Management and information technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton announced the establishment of the Booz Allen Foundation as part of its 104-year commitment to service communities. Inaugurated with a $5 million pledge, the first grant was given to the American Red Cross to be used for disaster relief and program development for later this year.
Both Booz Allen Hamilton and the newly formed Foundation share the mission to “Empower People to Change the World.” As a public charity the Foundation’s strategic intent is to bring together stakeholders to use innovation and technology to solve challenging social issues and build community resilience. Areas of focus will be enhancements to global health, support for veterans and military families, youth and education programs, and ongoing commitment to the charitable initiatives of Booz Allen employees.
“Establishing an independent foundation to complement our ongoing corporate philanthropy is a great way to widen the circle and apply smart minds and advanced technology to build more resilient communities,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Horacio Rozanski in the press announcement.
The foundation, which operates separately from the firm, will hire an executive director in the coming months that will lead to plans as to how the Foundation’s giving will be developed. The new direction with the newly established Foundation follows years of service by the firm’s executives and employees outside their work responsibilities, supporting communities through their involvement with organizations assisting veterans and training in cyber and STEM careers. Partners include the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore, Hiring our Heroes, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Blue Star Families and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.
The international firm based in Virginia issued this past year 379 volunteer service grants to 306 nonprofit groups. Employees recorded more than 65,000 total hours of service in the year and donated generously to a range of disaster relieved organizations, particularly those dealing with the hurricanes impacting Orlando, Houston, and Tampa.
For the fourth year Booz Allen and Kaggle have partnered for the world’s premier data science for social good competition called The Data Science Bowl. The event brings together individuals with varied educational and occupational backgrounds to develop solutions for advancement of treatments for lung cancer and heart disease, and to improve ocean health.
