The Pearson Foundation extends Pearson’s commitment to education in partnership with non-profit and public interest organizations. We work together with leading businesses and civic organizations to support students and teachers and to sponsor community-based education programs across the globe.
In 2007 we donated £7.2m in cash donations and gave additional in-kind support, such as employees’ time, advertising space, publishing expertise and book donations. Our total charitable giving (cash and in-kind donations) in 2006 was £6.7m.We will report our 2007 numbers for cash and in-kind support later this year.
Pearson has a proud history of corporate giving and supporting projects in our communities. Through the Pearson Foundation – and through the efforts of our businesses and employees – we focus our charitable giving on education and literacy projects around the world.
In 2007 we announced the Pearson Foundation Development Fund, a $1m fund available for our businesses around the world to invest in local community-based projects. At the suggestion of Pearson people, the Pearson Foundation:
- Launched The Citi-FT Financial Education Summit, the first in a series of annual financial education conferences organized by the Pearson Foundation, the Financial Times, and the Citi Foundation, which gave more than 300 representatives from international NGOs, businesses, and civic organizations the opportunity to come together in Delhi, India to share best practices and explore why financial literacy plays such a critical role in promoting sustainable economic development around the world.
- Inaugurated the Pearson Media Centre at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. This state-of-the art environment serves University teachers and students as a locus for education focused learning and research.
- Provided digital arts training and support to non-profit organizations in Africa including the International Organization for Migration (IOM); Pact Ethiopia; the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots program; and Unicef ’s Sara Communications Initiative.
We also made lasting commitments to help train teachers and provide educational opportunities to young people and their families in rural villages in Africa, India, and Asia; provided publishing support to the International Rescue Committee’s Healing Classroom initiative, and to the American Red Cross’s Exploring Humanitarian Law Curriculum; joined forces with the National Association of Black School Educators (NABSE) to promote education in the US; and designed and produced an illustrated version of The Right to Education During Displacement: A Resource for Organizations Working with Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons together with the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children.
