Baxter and its employees worldwide support their local communities through financial contributions, product donations, employee volunteerism and other initiatives. These efforts exemplify Baxter’s commitment to improving people’s lives by increasing access to healthcare and addressing other pressing community needs with the help of local Baxter employees.
Baxter organizes its community-focused programs into three categories:
- Access to Healthcare—Baxter works to improve access to healthcare globally through product development, strategic philanthropic giving and product donations and grants.
- Critical Community Needs—Baxter makes financial and in-kind donations to address local communities’ needs, such as improving education, protecting the environment and increasing patient safety.
- Employee Involvement—Baxter encourages employees to volunteer their time and expertise in their communities and matches employee contributions to charitable organizations through The Baxter International Foundation’s Dollars for Doers program.
These efforts not only benefit people in need worldwide, but support the company’s business as well. Developing innovative new products that increase access to healthcare provides Baxter access to untapped markets. Supporting community needs such as education improves the company’s reputation while expanding the pool of qualified potential future employees. By encouraging employees to contribute to their communities, Baxter increases employee engagement while promoting valuable leadership and team-building experiences.
In 2008, Baxter focused many of its community-support efforts on projects that will have a long-term impact, such as providing a grant to fund a new AmeriCares warehouse in India. The company also donated products and encouraged employees to volunteer in disaster-relief efforts during the year, such as following the earthquake in China and the cyclone in Myanmar.
During 2008, total giving by Baxter and The Baxter International Foundation approached $44 million, including product donations, cash contributions and foundation grants. The company has contributed more than $184 million over the last five years.
| BAXTER AND THE BAXTER INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION CHARITABLE GIVING 1 (DOLLARS IN MILLIONS) | |||||
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| Product Donations2 | |||||
| Products | $7.87 | $17.82 | $14.85 | $28.86 | $8.32 |
| Patient Assistance Programs3 | see note 3 | See note 3 | see note 3 | 2.23 | 2.54 |
| Subtotal | $7.87 | $17.82 | $14.85 | $31.09 | $10.86 |
| Business and Facility Cash Donations | |||||
| Within U.S. | $2.94 | $6.40 | $9.14 | $9.26 | $12.17 |
| Outside U.S. | 1.63 | 7.61 | 7.36 | 11.16 | 16.75 |
| Subtotal | $4.57 | $14.01 | $16.50 | $20.42 | $28.92 |
| The Baxter International Foundation Contributions | |||||
| Within U.S. | $0.63 | $1.35 | $1.29 | $1.10 | $1.43 |
| Outside U.S. | 0.67 | 1.12 | 1.86 | 0.84 | 1.39 |
| Matching Gifts & Dollars for Doers | 0.68 | 0.68 | 0.60 | 0.70 | 0.75 |
| Prize Programs | 0.28 | 0.18 | 0.19 | 0.21 | 0.19 |
| Scholarship Program | 0.32 | 0.27 | 0.28 | 0.26 | 0.26 |
| Subtotal | $2.58 | $3.59 | $4.22 | $3.09 | $4.01 |
| Total Charitable Giving | $15.02 | $35.42 | $35.57 | $54.60 | $43.79 |
1 Some subtotals vary slightly from sum of items in category, due to rounding.
2 Includes value of product donations calculated using a combination of average wholesale price and average sales price. Variations in Baxter's annual product donations are due to fluctuations in community needs, the regulatory environment, manufacturing processes and marketing. The company identifies opportunities to donate and responds to community requests as appropriate.
3 Baxter BioScience offers a range of assistance programs for patients with specific chronic illnesses who experience a temporary gap in coverage or who have no health insurance. Data for these programs was not reported until 2007.
See more detail about foundation grants.
