From an Idea to a Plan: Qualcomm’s Racial Justice Initiative
How Mission Edge’s CSR programming helped with the logistics
As Qualcomm, a company known for its innovations in technology, talked about how they wanted to make a difference as an organization in 2021, its HR team huddled around a bold idea: to use their resources to impact racial justice.
In 2021, racial justice was a buzzword for many companies. Qualcomm wanted it to be a verb; a tangible reality.
But the organization quickly realized that writing a check was the easy part. Implementing the logistics was far more challenging. So over the course of three years, Mission Edge’s CSR programming implemented a plan for Qualcomm.
More than financial support
Qualcomm’s racial justice initiative sought to allocate $500,000 across 10 different organizations, each actively working to dismantle racial injustices in unique ways. The organization was brimming with ideas but short on resources.
True to their commitment to inclusivity, Qualcomm's initiative was deeply rooted in employee participation: from nominating to selecting beneficiary organizations. Mission Edge facilitated this process, making sure the initiative was not just about financial support, but that it also brought employees together to engage in meaningful dialogues on racial justice.
The initiatives these funds support are facilitating work like:
Getting people who are wrongfully imprisoned out of incarceration.
Giving students of color access to the beauty of the outdoors.
Helping kids feel empowered to follow STEM career paths by introducing them to inventing and engineering.
Here is a full list of the organizations Qualcomm was able to provide funding for during the 2023 cycle:
| Name of Organization | Organization Website |
|---|---|
| 500 Men Making a Difference Inc. | https://www.500menmakingadifference.org/ |
| Boys to Men Mentoring Network | www.boystomen.org |
| California Innocence Project | https://californiainnocenceproject.org/ |
| Depositing Empowerment Through Outreach and Urban Redevelopment (DETOUR) | http://detourempowers.org/ |
| MANA de San Diego (MANASD) | https://manasd.org/ |
| Outdoor Outreach | www.outdooroutreach.org |
| Prosperity Collective LLC , DBA - Prosperity Market | http://www.prosperitymarketla.com |
| Rise Up Industries (RUI) | riseupindustries.org |
| TransFamily Support Services | www.transfamilysos.org |
| Western New York Invention Convention | https://wnyinventionconvention.org/ |
Helping employees make a difference at work
Here at Mission Edge, our favorite part about CSR programming is helping our clients – like Qualcomm – get their employees excited about corporate giving and CSR initiatives.
Employee involvement helps increase engagement and morale, gives teams diverse perspectives and ideas, and fosters a stronger community impact: all things we advocate for.
Making a bigger impact with CSR
Through the racial justice initiative, Qualcomm and Mission Edge demonstrated how corporate social responsibility can be a powerful catalyst for change, igniting conversations and actions towards racial justice and equity. But it starts with the logistics.
If you and your team could use help with some initiatives you’ve been drumming up in meetings – but don’t have the capacity to implement – let’s talk. Our team of experts can help you with the logistics, so all you need to do is show up.
