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Today, PayPal named 77 nonprofits across 22 countries and territories as recipients of its annual Community Impact Grants. Recipients receive monetary grants of up to USD $20,000. Along with the funding, the recipients receive volunteer support from PayPal employee volunteers and pro bono resources to help extend the impact of the award.

Each year, employees in PayPal’s offices around the world come together and vote to select local charities that align with PayPal's mission of creating economic opportunity and improving financial health for all. Throughout the year, employees contribute their time, skills, and resources to support these nonprofit organisations that are addressing the specific needs of local communities.

“Our focus on community impact and employee volunteerism is one of the ways that we fulfill our mission and live our values. Through our Community Impact Grants program, we support the communities in which we live and work and inspire and enable our employee community to come together to help advance our mission and shared purpose” said Franz Paasche, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, PayPal.

Through PayPal’s Community Impact program, the company’s employees participate in the local grant nomination and decision-making process, which builds community inside and outside the company.

Since 2020, PayPal employees have contributed nearly 300,000 volunteer hours, benefitting a wide range of organizations around the world.

In Australia, PayPal employees voted to support Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, OzHarvest, with this year’s Community Impact Grant. This funding, and volunteering support, will help save surplus food from landfill and deliver it to charities that help feed people in need, as demand surges during the current cost of living crisis. 

With Gartner estimating that 60% of the global workforce need new skills, employees across the Asia Pacific region voted overwhelmingly in favor of supporting non-profit organisations focused on upskilling efforts. As digitalisation powers ahead, maintaining the right skills is essential to building a more inclusive economy. In Japan, PayPal has supported the Entrepreneurial Training for Innovative Companies (ETIC) since 2021 with volunteering, pro bono resources and monetary grants in 2022s and 2023. Last year, PayPal Japan took part in a three-month program organised by ETIC to solve challenges faced by six entrepreneurs looking to leverage technology to address social problems. The cohesive program incorporated training with industry specialists and academics, networking and mentorship sessions, and a hackathon with PayPal subject matter experts across disciplines.

Marginalised communities are often most at risk of being left behind in the race towards a digital economy. Research undertaken by UNESCO-UNICEF reported that despite more children and adolescents receiving education than ever before, there remains a large number of children who remain illiterate. Organisations like Pass Love [CN], India Literacy Project [IN], SOS Children’s Villages [PH] and Engineering Good [SG] focus on embedding basic and digital literacy skills to underprivileged children and youth.

The nonprofits in Asia Pacific receiving 2023 Community Impact Grants include: