Civic 50 Lauds Allstate for Its Good Works

NORTHBROOK, Ill., Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A woman living at an abuse shelter in Kentucky was able to save $2,000 and through matching funds provided by a grant from The Allstate Foundation, she bought a Volkswagen Beetle that she drives to get around safely. The vehicle provides her independence to help her get past an abusive relationship.

This is just one small but powerful example of how Allstate and The Allstate Foundation are helping to make a difference for individuals in communities across the country. For the second year in a row, Allstate was named to The Civic 50, which recognizes companies for their commitment to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business. The Civic 50 is produced by the National Conference on Citizenship and Points of Light, and published by Bloomberg News.

"Allstate's corporate responsibility programs reach deep into communities across the country," said Vicky Dinges, senior vice president of corporate responsibility at Allstate. "We are financially empowering thousands of domestic violence survivors, making the roads safer for the next generation of drivers, and helping Chicago's neighborhoods become safer places to live and work."

Notably, during a first-of-its-kind summit of nonprofit leaders hosted by The Allstate Foundation in conjunction with its sixtieth anniversary, Allstate found a new way to deliver greater social impact. In collaboration with summit participants, The Allstate Foundation created a $600,000 grant program designed to strengthen the nonprofit sector in the areas of organizational, technological and leadership development.  

"Grant programs like this are rare in the philanthropic community. By combining business know-how with nonprofit expertise, we're making a real difference in peoples' lives," said Dinges. "Collaborating side-by-side with nonprofits not only deepens the impact of our work and of our partners; it helps us think differently about how we can benefit local communities on a greater level." 

The Civic 50 was developed in partnership with a high-profile working group of lead researchers and industry thought leaders. Dozens of corporate advisors provided strategic guidance on the program's objectives, including defining indicators, developing methodology, and identifying partners and participants. As a result of this collaborative process, the initiative reflects leading insights to how corporations can and should engage with communities in a twenty-first century economy.  

"The results of this year's Civic 50 survey show that even the most civically engaged companies are doing more to make community engagement a top priority and a permanent aspect of their business strategy," said Michael Weiser, chairman of the Board, National Conference on Citizenship and Neil Bush, chairman of the Board, Points of Light, in a joint statement.  "These 50 companies are showing others in the private sector how to boost the bottom line and make the world a better place."

To learn more about Allstate's corporate responsibility programs, please visit www.allstate.com/corporateresponsibility.

More about the Civic 50

This year's Civic 50 were evaluated and accrued points based on several criteria, including how much financial and human resources are applied to civic improvement, whether internal and external resources are activated to maximize community impact, how a company's community engagement activities support its business interests, how broadly community engagement is supported and institutionalized within a company's policies, systems and incentives, and how a company measures the social and business value of its community engagement programs. To learn more about The Civic 50survey as well as the importance of civic engagement in corporate America, please visit www.Civic50.org.  

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, serving approximately 16 million households through its Allstate, Encompass, Esurance and Answer Financial brand names and Allstate Financial business segment.  Allstate branded insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services are offered through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives, as well as via www.allstate.com, www.allstate.com/financial and 1-800 Allstate^®, and are widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate^®." As part of Allstate's commitment to strengthen local communities, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate employees, agency owners and the corporation provided $29 million in 2012 to thousands of nonprofit organizations and important causes across the United States.

SOURCE Allstate