2021 community investment highlights

We focus our community investments on advancing local workforce development; supporting diversity, equity and inclusion; protecting and restoring local ecosystems; and responding to other community challenges such as COVID-19 and severe weather. Many of our community investment projects are developed based on the local concerns identified through our social impact assessment process and our analysis of our social risks.

• $5.0M in total community giving.
• $122k+ in contributions to match employee gifts.
• 8,350+ hours of volunteer time.

Advancing local workforce development

• Since 2018, 75 students from SOWELA Technical Community College in Lake Charles, Louisiana and Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, have participated in year-long training and on-site learning apprenticeship experiences at Cheniere facilities, resulting in 37 direct hires, which is 75% of eligible¹ apprentices.
• Around 38 high school students from underserved communities in Houston have participated each year in internship and work-study programs through partnerships with Genesys Works and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, two organizations focused on creating educational and career opportunities for youth from low-income families. Interns, who are paired with mentors during the 12-week program, participate in a two-year vocational program as a pathway to full-time employment at Cheniere. 
  
• $50,000 donated to the Port Arthur Education Foundation Mentorship Program, focused on soft skills and professionalism training. 
• $25,000 invested in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana, a youth mentoring organization, to extend our mentorship pipeline to younger age groups; this program includes providing information about career paths in the oil and gas industry including site visits and information about internship opportunities. 
• $8,000 donated to the Joe A. Gonzalez (JAG) Education is Our Freedom program to help GED recipients in Nueces County, Texas, continue into higher education. In 2022, we plan to nearly double this investment.

Supporting diversity, equity and inclusion

• $500,000 pledged to fund merit- and needs-based scholarships at local Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. In addition to providing nine students with up to $6,000 in financial aid per semester starting in spring 2022, the program will provide internship and mentorship opportunities at Cheniere.
• $180,000 contributed to Houston Parks and Recreation Department to help refurbish five downtown-area parks, including Zurrie M. Malone Park, through the commissioning of local muralists and artists to develop public art in parks in underserved and diverse neighborhoods.
• $50,000 donated to Houston’s Adult Literacy Blueprint, a strategic plan to address low adult literacy rates through coordinated, city-wide action.
• $25,000 donated to DC Greens to fund The Well at Oxford Run, an urban farm and community wellness space for a Washington, D.C. neighborhood that lacks access to fresh, healthy food and safe, outdoor spaces.
• $50,000 contributed to the Downtown Port Arthur Revitalization Project to help fund safety enhancements at People’s Park.
• $25,000 donated to fund merit- and needs-based scholarships at Lamar State College Port Arthur.
• $21,000 donated to fund merit- and needs-based scholarships for minorities in Engineering at Lamar University.

Responding to COVID

• $200,000 in nonprofit grants to support critical medical needs in India, one of our LNG customer markets hit hard by COVID, following a surge in cases, including one grant to SEWA International to build a medical-grade oxygen generation plant in one of the country’s hardest-hit rural regions. Another grant was to Project C.U.R.E. to fund two shipments of new hospital beds, ventilators, respiratory equipment and other critical supplies for small clinics built to support hospital overflow. 
• $100,000 donated to the Southwest Louisiana Economic Alliance supporting minority- and women-owned small businesses impacted by the pandemic and multiple hurricanes in Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes.

Responding to severe weather

• $100,000 to support Hurricane Ida relief in Louisiana including contributions to the Bayou Community Foundation, the Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana (Diocese of Lake Charles Catholic Charities and Catholic Charities of Acadiana) and the Triangle Outreach Center.
• $25,000 to underwrite the cost of food and a delivery vehicle for Kids’ Meals in Houston. 
• $25,000 to Coastal Bend Food Bank in the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri.

Protecting and restoring local ecosystems

• $100,000 to Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program to support projects designed to positively impact migratory bird populations and support local ecosystem education initiatives.
• $100,000 to the Port of Beaumont to fund a critical safety element at the entrance of the Sabine Pass waterway damaged in Hurricane Laura. The element ensures the safety of all nighttime vessel transits.
• $30,000 to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to fund a water pumping system to protect area wetlands during future weather events.

Safeguarding local communities

• $130,000 to the San Patricio County Sheriff’s Department to convert local police and fire departments to a new digital radio system to allow emergency responders to communicate more clearly and improve response times.
• $65,000 to the City of Taft, Texas, to replace 16 fire hydrants.