Philanthropic Giving

Williams is committed to the communities where its employees call home. Through volunteering their time or donating their dollars, Williams employees not only work for the company, they also work for positive change in their communities. They find support through the company's employee-driven grant programs and strategic giving that benefits communities and ultimately, the company's bottom line.

Williams provides three types of grant programs for employees to utilize to better their communities.

Matching Gifts
Williams' Matching Gifts program takes employees' community contributions and doubles the impact. Gifts to 501(c)(3) organizations are matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000 per employee and up to $5,000 per retiree, each year.

Example: Williams employees in Denver, Colo. are passionate about the March of Dimes. Every year, employees utilize matching gifts to double their impact of the pledges they receive from other Williams employees and retirees for WalkAmerica, the March of Dimes largest fundraiser. During the 2007 walk, employee raised $5,794 for WalkAmerica and through Matching Gifts the total amount given to March of Dimes in Denver was doubled to $11,588.

Homegrown Giving
Because every community has unique needs, Homegrown Giving offers employees a way to receive grants of $100 to $5,000 for local events, homeless shelters, food banks, museums and much more. Preference is given to organizations where Williams employees are involved or meeting a need.

Example: Employees in Laurel, Miss. serve as volunteer firefighters and understand the importance and need for emergency equipment in their community and along the Williams pipeline. The Sharon Volunteer Fire Department received a Homegrown Giving grant for $1,100 to help purchase a set of extraction air bags.

Grassroots Education
Williams is dedicated to 0-12 education and provides employees the opportunity to support educational programs in their communities. Grassroots Education grants are designed to promote the academic, artistic and social interests of public school students.

Example: Todd is very involved in a rural school in Wamsutter, Wyo. He helped the school form an anti-drug team, arranges for motivational speakers and even drives the school bus when needed. Todd collaborated with the school leaders to apply for a Grassroots Education grant for interactive whiteboards as well as training for teachers. Due to Todd's involvement and partnership with the school, the grant was approved and the school is up to speed with current technology and able to accommodate student's different learning styles.