JPMorgan Chase employees work to make a difference

MANILA, Philippines - At JPMorgan Chase, one of the world’s largest and most influential global financial institutions, corporate responsibility continues to evolve. While it gives more than $100 million yearly through grants and sponsorships to thousands of non-profit organizations around the world, its philanthropic goal remains simple. It strives to be a catalyst for meaningful, positive and sustainable impact in communities that it supports.

For that, in 2011 Fortune magazine voted JPMorgan Chase number one in social responsibility, ranking it ahead of every other commercial and investment bank as the most admired company in the world.

As it does in other communities around the world, JPMorgan Chase is doing its part in the Philippines.  Since 2007, the company has been deeply committed to doing good works in targeted communities, partnering with community-based organizations for community development, education, and arts and culture initiatives. Its social investment in the country ranges from providing literacy programs for underprivileged children to improving health and nutrition habits in children and adults, and training local residents to become entrepreneurs.

The company is a founding donor to The Mind Museum, which provides grants for the construction of the facility under the auspices of the Bonifacio Art Foundation. Partnering with Ayala Foundation, the firm also works to improve the public school system by providing teacher-training programs under the Center for Excellence in Public Elementary Education (CENTEX) schools.

At present, some 500 children are benefiting from the JPMorgan Chase community development program in Baseco, Tondo, Manila, by providing these children access to education, health and nutrition as well as livelihood projects for the families in partnership with the World Vision Development Foundation.

In the same community, the company has also partnered with ABS-CBN Bayan Academy for “Entrep-Eskwela,” a social entrepreneurship education program that includes training programs for grassroots entrepreneurship and management. A unique feature of the program involves JPMorgan Chase employees mentoring community residents on growing their livelihood projects to become real enterprises.

What makes the charitable works of JPMorgan Chase Philippines special is its drive toward employee volunteerism. More than 11,000 JPMorgan Chase staff members have volunteered their time and skills to make a meaningful impact on the communities in which they live and work.

This year, JPMorgan Chase will roll out a new global employee volunteer program in the Philippines, which allows employees to create a personal volunteer file online and indicate his or her particular interest areas for community service.  The new program will also create a volunteer leadership group, which will help develop and implement annual volunteerism plans that reflect the needs of the market, and establish a mechanism for the company to determine monetary grants that match employee volunteer hours.

“Our employees are an integral part of JPMorgan Chase’s initiatives to give back to the communities it serves,” said Roberto L. Panlilio, JPMorgan Chase Philippine senior country officer. “By volunteering their time and skills for the community service opportunities of their choice, the company is able to invest its philanthropy funds to support programs and partners effectively through the fund matching program.

“As a leading global financial services firm with operations in the Philippines, our volunteerism initiative is enough reason for many Filipinos to want to work with us,” he added.

These investments and partnerships, as well as the mobilization of its employee volunteers, enable JPMorgan Chase Philippines to increase its positive influence on children, families and communities in the country.