Originally published in Lenovo's 2023/24 ESG Report
Investing in communities
Lenovo’s social investments are focused on empowering underrepresented populations with access to technology and STEM education. Lenovo has a goal of committing a minimum of 0.5 percent of its pretax income to global social investment programs and initiatives. Lenovo’s social investments are executed through charitable corporate contributions and its charitable entities: the Lenovo Foundation, U.S. 501(c)(3), and the Lenovo Foundation Beijing (non-profit registered in China). The global philanthropy team has established global giving guidelines and compliance processes that are localized for alignment across the diverse markets where Lenovo does business.
Lenovo philanthropy governance
Corresponding with the launch of the Lenovo Foundation in 2018, Lenovo’s global philanthropic initiatives are governed by a global philanthropy board of executives. The board works to represent the global communities that Lenovo philanthropy serves while advocating for philanthropic initiatives in their local region. The board governs and advises the operations of the Lenovo global philanthropy team through six board meetings each year and ongoing grantmaking oversight.
Social investment focus areas
In alignment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Lenovo global philanthropy has key focus areas of contributions: reduced inequalities, quality education, and poverty reduction. Lenovo invests in these key focus areas through strategic investments, employee volunteerism, and humanitarian response.
- Partner with charitable organizations, educational institutions, and civic groups to empower under-represented populations with access to technology and STEM education. In FY 2023/24 Lenovo invested approximately USD $16.7M in strategic partnerships with charitable, mission aligned organizations around the world.
- Share Lenovo’s Smarter Technology for All vision with communities around the world through employee volunteerism aligned to its mission and vision. In FY 2023/24, Lenovo invested approximately USD$2.5M in employee engagement initiatives like its Love on Month of Service, global matching gift benefit, and volunteer incentives (sometimes known as dollars for doers). Reference the Consolidated Metrics section to see volunteer hours and matching gift expenditures for FY 2023/24.
- Use Lenovo’s technology and philanthropic resources to strategically respond to natural and humanitarian disasters. In FY 2023/24, Lenovo invested approximately USD$1.7M in response to natural and humanitarian disasters.
Impact and measurement
The Lenovo global philanthropy team assesses and reviews its programs and partnerships to measure and increase its charitable impact. The team has set goals to directly impact 15 million people and transform one million lives by 2025 (base year FY 2021/22). To measure progress toward these goals, the team has standardized how it measures impact and transformation across its charitable investments.
Impact
- Direct impact (15 million lives by 2025): Beneficiaries measured through person-to-person contact as measured at volunteer events, trainings, product loan programs, and product donations provided without individual ownership or 1:1 ratio (i.e., computer labs at schools).
- Indirect impact (not measured): Secondary beneficiaries of volunteer events, trainings, product loan programs, or product donations provided without individual ownership or 1:1 user ratio (i.e., families benefiting from students’ increased tech literacy, parents not needing to secure childcare while child is at a STEM program).
Transformation
- Transformative impact (1 million lives by 2025): Beneficiaries who received training or education, advancement, or credentials that provide transformative opportunities for quality of living that they did not have access to before.
Lenovo philanthropy conducts annual impact surveys with its charitable partners to collect partner-reported data that can be analyzed against the team’s standards. With these standardizations set, the team is on track to meet their goals by FY 2025/26.
Global programs
Community partnerships
Lenovo has developed strategic community partners in each of Lenovo’s business geographies. The community partners are selected in alignment with the Lenovo Foundation’s mission to empower underrepresented populations with access to STEM education and technology. Lenovo also has disaster relief partners established in key geographies. In addition to partners focused on Lenovo’s philanthropic missions and disaster response at the business geography level, Lenovo has selected global partners whose reach extends beyond the needs of one business geography.
Love on global month of service
Since 2017, Lenovo’s employees around the world have organized an annual service event. With the leadership and organization of the global philanthropy team and support from local business leaders, employees in offices around the world are invited to design a volunteer event aligned to the Foundation’s mission to empower underrepresented populations with access to technology and STEM education. Projects are organized with local NGOs to align to Lenovo’s philanthropic mission while meeting the needs of the diverse communities where Lenovo’s employees live and work. The program’s impact is measured by the key metrics of number of employees engaged, beneficiaries, hours volunteered, and offices participating. Lenovo’s Love on Global Month of Service has grown by at least one metric every year since it began.
TransforME Grant Round
In FY 2023/24, Lenovo’s philanthropic team continued their strategic initiative to fund nonprofit organizations focused on providing digital skills training for adults. Grantees were selected based on various factors including their ability to remove barriers to success for adults to engage in programs. To date, the grant round has invested more than $2.5M in funds to more than 20 organizations around the world. In FY 2023/24, the team focused on opportunities to renew funding with existing TransforME grantees, rather than conduct an open grant round.
Employee resource group grant round
To strengthen Lenovo’s social impact and employee engagement, Lenovo’s philanthropy program empowered the leaders of its employee resource groups by facilitating partnerships with community organizations that are aligned to their diversity segment. In its third year, the program funded new and renewed partnerships that empowered diverse communities and shared Lenovo’s smarter technology for all vision around the world.
Humanitarian response
Lenovo philanthropy organized measured responses to natural and humanitarian disasters throughout FY 2023/24. Lenovo leverages its own funds and technology to respond to disasters and engages employees in matching gift opportunities as appropriate. Among the largest responses, Lenovo responded to:
- Flooding in Auckland New Zealand with nearly $15,000 in long-term recovery funds after January 2023 flooding.
- Flooding in Brazil in April 2023, supporting Instituto Verdescola with USD $40,000.
- Hurricane in Peru in May 2023, working with UNICEF Peru to provide USD $15,000 in response.
- Flooding in Italy in May 2023, supporting the efforts of the Italian Red Cross with USD $20,000.
- Flooding in Northern India in July 2023, providing USD $2,000 in response funding.
- Flooding in Chile in July 2023, providing USD $10,000 to support the efforts of Techo.
- Wildfires on the island of Hawaii in August 2023, providing $10,000 in recovery and relief efforts.
- Flooding in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei of China in August 2023 with RMB10M/USD $1.4M in funds for efforts to rescue and rebuild.
- Earthquakes in Morocco in September 2023, providing USD $20,000 to support Wine To Water’s efforts to provide access to clean water after the disaster.
- Earthquakes in Jishishan, Gansu Province of China in December 2023, providing RMB1M/USD $140K in recovery, response, and materials for the winter months.
- Earthquakes in Noto, Japan in January 2024, with $12,000 to the response efforts of Japan Heart.
In addition to these matrix-driven responses, Lenovo provides ongoing and strategic support to the American Red Cross to ensure disaster preparedness.
Love on platform for employee giving benefits
Launched in 2021, the Love on platform is Lenovo’s employee engagement tool, available to full-time employees in Lenovo’s Asia Pacific, Europe/Middle East/Africa, Latin America, and North America business geographies. The tool encourages employees to give their time and resources, supported by volunteer and matching gift benefits from Lenovo.
- Volunteer benefit: Lenovo’s employees are encouraged to volunteer eight hours per quarter with causes and charities of their choice. Employees can claim five dollars (or its local currency equivalent) per volunteer hour in the Love on platform, which can then be donated to any cause on the platform that meets Lenovo’s giving guidelines.
- Matching gift benefit: Employees can donate to causes on the Love on platform that meet Lenovo’s Charitable Giving Guidelines and receive a 100 percent match from Lenovo. The Lenovo philanthropy team hosts annual giving campaigns to encourage donations to employees’ favorite causes, strategic community partners, and in response to humanitarian crises (see Humanitarian Response).
Philanthropy in China
The Curiosity Project: bringing cutting-edge AI to students in rural China
In a pioneering move coordinated through the Work for Humankind program, Lenovo has unveiled an AI-enhanced science and technology (sci-tech) museum within one of China's rural elementary schools, Heshi Town Central Primary School in Xiushui County.
The initiative
Together with the Lenovo Foundation Beijing, Lenovo proudly presents the "Curiosity Project." This effort employs AI and other advanced technologies to craft a state-of-the-art sci-tech museum within a remote rural school. Fueled by innovative technology such as AI and AR, the museum boasts six immersive sections dedicated to diverse subjects like Art, History and Sports. It's more than a museum – it's a bridge, connecting textbook learning with the infinite realms of imagination, paving the way for future discoveries. This initiative underscores Lenovo ongoing commitment to ESG, bridging the digital divide between urban and rural communities and accelerating rural transformation.
Beyond the walls
Free and open to all schools, the museum stands to benefit over 120,000 students directly. Collaborations with industry bodies, guest speakers, and Lenovo’s volunteers will provide blended educational experiences, both online and offline. This project not only offers a primer in tech for remote students but also stands as Lenovo’s enduring testament to technological potential, welcoming all to explore the future. Lenovo has also brought the AI PC prototype to the sci-tech museum, enabling students to be the first to experience the AI PC's capabilities. The museum will continue to feature technological advancements in the future, serving as a beacon of innovation and inviting media, customers, partners, and the general public to experience and engage in demonstrations and educational discussions.
Beyond Water: Community impact through sustainable water access
Lenovo’s commitment to sustainability, communities, and employee engagement was showcased through its ongoing partnership with Wine To Water, a non-profit organization that provides access to clean drinking water and hygiene education to communities around the world. The partnership began as a small initiative within Love on Month of Service, but was gradually recognized as an opportunity to combine environmental and social impact goals while engaging employees in purpose by providing access to clean water.
In Spring 2023, groups of Lenovo employees embarked on service projects in Nepal, the Amazon, and the Dominican Republic. Employees worked alongside community members to build infrastructure and create access to clean water, while also sharing WASH hygiene principles. Volunteers experienced feelings of gratitude and empowerment in each service trip, which were captured in the Beyond Water documentary created with funding from Lenovo. Lenovo philanthropy will continue its Wine To Water partnership with support of strategic infrastructure-building initiatives, donations of Lenovo technology, and disaster response initiatives.
