Volunteerism is where the heart of Trane Technologies is on full display. We enjoy a culture that actively supports volunteerism, and a workforce that enthusiastically embraces it. From reading in classrooms, mentoring, and on-campus school tours - to making meals available for at-risk communities, our employees are devoted to uplifting their communities.
Business leaders are also engaged in our communities, working with non-profits and using their skill sets and resources to support civic initiatives.
Our Purple Teams are groups of impassioned employees around the world who raise their hands to champion our corporate citizenship activity on the ground in their local communities. They are representatives from across the business, building meaningful community connections that keep employees inspired.
Our Thermo King business and Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, collaborate on We Move Food, a program that provides support to hunger relief organizations globally. We provide direct grants, special pricing on transport refrigeration products and maintenance, and volunteer hours from our team members to support local food programs.
We believe that caring for communities is a shared obligation and an opportunity for our business leaders to contribute. Our leaders participate on non-profit boards, support impactful economic development initiatives, and work alongside business and civic leaders ideating on how to use our resources to help achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
We rely on a growing network of talented non-profit partners and specialists around the world whose local expertise and relationships help us maximize our impact. We partner with strong community organizations, delivering high-impact outcomes in their dedicated program areas. Below are just a few of our allies, partnering with us to put our corporate citizenship strategy and passion into action.
Through our unique partnership with Discovery Education, we produced one-of-a-kind STEM and sustainability lessons and experiences that are delivered to tens of thousands of students in classrooms across the US. This rich content helps teachers enrich their STEM curriculum and equips our employees with ready-to-use lesson bundles for introducing young audiences to the world of STEM.
students
How can we make an impact on young students in #STEM and what impact will those students make on our planet? We believe that providing them with education, fun STEM experiences, and interactive resources will inspire them to innovate, make a positive impact on our planet and change the world. We’ve also developed a program that features a Sustainable Futures website with one-of-a-kind sustainability lessons and ready-to-use teaching aids for volunteers to use when leading in-class lessons. The site offers a Virtual Field Trip to bring students into our business environments for a behind-the-scenes look at what climate innovation is and why it matters for a more sustainable future.
To open up hearts and minds to the potential of STEM careers, the program also offers a section with a collection of professional profiles to showcase the stories behind roles and people at Trane Technologies making a difference through STEM. The content has reached more than 70,000 students, introducing a new generation to the critical issues affecting our planet’s long-term health, and inviting them to participate in creating tomorrow’s solutions.
Our relationship with Project Scientist runs deep. Their mission is to expose a diverse population of young girls to STEM curriculum and careers. As an early funder, we have helped them expand their programming to new markets, including Mexico; we've hosted their summer camps on our campuses; and scores of our employees have led Project Scientist girls through behind-the-scenes career expeditions that gave them inspiration and confidence.
European Schoolnet's STEM Alliance is a growing network of industry and education stakeholders working to encourage and inspire young people to pursue STEM careers to help combat the STEM skills shortage in Europe.
The Alliance and its partners deliver activities supporting teacher training, technology-enhanced learning, and science awareness for schools, reaching over 122,000 students across Europe.
NC3 was founded to help build a workforce prepared to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s industries.
To fulfill that mission, NC3 builds deep industry-educational partnerships and creates industry-recognized portable certifications built on national skills standards. All curriculum and certifications are delivered without cost to students, putting workforce development at the center of creating strong people and communities.
You all spending all this time with me makes me feel like I'm a big deal
The Trane Technologies Foundation is a philanthropic 501(c)3 established and funded by the company to act as its primary philanthropic vehicle. As such, its focus is on developing non-profit relationships that specifically advance its corporate strategy, Sustainable Futures, which is to uplift students currently underrepresented in STEM careers by providing access to healthy learning environments, STEM/sustainability education, and pathways to careers. Through the Foundation and other philanthropic initiatives, we have pledged to invest $100 million to this work by 2030 and we are on track to deliver. You can learn about our processes below.
Our Giving Priorities
The Foundation makes charitable investments that support individuals and communities in achieving positive, sustainable outcomes. These priorities inform the selection process for millions of dollars in non-profit grants each year.
Our Foundation benefits from the oversight of a Foundation Council composed of select leaders from the company’s business units and corporate functions. Nearly 60 percent of the Council is comprised of women or minorities. The Council is chaired by the company’s external communications and reputation management leader. Outside of the United States, our businesses adhere to the same strategy and enlist local governance councils for oversight and guidance. Read the full details in the next section below within the U.S. Foundation Charter Governance section.
U.S. and international councils convene quarterly to review the use of our philanthropic resources and assess the progress our commitments as articulated in our annual ESG report. Additionally, councils review grant requests for their alignment with the principles listed below.
Our Foundation will not support contributions to, nor will it sponsor employee involvement with, political organizations, candidates, public office holders, fraternal or labor organizations, or any cause that is inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the company’s Code of Conduct, values, brand promise, and commitment to diversity and inclusion.
In support of our mission to advance the quality of life around the world, our Foundation offers philanthropic programs for our employees and the general public to take part in.
Currently, we do not accept unsolicited grant requests. For more information about our programs, please email us at foundation@tranetechnologies.com.
Foundation Charter Governance
Trane Technologies is committed to good corporate citizenship in all of the communities in which we are located. Through the actions of our business operations and the involvement of our dedicated employees, Trane Technologies seeks to be a source of uplift to individuals and communities.
The work of our foundation is overseen by a select team of cross-functional leaders who serve on a Foundation Council. They are tasked with ensuring consistent execution of best practice, and alignment with our corporate citizenship goals.
Our Foundation Council Charter
The Council makes recommendations that focus resources on areas where Trane Technologies can make a difference.
It selects philanthropic partners according to criteria that include employee involvement, affinity with our business mission, demonstrated need, shared values, and financial stewardship. It directs support in a manner that delivers consequential and sustained benefits to, and appreciably improves the lives of, people within our communities.
The Council will recommend and create programs and policies that encourage our employees to actively support the communities where we live and work, and that support their personal involvement in volunteer and philanthropic activities. It will encourage leadership connectedness within our communities by advocating memberships on philanthropic boards. It will establish, support, and promote volunteer programs that encourage the involvement of all employees and recognize outstanding employee volunteer efforts.
The Council is not specifically focused on coordinating the company’s response to catastrophic events; however, the Council will work with Trane Technologies’ Enterprise Leadership Team (ELT) to ensure that the company is prepared to appropriately and rapidly deploy its resources when these events occur.
Council Role
Our Foundation Council is established as an advisory board to the ELT to develop recommendations to guide our strategic business units and all employees in the application of company resources in support of global, regional, or local causes of interest to our employee population, or requiring special support due to the significance of the issue and its potential impact on our communities.
Council Composition
Our Council will be composed of selected members of the Strategic Business Unit Leadership Team (SBU-LT), representatives of SBU leadership teams, and other, selected Trane Technologies employees. The Director of External and Executive Communications will chair the Council.
Other designated SBU and functional members may be asked to serve on the Council to assist its efforts. Members from SBU leadership teams shall be recommended by each SBU president and/or segment executive vice president, and corporate officers shall serve as liaisons between the Council and Corporate Center. Other Council participants may be appointed at the recommendation of the Council Chair.
Council Service
All Council representatives serve a two-year and may be re-appointed by the Council Chair to seek continuity of Council efforts. SBU presidents will nominate a replacement from their leadership team upon the end of a representative’s service.
The Council will meet quarterly or as dictated by the volume of requests to review programs, policies, and requests; to make recommendations as appropriate to the ELT; and to conduct any business that falls within the Council’s charter.
Business Unit and Function representatives shall be responsible for establishing and maintaining a reporting mechanism within their SBUs and Functions for the purpose of collecting data and sharing information across the company and with external audiences about Trane Technologies’ global citizenship activities.
Scope of the Council
Our Foundation Council will develop a framework that will guide the company’s business units and Corporate Center in:
Selected areas of interest will be carefully evaluated and recommended by the Council based on demonstrated need and potential benefit to the communities in which we live and work.
Our Foundation Council will be called upon by the ELT to develop guidelines for sustainable support of core areas. These guidelines are to be submitted to the ELT for review and approval, and then communicated to the business units and Corporate Center locations. Selected guidelines are intended to be tools to assist each business unit in the thoughtful consideration of community support.
The Council will review all contribution requests above $10,000. Prospective contributions below $10,000 will be managed by our Foundation administrators or within the business units.
The Council shall review the annual activities of the business units to evaluate the company’s performance against our corporate citizenship goals and report our progress to the ELT. Additionally, the Council will be responsible for recommending, coordinating and leveraging the company’s global or regional citizenship programs, such as the United Way campaign.
Our Foundation Council Guidelines
All employees are encouraged to support causes within the focus areas recommended by the Global Citizenship Council, as well as to recommend other areas to be considered and endorsed by the ELT in the future. In fact, the company’s support of a cause often is predicated on the involvement of Trane Technologies employees. To be selected, areas of focus should:
Individual causes or institutions within the recommended areas of focus also should:
It will be the policy of Trane Technologies to focus corporate charitable contributions on those areas recommended by our Foundation Council and approved by the ELT. The company will not support contributions to, nor will it sponsor employee involvement with, political organizations, candidates, public office holders, fraternal or labor organizations, or any cause that is inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the company’s code of conduct and values.
Areas of Focus
Our Foundation Council established a strategy focused on uplifting underrepresented students by providing them access to education and pathways to green and STEM careers. This strategy informs the focus of both the company’s giving and volunteer efforts.
Guidelines and examples of giving will be developed by our Foundation Council and communicated to all employees and business units as they are developed for each focus area.
Contribution Request Process
All employees are encouraged to work with the prospective organization to complete the entire grant application within the areas of focus identified by our Foundation Council, and which meet the company’s citizenship guidelines. The process to request a grant is as follows:
Community Relief
The council recognizes that many of our neighbors require relief due to unexpected events and hardships, or assistance to improve their living conditions. As a result, the Council has identified Community Relief as a focus area for the company’s philanthropic activities.
If you would like to recommend a volunteerism opportunity that aligns with our focus area, please contact foundation@tranetechnologies.com and describe the organization, activity, timing and location.
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