Strategic Philanthropic Giving
Baxter works to increase access to healthcare through strategic philanthropic giving across its business units, functions and regions to organizations that focus on the main disease states related to Baxter's businesses. In 2008, the company established a council to collect and review Baxter's U.S. cash philanthropic contributions. Decision-making is decentralized, as local managers and employees can best determine the appropriateness of a contribution in their community. Within this context, the council continues to assess how to most effectively utilize these data to guide Baxter’s efforts to enhance healthcare in ways that are globally relevant and applicable to all of the company’s businesses.
For example, Baxter has forged a strong relationship with the preeminent global professional anesthesia organization, the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesia, to identify unmet needs in the field. One focus is global education. In 2008, Baxter sponsored 13 budding anesthesiologists from developing countries, selected by the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesia, to attend the World Congress of Anesthesiologists, which occurs only once every four years. National societies from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom provided additional grants enabling a total of 37 anesthesiologists to attend the conference. These anesthesiologists may not have had this educational opportunity otherwise.
Baxter’s Renal business awarded three $375,000 grants in 2008 to global research projects as part of its annual Renal Discoveries Extramural Grant Program. A global advisory board selects no more than one winning proposal from each of four global regions that demonstrate the highest quality patient-oriented clinical research to advance knowledge of kidney disease and treatment. The grant also funds the full-time training of one Fellow in nephrology research during the grant period.
