Vision/Strategy | Serving A Diverse Population | Calendars | Corporate Philanthropy | Company Demographics | Employee Resource Groups

The Aetna Foundation is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Founded in 1972, the Foundation helps build healthy communities by promoting volunteerism, forming partnerships and funding initiatives that improve the quality of life where our employees and customers live and work. In 2007 Aetna and the Aetna Foundation awarded $24.5 million nationally. Aetna’s support for programs promoting diversity has deepened through our emphasis on increasing racial and ethnic health equality, while continuing to address other aspects of diversity. Examples of grants and initiatives that demonstrate our commitment to diversity include:

• Healthy Community Grants Program

• Voice of Conscience Award Program

• The Aetna African American History Calendar

• Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) - Over the past decade, Aetna has awarded more than $450,000 to HIP. Our funding presence helped Connecticut become one of the first states to participate in HIP's Funders' Collaborative for Strong Latino Communities and infused a health focus from the beginning. Our early involvement helped it grow quickly into a national catalyst for Latino philanthropy, a role we continue to nurture today.

• African American History and Culture - A $500,000 Aetna Foundation grant to The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, the largest single gift in the Center's history, marks a 20-year relationship between us and the center and will used to support their acclaimed traveling exhibit, Double Exposure; African Americans Before and Behind the Camera. A $100,000 Aetna Foundation grant to The Washington, D.C Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. will be applied to the construction of the memorial and further demonstrates our longtime commitment to diversity, equality and the African American community.
• Supporting Diversity in Higher Education - Aetna remains committed to developing opportunities for the next generation of business leaders though higher education initiatives, particularly in minority communities. Aetna has awarded the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) $85,000 over the past two years for their annual conference, designed to provide a platform for presenting unique ideas and ways to prepare the next generation of Hispanic leaders. Our involvement in this arena also extends to the African American population through our relationship with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Aetna's $35,000 sponsorship support of their Leadership Institute and Recruitment Conference in 2006 and 2007 in New York provided the opportunity for this annual gathering- the largest career-preparation event for undergraduate students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
• Creating Full Opportunities for the Disabled-We continue our ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity, awarding $130,000 since 2004 to support building homes for families who have a member with a disability. To date, we have worked with Habitat to build one home in Dallas, TX; another in Portland, OR; and two in Hartford, CT. A fifth home is slated for construction in Broward County, FL.

• Honoring Veterans through Partnerships - The Aetna Foundation was instrumental in reinvigorating the Connecticut Veterans Day Parade as a tradition from years of dormancy, and along with Aetna has contributed $130,000 since 2000 toward this important celebration. Our interest in funding veteran oriented causes includes supporting community programming, and in 2007 Aetna forged a new relationship with Rebuilding Together Hartford, awarding $25,000 toward an initiative designed provide accessible homes for disabled veterans.