MetLife Foundation Expands Employee-driven Community Impact Grant Program to Asia Pacific

MetLife Foundation announced it is expanding its Community Impact Grant Program to Asia. Originally launched in the US last year, the Asia program will also address acute needs disproportionately impacting people with low- to moderate-incomes. An invitation-only program, selected recipients will receive programmatic support through grants between USD $50,000 - $100,000 in the following four focus areas:

• Hunger Relief and Nutrition to provide access to healthy food options that address food insecurity, nutrition, and healthy eating.
• Physical and Mental Well-Being to provide access to shelters and affordable housing, social services, mental health and well-being services.
• Environmental Sustainability to mitigate the impact of changing weather patterns and improve the environment in local communities.
• Quality of Life to improve access to transportation to increase the accessibility to critical needs and services; emergency supplies; and access to recreation, arts and cultural experiences.

MetLife employees will continue to lead the effort as volunteers drawn from across the company's Asia network will participate on the selection committee. The committee will assess and recommend grants to local organizations who are addressing emergency needs of people with low incomes and communities impacted by the growing income and wealth divide.

"Employee care is at the center of this program, creating connectivity and vitality across our communities," said Mike Zarcone, Head of Corporate Affairs for MetLife and Chairman of MetLife Foundation. "The program's success is driven by MetLife employees coming together to live our purpose, with the expansion reflecting our commitment to our communities and our efforts to provide a source of immediate assistance to those in need globally."

The Foundation is now inviting organizations with demonstrated success in one of the four focus areas to submit requests for proposal (RFP) for the 2024 calendar year. The Foundation will award grants to organizations who plan to implement their program in one of the following six markets where MetLife has a presence:

• Australia
• Bangladesh
• Malaysia
• Nepal
• South Korea
• Vietnam

Regional President for MetLife Asia, Lyndon Oliver, noted, "Serving the communities in which we all live and work by helping in both big ways and small is central to our purpose, and the addition of the Community Impact Grant Program allows us to do just that, complementing all our MetLife Foundation strategic initiatives in the region."

The RFP for this round of funding in Asia is by invitation only. All organizations who apply will receive a decision on their proposal by June 2024.

For more information on the program, visit www.MetLife.org.

About MetLife Foundation

At MetLife Foundation, we are committed to driving inclusive economic mobility. We collaborate with nonprofit organizations and provide grants aligned to three strategic focus areas ? economic inclusion, financial health and resilient communities ? while engaging MetLife employee volunteers to help drive impact. MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 to continue MetLife's long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Since its inception, MetLife Foundation has contributed over $1 billion to strengthen communities where MetLife has a presence. To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.