. PPG and STREAM co-hosted events at local schools, where PPG volunteers interacted directly with students – bringing professional experience and innovation into the classroom. Beyond these events, members of PPG’s Black Employee Network and Latino Employee Network connected directly with student groups.
Over the course of the year, we reached more than 2,700 students and almost 100 teachers and school staff through this partnership. We're continuing to develop our partnership, with events already planned around the country for 2024.
Celebrating 500 Colorful Communities Projects
In October 2023, we celebrated the completion of our 500th Colorful Communities project – a colorful and transformational makeover at Carnegie Science Center in PPG's hometown of Pittsburgh. More than 80 volunteers marked the milestone by creating science-themed murals and applying fresh paint and color in learning spaces around the center.
Over the course of the 500 projects completed since 2015, PPG employee volunteers have reached diverse communities and important spaces in need of bright and colorful transformations, positively impacting more than 9.2 million people in 50 countries. Since its inception, the program has:
- Used nearly 52,500 gallons of paint to create spaces where students are encouraged to learn and thrive, patients and their families feel hope and support, and communities are inspired
- Completed projects at more than 40 community centers and nearly 30 hospitals or healthcare facilities
- Reached students in more than 140 educational spaces to provide environments where young learners feel engaged and supported
- Used PPG expertise to elevate the positive impact that color can have on a space
- Empowered nearly 25,000 volunteers to spend over 160,000 hours revitalizing important spaces
Community sustainability
The Colorful Communities program, PPG's signature initiative for supporting communities, aims to protect and beautify the neighborhoods where PPG operates around the world. We bring together committed volunteers and PPG paint to bring colorful transformations to schools, hospitals, and other community spaces. Our employees completed 60 Colorful Communities projects in 2023, bringing the total number of projects completed to more than 500 since the program's inception in 2015.
A central component of the Colorful Communities program is our New Paint for a New Start initiative, which focuses on using color to create engaging environments for students to learn and grow. During the months of June, July and August 2023, the New Paint for a New Start initiative transformed 27 schools and impacted more than 12,200 students and educators.
Employee engagement
We strive to activate the talent and time of our global network of employees to make a difference where they live, work and play. PPG employees use their time, talents and financial resources to support causes they believe in. In 2023, our people brought their expertise to bear for a total of 25,000 volunteer hours, including by participating in career panels, mentoring opportunities, and volunteering in classrooms to foster a love of STEM.
For more detailed information about our ongoing approach to community engagement, visit PPG.com
Learn more about PPG's community engagement activities and read the most recent updates at PPG.com
Community sustainability and disaster relief
In 2023, PPG and the PPG Foundation donated more than $6.2 million to community sustainability and disaster relief efforts. These donations go to organizations like the Red Cross, as well as local government agencies dedicated to helping those impacted by disasters or humanitarian crises.
In Emilia-Romagna, Italy, PPG contributed a disaster relief grant and matched employee donations to recovery efforts following catastrophic flooding that affected more than 50,000 people across 100 towns and cities. PPG supported similar disaster relief projects in Turkey, Slovenia and Morocco over the course of the year.
Image Copyright
Regione Emilia-Romagna A.I.C.G.
2023 Data highlights
Giving by Priority Area
| 2023 | |
| Education | $10.3 million |
| Community Sustainability | $6.2 million |
| Employee Engagement | $966,000 |
2023 Community Investments
| 2023 | |
| Community engagement related marketing | $379,500 |
| Colorful Communities program | $2,600,000 |
| Business unit contributions | $1,928,000 |
| Global giving grants | $2,616,000 |
| PPG Foundation | $9,494,000 |
| Product donations | $495,500 |
| Employee volunteer hours | 25,000 |