Since its founding more than 15 years ago, the Terracon Foundation has awarded nearly $4 million in grants, matching gifts and scholarship awards. With more than 6,000 employees nationwide, the consulting engineering firm works to balance purpose and corporate responsibility through the work of the Terracon Foundation.
The Foundation reflects Terracon’s commitment to employee-ownership by encouraging employees to become engaged with the four main components of the Terracon Foundation:
Employee Matching Gift Program Annually, the Terracon Foundation matches employee gifts to nonprofits to support the causes they care about. When disaster or crisis strikes globally, Terracon activates special match programs allowing employees to make a difference with their charitable dollars in times of need.
Community Grants Terracon recognizes the dedication of employees who are highly active and engaged with local nonprofit organizations. As champions of these organizations, employees can apply for Community Grants on behalf of these nonprofits. In 2022, Terracon introduced an additional component of the Community Grant to provide funding to organizations working in education or the environment that also support leadership building for underrepresented communities. These Equity Grants resulted in more than $26,000 across 10 grants.
University Grants Terracon understands the importance of investing in the next generation of STEM leaders. University Grants support the alma maters of Terracon employees and the local universities where Terracon employees live and work. Recently, Terracon amended the University Grant application to allow for the creation of endowed scholarships and fellowships, which means Terracon’s support for education will exist in perpetuity.
Employee Dependent Scholarships Since 2013, the Terracon Foundation has awarded over $300,000 to 116 children and eligible dependents of Terracon employees. Scholarship awards of $2,000 per academic year support students in continuing their education.
Over the past few years, the Terracon Foundation has evolved to meet the needs of its employee-owners and the communities where they live and work.
The COVID-19 pandemic broadened the scope of the Foundation’s assistance in the disaster relief and recovery space. Community Grants have expanded to meet the needs of our rapidly changing world. In 2020, the Foundation issued a grant to Feeding America to help alleviate the immense pressure on food banks across the country.
Recently, the Terracon Foundation has supported Girls on the Run International, promoting physical and mental wellness, and EveryoneOn, which makes technology more accessible, two education-based themes that have become paramount in the last three years. Terracon employees have also evolved in how they advocate for nonprofit organizations on a local level. For example, a 2021 Community Grant, championed by a Terracon employee, supported the California Society for Ecological Restoration (SERCAL) to help fund technology for a hybrid sustainability conference to make the event more accessible for those who would attend virtually.
When asked to reflect on how the Foundation has grown in recent years, Scott Kolodziej, Terracon Foundation Chair, shared, “We are really excited to see the growth of the Terracon Foundation and how Terracon employee-owners have responded to these new opportunities. When we expanded our giving to include matching gifts, equity grants, and endowments, our employee-owners were eager to support the organizations near and dear to their hearts. For them, the Terracon Foundation helps bring our value of Caring to life outside of the office.”
Greater Horizons is proud to be the charitable partner of the Terracon Foundation and to support its commitment to giving back to the communities where Terracon employees live and work. Business leaders interested in establishing their own corporate giving program can learn more about our corporate services and connect with our team at info@greatehorizons.org.
Authored by: Ashley Hawkins, Content Specialist
