Chevron believes that investing in California communities is important to the long-term success of our company and the state. That's why we focus on partnerships that support the building blocks of California's economy.
Chevron promotes education—particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), which we believe is the cornerstone to our state's competitiveness.
In 2009, we launched the California Partnership, which expanded our work with more than 60 California nonprofit organizations focused on STEM education and economic development. To date, our investments in STEM education have benefited more than 500,000 K-12 public school students and 6,600 teachers. Our support has helped nonprofits introduce new STEM curricula and hundreds of new STEM activities and programs into California's public schools, including some 13,000 new scholarships, science and robotics kits, computers and pieces of lab equipment.
Our investments in economic development focus on creating job opportunities through career training, micro- and small business development. The career training programs we support have delivered opportunities to more than 10,000 adults since 2009, equipping them with the skills needed to successfully enter and stay in the workforce.
Our micro- and small business support has benefitted more than 2,500 business owners by helping nonprofits to deliver services from micro-financing and business incubation to training and growth assistance. Our goal is to build entrepreneurs' skills and empower them to grow their businesses and employ others.
Chevron's University Partnership Program (UPP) supports colleges and universities around the world. Through the UPP, we fund faculty positions, build labs and help our partners attract and develop the talented students and teachers necessary to ensure a technically proficient workforce. In California, Chevron partners with Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of California at Davis and the University of Southern California.
Our employees also demonstrate their commitment to others by volunteering their personal time and resources to serve California communities through the Chevron Humankind program. More than 7,000 California participants supported more than 4,500 nonprofits through Chevron Humankind from 2008 through 2011.