PROFILE 13 : CONTRIBUTING PHILANTHROPICALLY TO THE WIDER COMMUNITY - Chevron Corporation, USA

A. THE COMPANY

Founded in 1879 in California, the Chevron Corporation explores for, produces, refines and sells gasoline and other petroleum products. The company also has extensive gas production and coal-mining interests in the US.

Chevron maintains its headquarters in San Francisco and has long-established production bases and extensive marketing in the US, particularly in the south, southwest and west regions. It now produces crude oil overseas in such countries as Indonesia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea and Kazakhstan. In some parts of the world – for example, the Pacific Rim, Asia and Africa – the company markets gasoline through Caltex, a joint venture company.

In 1996, Chevron realised revenues of US$ 38.6 billion and profits of US$ 2.6 billion. The company has approximately 38,500 employees worldwide.

B. REASONS FOR ACTION ON HIV/AIDS

As a San Francisco-based company, Chevron was among the first to directly experience the impact of HIV/AIDS in the US. It quickly instituted a non-discriminatory policy for the treatment of employees who had contracted the infection and medical staff produced brochures and a videotape to educate employees and address their concerns about HIV/AIDS in the workplace and the wider community. The company went on to Join forces with other local employers to produce a second video titled An Epidemic of Fear: AIDS in the Workplace, produced by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Having established its internal response to HIV/AIDS, Chevron believed it had a responsibility as a good corporate citizen to help the wider community, including some of the poorest and most disadvantaged, deal with the epidemic.

C. EXAMPLE ACTIONS

As part of Chevron's support for wider community-based initiatives in San Francisco and elsewhere in the US, it has created a distinct HIV/AIDS programme that has provided a sustained focus for effective action. Although the company has not established its own foundation, it has contributed well over US$ 1 million to community-based HIV/AIDS work in the US since the epidemic began. (See Table 3 in Section 2.3 for further information on Chevron's and other oil companies' community programmes.)

Chevron's giving for community-based HIV/AIDS programmes in the US focuses on three main areas:

1. Public Communication

The company believes that communication and education are the key to fighting HIV/AIDS. For example, it has funded:

· Two TV programmes about how the disease is transmitted and how people can protect themselves from it.

· A programme for school-aged youth to be distributed in high schools.

· An annual forum to update corporations and non-profits about trends in the epidemic, which has also provided an opportunity for business leaders to discuss their role in the campaign against the epidemic.

2. Care Programmes

Chevron has given grants to assist people living with HIV/AIDS, including:

· Major support to “Project Open Hand", which provides meals for people with HIV/AIDS.

· A healthcare facility that specialises in helping people with HIV/AIDS to enhance the quality of their lives through healthcare education and provision of such activities as classes and trips.

· Support for the Child Welfare League of America's workbook to help children recover from the loss of a parent or loved one who has died of AIDS.

3. Support for Employee Volunteers

Chevron employees are often involved in HIV/AIDS projects, including those already described, and the company supports them whenever it can – for example:

· Since 1989, San Francisco Bay Area employees have walked as a group in the annual AIDS Walk in the city. The company contributed around US$ 30,000 to the US$ 35,000 that the employees raised in 1996. Employees in other locales have received similar support.

· A group of employees completed a 12 x 12-foot panel with the names of 32 Chevron employees who have died from the disease. The panel was displayed at a company location before being sent to become part of the national AIDS Memorial Quilt. A second panel was unveiled on December 1 1997 for World AIDS Day.

Contact: David McMurray
Senior Representative Contributions Program
Public Affairs
Chevron Corporation
575 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
USA

Tel: 1 415 894 6083
Fax: 1 415 894 5447