Pinterest Expands Social, Community Impact Efforts With a Focus on 3 Offline Areas

Pinterest will expand its social and community impact efforts under the leadership of Ari Simon, who joined the company last July in the newly created role of head of social impact and philanthropy. The focus will be on three offline areas: Expanded employee volunteerism: Pinterest employees will receive five volunteer days each calendar year to support civic and community engagement activities.Donation match: The company will match employee donations to eligible nonprofits dollar for dollar up to $1,000 per year, per employee.Charitable giving: Pinterest’s expanded philanthropy program will provide 250,000 shares of stock (currently valued at roughly $17 million) in grants this year with a focus on emotional wellbeing, including increasing awareness, reducing stigma, supporting innovations in the field and tackling inequities in access and disparities in outcomes. The program will also include a place-based community giving portfolio and a reserve for responsive grant-making for challenges such as Covid-19 and organizations tackling racial and other inequities. Simon said in a blog post, “Our approach to social impact and philanthropy is guided by the belief that this work doesn’t stand separate from our identity as a company, but is rather core to our brand, our identity and our long-term vision for impact. It’s about finding new and powerful ways to bring inspiration to the world, to reinforce our core values through action and to show up collectively in the places where we live and work. I’m proud of our progress in my short time at Pinterest and I’m looking forward to building on this vision.” CEO Ben Silbermann added, “I’ve always been inspired by the work that employees do outside of Pinterest, donating time to causes and communities they care about. I’m thrilled to work alongside Ari to focus our efforts on emotional wellbeing and give employees the tools they need to move quickly whenever they feel inspired to make a difference. With more than 15 years of experience developing and leading programs in the philanthropic sector, Ari approaches this role with passion and a deep understanding of the work ahead.” Prior to joining Pinterest, Simon spent seven years as vice president and chief program and strategy officer at philanthropic private entity Kresge Foundation, leading domestic and global grantmaking and directing its Opportunity Fund, which focused on protecting civil rights, promoting racial equity and ensuring the stability of our democratic system of government. He also spent five years with McKinsey & Co., where he focused on social innovation, economic development and public health.

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Pinterest Expands Social, Community Impact Efforts With a Focus on 3 Offline Areas

Head of social impact and philanthropy Ari Simon will lead the way

David Cohen

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David Cohen