LP Foundation donates over $550,000 in 2021 to support local communities

3 years ago

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — LP Building Solutions (LP), a leading manufacturer of high-performance building products, is proud to announce that the company donated more than $550,000 in 2021 through its LP Foundation and other corporate giving initiatives.

The LP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has five philanthropic programs: Grants and Sponsorships, Disaster Relief, Community Mill Grants, Employee Nonprofit Board Sponsorships, and the Employee Giving Match Program.

The company has a manufacturing operation located in New Limerick.

 The LP Foundation’s philanthropic focus aligns closely with LP’s vision, values and purpose of Building a Better World. Donations are directed at nonprofits and public schools within the following categories: housing; environment; K-12 public education; and diversity, equity and inclusion.

 “We stay true to LP’s purpose of Building a Better World by enriching our community through thoughtful giving and volunteering,” said LP Foundation President Breeanna Straessle. “(The year) 2021 was an outstanding year for the LP Foundation in terms of both giving and impact. In addition to donating more than half a million dollars, LP employees also volunteered their time to dozens of local causes, such as building homes with Habitat for Humanity, teaching high school students about sustainable forestry, and collecting school supplies for teachers.”

In 2021, the LP Foundation had a record-breaking year of giving through its Community Mill Grants program, donating more than ever within the communities where it operates. Organizations and schools were identified by employees at LP mills across the U.S. and Canada based on community need. The foundation also continued its tradition of contributing to nonprofits in Nashville, Tennessee, where the company is headquartered. Among these hometown grants was a $50,000 donation to the Adventure Science Center, a nonprofit science museum for children. The donation contributed to the development of an urban arboretum in the heart of Music City, a particularly fitting project given LP’s long history of sustainable forest management.

 “Support from the LP Foundation was instrumental in creating the Adventure Science Center 75th Anniversary Arboretum, a project that allowed us to take our nonprofit mission outdoors, provide free learning experiences for the community, and celebrate a significant milestone in our history,” said Adventure Science Center President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Hinkley. “Strong relationships with the business community have helped make Adventure Science Center an irreplaceable part of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, and we are grateful to the LP Foundation for their partnership.”

 The LP Foundation continued its long-time partnership with PENCIL, which connects community resources with Metro Nashville Public Schools. This year, the LP PENCIL Box program reached an incredible milestone—surpassing $10 million in free teacher supply donations since the program was launched in 2006.

Additional grants were issued this year to nonprofits such as LP’s long-standing partner, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville; Hard Bargain Association; Rebuilding Together Nashville; Tennessee Wildlife Federation; Serving Souls; Two Harbors Fire Department; Project Backpack; and United Way of Southwest Alabama, among others.

 As a building solutions company, LP is deeply committed to rebuilding areas severely impacted by natural disasters where LP has a significant local employee and business presence. In 2021, both LP and the LP Foundation provided financial support for disaster relief and humanitarian aid following two devastating floods in Nashville, Tennessee, and surrounding communities; the 2020 Christmas Day bombing in historic downtown Nashville; and after a tornado ripped through Clarke County, Alabama, near an LP OSB facility.

 In addition to LP’s long tradition of community support, many of the company’s employees are active members of their local communities, often volunteering their time and resources to support the needs of their communities. The foundation continued to support this work over the past year through its Employee Nonprofit Board Sponsorships and Employee Giving Match Programs. Since 2013, LP employees have personally contributed more than $370,000 to charitable organizations and educational institutions across North America, for which the LP Foundation has provided matching gifts totaling nearly $800,000.

The LP Foundation was established in 1973 as a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since its founding, the LP Foundation has donated more than $20 million to nonprofits and K-12 schools in the communities where LP operates.