Month: May 2023

Originally published in Bloomberg’s 2022 Impact Report
 
The world is in transition, moving away from a past powered and polluted by fossil fuels and heading towards a future that runs on clean and renewable energy. We aren’t nearly as far along as we should be in order to avoid the worst harms of climate change. But the right tools and support can help companies and policymakers pick up the pace — and at Bloomberg, we’re working harder than ever to provide them. 

In 2022, Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies led a number of new efforts to increase access to data that can help our customers, and public and private sector leaders around the world, make more informed decisions about climate risks and opportunities. Transparency can play a powerful role in helping to accelerate the global economy’s transition to net-zero emissions, and this work is part of our broader effort to provide valuable data, research and insights on a wide-range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, as this report details. 

One of the biggest steps we took in 2022 occurred at the United Nations’ COP27 climate conference in Egypt. We joined French President Emmanuel Macron in announcing recommendations for a new public data portal that will provide accurate corporate climate-related data in one place for the first time, increasing transparency. Also during the summit, the FAST-Infra Group announced that Bloomberg will help lead the implementation of a labeling system that will allow investors to see whether certain infrastructure projects, like electricity transmission grids and data centers, meet sustainability criteria, with the goal of driving more capital to sustainable infrastructure. 

Meanwhile, our work with the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) took important steps forward. Our coalition launched new tools to help financial firms develop credible plans for cutting emissions across their portfolios. Moving the global economy to net zero will require an enormous amount of new investment, and new strategies to support global economic growth without growing emissions. Financial institutions have a critical role to play, and through GFANZ, we’re working to knock down barriers that stand in the way. 

Of course, we’re also committed to leading by example. Almost 55 percent of Bloomberg’s global electricity is already sourced from renewable energy projects, and we are on track to achieve our goal of obtaining 100 percent of our electricity from certified renewable sources by 2025. In February 2023, the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) verified that our company’s targets are in line with the global emissions reductions needed to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C. 

Virtually all of our company’s profits go to fund the work of Bloomberg Philanthropies, which is leading programs around the world to cut emissions and grow cleaner energy. In 2022, we expanded our efforts to move the world beyond coal and increase access to clean, affordable energy in developing countries. In the U.S., we launched a new campaign to stop the expansion of petrochemical plants, which are a growing environmental and public health problem. At the same time, nearly 15,000 Bloomberg employees volunteered in community projects across the world in 2022. These included initiatives to protect the environment and programs to promote economic opportunity through training and mentoring. 

We’ve always believed in giving back to the communities where we live and work, and in investing in our company’s most important asset: our people. The stronger and more diverse our team grows, the more we’ll succeed – and the bigger impact we can have, as this report shows. It’s a good summary of how, together, we are leading the way forward – and helping our customers and others to join us.
 

Read the full Bloomberg 2022 Impact Report here.

Created in 1998, the Suncor Energy Foundation (SEF) is a private, charitable foundation established by Suncor in 1998. Over 25 years, it has donated more than $260 million to support a wide variety of organizations.

The foundation is fully funded by Suncor and embodies the company’s purpose of caring for each other and the Earth by connecting business and community strengths to make a positive difference in society. Through partnerships and relationships with those who are courageously seeking solutions, SEF helps spark change and propel progress for generations ahead.

SEF believes in partnering and building relationships for the long term to bring a brighter world to life. These relationships need to be across multiple sectors as no one type of organization can solve the interconnected, complex challenges we’re facing in the world today.

Read the full story here.

Originally published in GoDaddy’s 2022 Sustainability Report

Venture Forward

At GoDaddy, our commitment to inclusive entrepreneurship is supported by what we know: that the long-term success of entrepreneurs and their microbusinesses supports the economic wellbeing and resilience of communities. That’s the core belief behind Venture Forward, a research initiative launched by GoDaddy in 2018 that captures the impact made by the over 20 million microbusinesses our customers created in the U.S. alone.

In 2022, Venture Forward conducted its fifth nationwide survey of more than 3,300 microbusiness entrepreneurs across the U.S. regarding their motivations, demographics and needs. The results of our survey illuminate several key trends and areas of opportunity, including:

Almost one-third of microbusinesses were created after the pandemic started. 
 Two-thirds of entrepreneurs started with less than $5,000, and more than two-thirds generate income from their microbusiness. 
 The number of Black women starting businesses since the pandemic began surged more than 100%, jumping from 11% of all businesses started before 2020 to 22% of all businesses founded since that year. 
 More than half of entrepreneurs started their business on the side, and 27% left their current job to start their business.

It’s easy to find examples of how microbusinesses positively impact their communities, but historically, there has been a lack of reliable, comprehensive data to quantify their profound impact — like increasing the median household income, creating jobs and lowering unemployment in their communities.

That lack of data makes it challenging for entrepreneurs — especially those in marginalized communities — to carve out a voice in the policy and technology debates that affect their businesses, including issues regarding credit access, taxation, broadband access, skills training, benefits portability or internet access.

With that in mind, we carefully considered the data we collect and the questions we ask. We engaged policymakers, elected officials and thought leaders. The conclusion is clear: These often overlooked entrepreneurs need support to realize their full potential.

Our Venture Forward data provides a foundation for changemakers to advocate for the resources and policies that the microbusinesses in their communities need to thrive, and it offers a better understanding of the economy at local and national levels.

Microbusiness Data Hub 

GoDaddy’s ambitious Venture Forward research enabled the launch of the Microbusiness Data Hub in 2022. The Microbusiness Data Hub offers unprecedented access to free, downloadable data on more than 20 million microbusinesses and the entrepreneurs who own them across geographies and industries.

Through the Microbusiness Data Hub, Venture Forward can support and accelerate the efforts of all those working to build stronger, more inclusive and equitable communities and economies. Updated quarterly, this data resource includes refreshed measurements of microbusiness density, our proprietary Microbusiness Activity Index, industry and online commerce insights, and ongoing survey responses from select markets across the U.S. since 2019.

Strategic Collaborations

We believe that strong outcomes can arise from data on microbusinesses being applied, and that’s why we curated valuable partnerships with organizations that help us elevate our mission to make opportunity more inclusive for all.

VENTURE FORWARD AND MYSIDEWALK
Venture Forward partnered with mySidewalk to launch an online tool that makes it easier for policymakers and other interested parties to access and understand information that highlights the economic impact of millions of microbusinesses. With tailored reports that are generated in seconds and updated automatically, the mySidewalk library also allows users to combine Venture Forward’s data with more than four billion data points for strategic benchmarking and comparisons.
 VENTURE FORWARD AND GILBERT, ARIZONA
In 2019, Venture Forward partnered with the town of Gilbert, Arizona. The goal was to create a community-specific, multistage survey to understand the needs of local microbusinesses and entrepreneurs. During the pandemic, the city used the Venture Forward data as a baseline and conducted the survey again. Those results were then leveraged by the city to build a data-informed COVID-19 recovery program that was executed into 2022. This collaboration was featured in the United States Conference of Mayors Business Council 2022 Best Practices Report.

GoDaddy Open

Our research shows that the overwhelming majority of businesses that started in 2020 or later want to grow within the next year. We know that when entrepreneurs have access to the right training, it pays off. That’s why we started GoDaddy Open, a program where we partner with cities to train and upskill local entrepreneur communities.

In October 2022, GoDaddy and Impact Hub Baltimore, our local Empower by GoDaddy partner, hosted more than 250 in-person attendees in Baltimore for an event called GoDaddy Open. Joined by the city’s mayor, our collective goal was to celebrate, upskill and inspire local entrepreneurs and microbusiness owners through presentations, educational sessions, and one-on-one help and advice from our GoDaddy Guides. As Bakari Jones from Impact Hub Baltimore said, “This event gave voice and legitimacy to a community that often gets left out.”

About This Report 
Unless otherwise noted, the GoDaddy 2022 Sustainability Report outlines our environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies, activities, progress, metrics and performance for the fiscal year that ended on December 31, 2022. This report references the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and includes select Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standards metrics for the Internet Media and Services sector.

GoDaddy is committed to regular, transparent communication about our sustainability progress, and to that end, we will share updates on an ongoing basis through our website and will continue to publish an annual Sustainability Report.

To learn more, please read our 2022 Sustainability Report.

In 2023, 500+ KFC restaurant employees received a KFC Foundation Scholarship. Of those, eleven KFC restaurant employees received a $20,000 scholarship, and hundreds received a $5,000 or $2,500 award.

The eleven $20,000 scholarship winners are:

Name

City/State

Job Role

Franchisee

Haili AustinCadillac, MITeam MemberBells & BirdsPaige TrosperDemotte, INShift SupervisorSecond GenBrandon PartidaSun City, AZTeam MemberSWF FoodsTrinity JensonLebanon, ORShift SupervisorThe Chick IncMarleesa MayWest Hartford, CTTeam MemberDE FoodsKaden ThomasAlma, ARTeam MemberKBP FoodsJaden ThompsonCincinnati, OHTeam MemberKBP FoodsWilfred NazarioChicopee, MATeam MemberHouston EnterprisesEsha PatelWhite House, TNTeam MemberAJS AssociatesValerie VazquezPerris, CAShift SupervisorRBDMara HeinoMarquette, MIShift SupervisorRoubekas Enterprises

 

Monika Khadka, KFC team member in Warrenton, Virginia (Franchisee: Mitra QSR), was awarded the Janet L. Kuhn Scholarship, which doubled her scholarship amount to a total of $10,000.

Five KFC Foundation Scholarship winners earned their high school credential through the KFC Foundation’s GED Achievement program—Brandon Gaby, Dominatrice Cantrell-Long, Rasheed Jellouli, Enrique Lavin Villanueva, and Chelora Trice.

Did you know… Anyone who earns their GED through the KFC Foundation and meets minimum eligibility requirements is guaranteed a $2,500 or $5,000 scholarship for college or trade school!

“We are proud to continue the KFC Family’s long history of philanthropy, inspired by Colonel Harland Sanders’ passion for helping people. Providing access to educational programs and resources for this hard-working group of students is just one of the ways the KFC Foundation impacts the lives of restaurant employees,” said Emma Horn, Executive Director of the KFC Foundation.

In addition to the scholarship program, the KFC Foundation also supports eligible KFC restaurant employees and their communities through the following charitable assistance programs:

Tuition-Free College – 100% tuition coverage when enrolled at Western Governor’s University® (WGU), an accredited online university dedicated to making higher education accessible for as many people as possible.GED Achievement – Unlimited access to GED preparation and testing and pairs students with a personal advisor, in partnership with GED Testing Service®. Offered in both English and Spanish.Financial Hardship Assistance – Financial assistance to KFC restaurant employees directly impacted by a severe hardship, crisis, or catastrophic incident beyond their control.Savings Match – $1 for $1 savings match opportunity to equip KFC restaurant employees with a short-term emergency fund and a long-term habit of saving money.Kentucky Fried Wishes – Community non-profit organizations can apply to receive a $10,000 grant to make a project on their wish list come true.

About the KFC Foundation

The KFC Foundation, an independent 501c3 organization, has provided over $28 million to support and empower more than 9,600 KFC restaurant employees, students and community non-profits across the U.S. The KFC Foundation’s charitable programs include GED achievement, college scholarships, tuition coverage, community giving, savings matching and financial hardship assistance, all made possible by at-register Round-Up donations, purchases of KFC’s Secret Recipe Fries and other donations. For more information, visit kfcfoundation.org. Visit our social channels: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn,

May 15, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Two innovators shaping the future of health across Africa — each tackling unique health systems challenges faced within the continent — have been recognized with the GBCHealth Future United Africa Award during an awards ceremony at the Africa-UK Health Summit in London in April.

The Future United Africa Awards highlight exceptional Africa-based innovators, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs or organizations who are achieving extraordinary results – or demonstrating extraordinary potential – towards improving health on the African continent. Now more than ever, the global health community needs to strengthen support for Africa-based innovators who are taking creative and bold approaches to increasing access to health care and driving progress towards health equity. By helping to shine a light on these trailblazers, we can catalyze collaboration around their solutions to lead to greater impact.

Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural Future United Africa Awards – Healing Hands of Joy and Rescue.co. 

Healing Hands of Joy – winner of the 2023 Future United Africa Award for non-profits – is doing incredible work eliminating obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. Their holistic solution for rehabilitating & reintegrating women after fistula treatment is changing the lives of thousands of women in need. And their innovative ‘Safe Motherhood Ambassador’ model addresses local problems with local solutions & resources – creating a generation of ambassadors to help promote the use of maternal health services, as well as working to turn the men in these women’s lives into allies for fistula prevention and recovery.

Rescue.co – winner of the 2023 Future United Africa Award for for-profit organizations – is Kenya’s largest emergency response and connected healthcare provider. Their solution can dispatch the nearest medical responder to anyone needing emergency rescue thanks to a cloud-native mobile & IoT solution that aggregates available first responders from fragmented public & private organizations into a real-time platform. They’ve reached nearly 1.9 million people to date and are expecting to reach over 10 million people in the next 3 years.

The Summit brought together around 200 leaders from African and UK governments, the private sector, UN entities, researchers, philanthropists, NGOs, and NHS staff from diaspora communities to create robust, ground-breaking, cross-sectoral collaborations that will deliver change and lead to global health improvements.

The 2023 Future United Africa Awards were made possible by the support of the Aliko Dangote Foundation. The Award follows the global Future United launch and the inaugural Future United Awards in September 2022.

“Future United is a global initiative harnessing the power of the private sector to fight for – and achieve – health equity, and address emerging and underappreciated health issues,” said Lesley-Anne Long, President & CEO of GBCHealth. “The 2023 Future United Africa Awards go to two organizations with immense potential, and we’ve already seen promising opportunities for growth resulting from the award. We’d also like to congratulate the organizations shortlisted for the Award: Traffina Foundation, Triggerise, and Zuri Health, who – along with our other applicants – deserve as much recognition and support from the international community as this year’s winners.”

For more on Future United, including the upcoming call for nominations for the 2023 Future United Awards, sponsorship opportunities, and more geography-specific editions such as the Future United Africa Awards, follow GBCHealth on social media, contact us with any questions, and make sure you’re subscribed to our mailing list.