ATLANTA, – Empowering women to thrive is a worldwide commitment of The Coca-Cola Company and one of three global priorities for The Coca-Cola Foundation. Its importance reverberates around the world, resonating especially in North America.
More than $2 million in grants from The Coca-Cola Foundation was directed to organizations focused on women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and other programs uniquely impacting women. The Company provided further support by contributing more than $1 million towards women’s empowerment programs and initiatives, with a focus on those impacting women of color. The Center for Black Women’s Wellness, the Adelante Movement and the Hispanic Women’s Corporation’s Professional Development and Leadership Institute received funding to teach core entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy and economic self-sufficiency.
Together, the Company and its Foundation invested in a $1 million partnership with the National Urban League, SER – Jobs for Progress National, Inc. and Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. Through this partnership, women in 10 U.S. cities will receive access to financial learning, job training and entrepreneurship development.
This support underscores the Company’s Office of Global Supplier Diversity work to expand its modular-training initiative, the Supplier Training & Empowerment Program (STEP). The program addresses the barriers that prevent women-owned suppliers from sustaining and growing their businesses.
“We know that empowering women to be entrepreneurs and leaders yields dividends of community growth, prosperity and sustainability,” said Lori George Billingsley, Vice President, Community Relations, Coca-Cola North America.
In 2010, the Company launched its 5by20 initiative with a goal to empower five million women entrepreneurs across the global Coca-Cola value chain by 2020. The initiative aims to help women overcome barriers to business success by providing access to business skills training, financial resources and mentors. At the end of 2013, more than 550,000 women across 44 countries had been impacted since the program’s inception.Page 2 of 2 Classified – Unclassified
Other organizations receiving support for women’s empowerment initiatives include:
Center for Black Women Wellness, Atlanta, GA, $35,000
Girls Inc., New York, NY, $250,000
National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, Washington, DC, $100,000
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, New York, NY, $100,000
The Adelante Movement, New York, NY, $150,000
National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women, Washington, DC, $25,000
Hispanic Women’s Corporation, Phoenix, AZ $10,000
League of United Latin American Citizens Women’s Conference, Washington, DC, $5,000
Latin American Association, Atlanta, GA, $300,000
Mexican – American Opportunity Foundation Women’s Forum, Montebello, CA, $10,000
About The Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded more than $660 million to support global sustainable community initiatives. These initiatives include water stewardship, women’s empowerment, active healthy living, and education. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please go to http://www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/the-coca-cola-foundation.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company’s portfolio features 17 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo , visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.
One Response to “Coca-Cola Invests In Women Who Advance The World With Increased Focus on Women Entrepreneurship, Empowerment”
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February 17th, 2015 at 10:37 pm
The vice president billingsley statement that empowering women to be entrepreneurs and leaders yields dividends of community growth,prosperity sustainability. At this present time there are more growth factors for women, women on a whole is not afraid to take risks. We look at opportunities as a stepping stone especially in the fields where men was always the leaders. This initiatives that aims to help women overcome barriers to business success by providing access to business skills training financial resources and mentors. Giving back to the community by this company with opportunity for women is a giant step forward, our generation is in the awakening stages now. Women are more educated than before. They are younger, they have seen changes in our economics and does not want to be in the same position as forefathers. These 660 million support should be just a start other companies should be stepping forward as well. There are ideas that has not been launched as of yet by women, they are just waiting to be tapped. Our communities are waiting for positive changes not just in words but action, and part of the start is finances
, mentoring, and sustainability of benefactors. By building sustainable communities,plus the continuing of reducing our environment nfoottprint. As we and these other companies stay true to their word, many changes can and will happen for women in all areas of the planet to make lasting changes to our lives and those of our communities.
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