2020 was a difficult year for people in many of our local communities. With a global pandemic and natural disasters occurring around the world, as well as a renewed focus on social justice, this was a year that demanded prompt and appropriate response.

Globally, we donated $1.2 million in cash, plus goods and services totaling $0.1 million, to provide COVID-19 relief aid to hospitals, first-responder organizations and social services providers to help those impacted by this deadly disease. We also provided disaster relief funding to the Australian Red Cross to help local communities impacted by the devastating brushfires in Australia and to the American Red Cross to help those impacted by Gulf Coast hurricanes. The remainder of our global giving budget was balanced across our signature programs, local contributions, university relations and employee programs.  Our global giving budget is balanced across our signature programs, local contributions and employee programs. Read more about our COVID-19 efforts.

Input and insight from business units are overlaid by uniform, global processes and policies to provide:

• Due diligence scrutiny of potential partners.
• Consistent project selection criteria and focus wherever we operate.
• Appropriate audits and document retention.
• Tracking and assessment of performance metrics and impact.

The global charitable investment budget is reviewed annually by the Executive Leadership Team and approved by the Public Policy Committee of the board.

Alignment with UN SDGs

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that set the global agenda for equitable, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable economic development. Our core business of delivering energy to the world contributes directly to:

• Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
• Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
• Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Many of our business and community investment activities support other goals related to education, poverty and good health. Our 2020 global charitable investments supported the following SDGs:

We are working with IPIECA, the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues, on the role the oil and gas industry can most effectively play to support the achievement of the globally endorsed framework of the SDGs. We continue to monitor the goals as they move to international and national implementation.

Signature Programs

Signature programs help unify our global giving around relevant themes and make our charitable investments program significantly more impactful.

2020 provided substantive opportunities to further our global signature program focused on proactive conservation efforts. We championed the first Central Grasslands Roadmap Summit to integrate North American species and habitat conservation efforts. We also provided funding support for the JV8 Central Grasslands Initiative . Through this effort, eight of the Migratory Bird Joint Ventures joined forces to complete a North American Great Plains Grassland Assessment to map the extent of undisturbed native grasslands across the tri-national geography. Read more about our conservation efforts.

Our Houston Signature Program continued building on the success of its math teacher development and student enrichment efforts in 2020 by adapting the Rice Applied Math Program (AMP!) and Have a Ball with MATH program curriculum to reach teachers and students in a new virtual classroom setting. United Way Math in a Flash television segments were aired on Houston Public Media/PBS Kids, receiving more than 6.2 million impressions through the year. We also launched a new set of programs that build on our STEM education programs and address racial equality and the barriers that exist for students that prevent them from pursuing STEM careers. We identified partners with local expertise to help build the pipeline from K-12 education to well-paying jobs, particularly targeted to underrepresented students from lower income backgrounds. These programs help students successfully navigate their way from high school to college or vocational training to full-time employment. Examples of these programs include mentoring, college preparation, scholarships and help with securing well-paying internships and full-time jobs.

Local Community Giving

In communities across the globe our taxes and investments contribute to economic growth, and we also work to determine ways to be good neighbors. This includes working with community members and partners to meaningfully and measurably contribute to each community’s unique needs by identifying and addressing areas of local concern through charitable investments and volunteerism in support of education, health and safety, the environment, the arts, civic and social services and disaster relief.

2020 efforts included support of the Nuiqsut Community Development Foundation in Alaska and holding our company’s first-ever virtual United Way campaign, raising $5.6 million to help eight local communities. Our ongoing support of the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association work experience training program funds programs and services that use a holistic approach to support clients in the areas of settlement and integration, literacy and language training, employment support and bridging programs, family violence, parenting, individual counseling, in-home support, civic engagement, health, housing and community development.

Lending a Helping Hand During the Pandemic

In response to the global COVID-19 crisis, we partnered with established relief organizations and outreach groups to accelerate the delivery and distribution of much-needed supplies. We also donated funds and supplies, with business units identifying organizations to support at the local level. In the early stages of the outbreak, ConocoPhillips donated $300,000 in cash and supplies to support medical personnel in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the pandemic. Months later, ConocoPhillips Chinese American employees purchased a secure shipment from China and delivered 4,500 masks and 200 protective gowns to several Houston hospitals and first responders. The company also sent donations to relief agencies in other areas, including the U.S., Canada, Indonesia, Libya, Norway and the United Kingdom. This included:

• Houston, Texas : $200,000 to The Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund, a fund to help residents facing economic hardships created by the pandemic.
• New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas and Wyoming : $225,000 to relief agencies operating in the company’s Lower 48 assets (Bakken, Eagle Ford, Lost Cabin Gas Plant, Permian Basin).
• Bartlesville, Okla .: $25,000 to the Salvation Army and $25,000 to the American Red Cross.
• Alaska : $200,000 to the Alaska Can Do Fund, which supports nonprofits that serve Alaskans impacted by the pandemic; $25,000 to Camp Fire Alaska benefitting local children of active duty and deployed military personnel; $10,000 to the Children’s Lunchbox, which provides meals to local youth.
• Canada : $175,000 to relief agencies and food banks in Fort McMurray, Calgary and Fort St. John.
• Indonesia : $10,000 for personal protective equipment, including masks and gloves, to support hospitals and medical clinics. This included 2,100 sets of hygiene kits (soap, hand sanitizer, cotton mask, and health protocol posters), 15 thermometers, 3,000 surgical masks and 2,400 latex gloves.
• Libya : $50,000 to purchase medical supplies and ventilators.
• Norway : Dozens of lunches delivered to the staff at Stavanger University Hospital.
• Middlesbrough, U.K .: Gloves, visors and protective masks donated to the staff at James Cook University Hospital.
• Permian Basin : $10,000 each to the West Texas Food Bank and the United Way of Carlsbad/Eddy County and $5,000 to the Carlsbad Foundation.

Read more about our COVID-19 efforts.

Employee Giving Programs

Our employees make our communities stronger.  We are proud to support their generous involvement in local charitable activities through employee giving programs that include United Way campaigns, matching gift contributions and volunteer grants. In 2020, $5 million in combined employee, retiree and company matching gift contributions was donated to more than 2,000 charities around the world. These donations supported a number of local needs ranging from local education programs to providing COVID-19 relief aid for hospitals, first responders and social services organizations.