Demonstrating that all Micron team members are committed to innovation and outside-the-box thinking, our Micron Gives and Diversity, Equality and Inclusion teams recently organized a crowdsourcing challenge that enabled members from each of our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to nominate and select up to two organizations to receive grants totaling $50,000 from the Micron Foundation.
Through the ERG Grants Challenge, each ERG could support organizations whose work resonated most with its mission and the interests of its members. The diversity of organizations selected reflects Micron’s intent to enrich life for all.
“We are a company committed to diversity, equality and respect for all; and our commitment extends beyond Micron’s walls,” said April Arnzen, chief people officer at Micron. “Supporting organizations and people in our local communities through philanthropic efforts is an important part of who we are as a company, and I am extremely proud of this new partnership with our ERGs.”
Crowdsourcing ignites giving
The ERG Grants Challenge was inspired by the support our ERGs gave to organizations responding to community needs during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. During the first months of the pandemic, our ERGs organized matching-gift campaigns to support organizations responding to the pandemic in ways aligned to ERG interests. We wanted to continue this type of engagement, but with a structure that could be repeatable annually.
So that our more than 12,700 ERG members could inclusively contribute and participate, Giving and DEI organized challenges through an internal crowdsourcing platform. Members of nine of Micron’s 10 ERGs used the platform to nominate prospective nonprofits to support. Voting selected the top nominees, and ERG leaders evaluated each nomination and nonprofit for alignment to Micron Gives pillars of giving and the ERG’s strategy, as well as the potential impact the nonprofit’s work had across Micron’s global communities. ERG leaders worked with their executive sponsors to select the final one or two nonprofits to receive grants.
Our tenth and newest ERG, the Asian American Pacific Islander Network (AAPIN), formed during the Challenge and while the team was unable to use crowdsourcing, members still seized the opportunity to select two nonprofit organizations to support.
Ultimately, the Challenge tapped 19 nonprofits to receive grants. The Micron Foundation distributed a total of $500,000 across these organizations. The impact will be global, and the nonprofits have been enthusiastic about the support received.
“We are grateful for this generous support of Black Girls CODE, especially when the selection comes from your employees,” said Kenya Lloyd from Black Girls CODE.
Micron aims to conduct this challenge again in 2022.
And the grantees are…
Read on to learn which nonprofits our ERGs supported, with comments from our ERG nominators on why they selected these organizations:
Asian American & Pacific Islander Network
- Center for Asian American Media ($20,000). “As we learned from the AAPI media panel [Micron] hosted in May, media has a huge impact on shaping perceptions of AAPI. A donation to CAAM would help address… the deep-rooted narratives about AAPI that have contributed to the current climate of violence and anti-Asian sentiment today.”
- Asian Immigrant Women Advocates ($30,000). “Low-income AAPI are often overlooked in philanthropy and volunteering efforts due to the model minority myth which positions Asian Americans as privileged and successful…. A donation to [this organization] will help funnel resources into an overlooked population in Micron’s Bay Area community.”
Black Employee Network
- Black Girls Code ($50,000). “Building up the next-generation of Black girls who code and fostering continued education and interest in STEM – [it’s] an opportunity to… empower young women of color… to embrace the current tech marketplace as both builders and creators.”
Capable
- Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore ($25,000). “This organization is visionary” in incorporating advanced technology (virtual reality) to train wheelchairs to respond to their users. “Besides enhancing the experience for users, they also ensure digital inclusion penetrates to everyone in society, including those vulnerable groups.”
- National Alliance on Mental Illness ($25,000). “The coronavirus has resulted in and caused an unprecedented crisis that affects not only our physical health and daily lives, but also mental well-being.Micron’s grant will help support NAMI’s HelpLine, a free, nationwide, peer-support service.”
Micron Hispanic Professionals
- AYUDA ($25,000). “AYUDA helps immigrants from anywhere in the world navigate the immigration and justice systems and access the social safety net. We appreciate their holistic approach to many of the issues our community faces.”
- Idaho Latino Scholarship Foundation ($25,000). “Idaho LSF seeks to advance Hispanic students from high school through to completion of a college degree and empower them with a sense of pride and commitment in the future of the Hispanic community in Idaho.”
Micron Women’s Leadership Network
- Days for Girls ($25,000). “This group is one of the few organizations that is looking at a solution globally for women’s empowerment around cultural taboos and women’s menstruation health through sustainable solutions.”
- Hagar Singapore Limited ($25,000). “Hagar not only works to help victims who have been trafficked, abused and sexually exploited, but also works with law enforcement officers on how to identify trafficked victims.”
Micron Young Professionals
- Smile Always Foundation ($20,000). “As a young professionals’ group, it is important to support the next generations of professionals to come in every way possible. [This organization] supports a variety of causes relating to children’s education, basic living standards and… COVID-19 relief.”
- World Central Kitchen ($30,000). “Food is a powerful tool to heal communities. Food should be accessible to everyone in a community—just like how MYP is accessible to anyone who wants to join.”
Mosaic
- Muslim Missionary Society Singapore (Jamiyah Singapore) ($30,000). “This organization has helped many low-income families [and] serves the social and welfare needs of the community regardless of race or faith.”
- Peace Winds Japan ($20,000). “Mosaic is committed to giving back to the community regardless of religious affiliation or ethnicity. This charity helps extend that inclusiveness to being an ally for those suffering all over Asia, a continent that often suffers from many natural disasters and has many people living in poverty.
PRIDE+ Allies
- Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBT) Hotline Association ($25,000). “We hope to support [this organization] in hiring a full-time worker to support local LGBTQ+ telephone consulting and family services and improve their equipment and software needs.”
- The Community Center ($25,000). “This is the only place in Idaho where you can walk in off the street and find LGBTQ+ resources, support groups and community.”
Tenured and Experienced at Micron
- Blossom Seeds Limited ($30,000). “Our donation will support this organization’s operating costs to provide a safety net… and support/care for the needy seniors in the community.”
- La Locanda Di Emmaus ($20,000). “This organization helps children who live in very difficult conditions… providing hope and, above all, the opportunity for a chance, a second chance.”
Veterans ERG
- Neptune Warrior ($15,000). “Veterans have unique problems that are sometimes hard to solve. Neptune Warrior has found a way to help transitioning service members and multigenerational veterans with a wide array of experiences deal with seen and unseen wounds through scuba diving.”
- Serve Our Willing Warriors ($35,000). “The Manassas site has sponsored and supported Willing Warriors for the past four years. Their team has inspired our team members to actively participate as volunteers and riders at their annual bike ride charity event.”
