Earlier this month, ICMIF member EMC Insurance Companies (USA) and the EMC Insurance Foundation announced their charitable giving and community involvement impact for 2020.

Each year, EMC allocates the equivalent of one tenth of one percent of the prior year’s surplus to grantmaking through the EMC Insurance Foundation (the Foundation). With last year’s contributions, the Foundation’s charitable giving on record passed the USD 27 million mark since its establishment in 1989.

“Community involvement is at the core of who we are at EMC,” said Scott Jean, EMC President and CEO. “We often say our ‘why’ is to improve lives, and we are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the communities where we live and work. EMC team members, agents and policyholders can be very proud of EMC’s long term and deep commitment to giving back and serving our communities.”

Below is a snapshot of 2020 community involvement impact:

Total Foundation Giving: USD 1.56 million
Nonprofit Organizations Benefitted: 103
Total United Way Impact: USD 663,745
Team Member United Way Donations: USD 442,496
EMC 50% United Way Match: USD 221,249

2020 Giving Highlights

• Pandemic Relief: The Foundation made significant pandemic relief donations providing immediate needs assistance to organizations serving families, schools and small businesses.
  – Feeding America: USD 475,500 total, USD 450,000 for school food pantries and other child hunger programs and USD 25,500 to fund food pantries in 17 cities across the USA where EMC has offices.
  – Small Business Grant Relief: $75,000 for this program offered through a consortium of public and private entities in Central Iowa.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I): 2020 brought increased focus on support for DE&I-related organizations and events. EMC has been a supporter of events such as I’ll Make Me a World in Iowa African American Festival, the Women Lead Change Central Iowa Conference, the Iowa Asian Alliance’s CelebrAsian, Iowa’s Latino Heritage Festival, and this year added support for the OneIowa Gala, the Juneteenth Celebration and several others, with more planned for 2021.
• Confluence Brewing Local Cause Brew: EMC partnered with Confluence Brewing Company of Des Moines on a limited-edition brew to benefit Willkie House, one of the oldest African-American community-based organizations in Iowa. Willkie House offers after-school and summer programs for children, aged 5-14 who are primarily from low-income households of color. The brew was a coffee Kolsch, made with beans from BLK and Bold, the first Black-owned, nationally distributed coffee brand. The can featured artwork from Ames-based Black artist Jamie Malone.
• Holiday Gift Drive: The mutual insurers’ Central Iowa team members donated more than 200 holiday gifts for children served by Orchard Place, the oldest locally based charity in Des Moines providing mental health services for kids.
• Central Iowa Water Trails: The Foundation signed on to support the Central Iowa Water Trails Project, which encompasses 150 miles of waterways and 86 access points. The project will spur economic development, enhance outdoor recreation, attract workforce and tourism, and improve water quality and safety. EMC will sponsor a sculpture at the Trail Connector Plaza at the Scott Avenue Dam, southeast of downtown Des Moines. This Connector will be the first downtown phase of the project to be completed and is slated for completion in 2023. EMC likes to support collaborative community projects that improve the landscape of metro Des Moines.

In prior years, the Foundation funded two other significant community projects that are close to coming to fruition: the MidAmerican RecPlex, a regional indoor sport facility in West Des Moines, and the Lauridsen Skate Park in downtown Des Moines, which will be the largest open skatepark in the country. Both are scheduled to open in the first half of 2021.

EMC’s branch and services offices located in 18 cities around the country are also active in their communities, participating in fundraising walk/runs and holding collection drives for nonprofits. Following are a few examples:

• The Providence, Rhode Island office partnered with Children’s Friend, a nonprofit assisting families in need, for a holiday gift drive.
• The Denver, Colorado office participated in a virtual Turkey Trot, benefitting the Mile High United Way.
• The Dallas, Texas office collected socks that were distributed to 10 local charities.
• The Bismarck, North Dakota office participated in NeighborWorks Boise’s Rake Up Boise event, raking leaves for seniors and people with disabilities.

About the EMC Insurance Foundation

The EMC Insurance Foundation was established in 1989 and funds eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations around the country in a variety of areas: education, youth, arts and culture, preservation, health and human services, community projects, emergency needs, and more. The Foundation is a distinct, independent nonprofit, separate from EMC Insurance Companies. For more information, visit the EMC community involvement webpage.

EMC Insurance Companies is among the top 60 property/casualty insurance organizations in the country based on net written premium, with more than 2,400 employees. Employers Mutual Casualty Company (EMCC) was organized in 1911 to write workers’ compensation protection in Iowa. Today, operating under the trade name EMC Insurance Companies, the company provides property and casualty insurance products and services throughout the United States and writes reinsurance contracts worldwide. EMCC is licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.