The Aramco Americas Citizenship Program: working together with local communities for a better future

• Acting as a good corporate citizen by supporting people and projects has been a core value of Aramco Americas since its inception
• Aramco Americas has a proud history of contributing positively to the communities where it operates
• The company has a decades-long track record of supporting citizenship programs in STEM education, biodiversity, and social needs

For Aramco and its employees around the world, corporate citizenship is about building stronger communities and empowering individuals. This dedication to making a positive impact in the communities where we operate stems from the belief that the most important element for societal progress is people. With a presence in the U.S. of more than 90 years, we have embodied this commitment by partnering with like-minded organizations, helping amplify their efforts and broadening the impact of their programs. 

Our citizenship work is designed to drive positive change in regions across the U.S. where our employees live and work. Our efforts are centered around three pillars: enabling people by developing human capital; enhancing biodiversity by supporting environmental initiatives; and energizing communities by helping to address societal needs. On average, the programs supported by Aramco Americas positively impact the lives of more than 500,000 beneficiaries annually.

Empowering young minds 
 
We support numerous initiatives designed to empower people and create lasting benefits through our long-standing citizenship partnerships. Many of these programs focus on offering high-quality resources to underserved students and helping develop the innovators of tomorrow. 

Recognizing that progress and prosperity rely on innovation, Aramco Americas has increased its support for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education over the years. We have expanded STEM initiatives in cities including Houston, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and others, focusing on partnerships that help inspire young minds — especially girls and students of color — to pursue careers in the sciences. As part of this commitment, we also support the Million Girls Moonshot initiative, which aims to engage more girls in STEM with after-school and summer programs. 

Partnerships with organizations like the Michigan Science Center (MiSci) and the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) help bring science programs to children and their teachers. Founded in 2012 in partnership with MiSci, the Aramco Traveling Science Program brings interactive STEM education to underserved communities across Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. Each year, this initiative reaches over 31,000 students, educators, and parents, providing valuable learning experiences and inspiring future generations in the fields of science and technology. 

Aramco’s iExplore, developed with HMNS more than 10 years ago, has reached thousands of underserved fifth graders, and on average, students increased their knowledge of biodiversity concepts by 17% through this initiative.

Supporting biodiversity 

Supporting programs that aim to enhance biodiversity is the second pillar of our citizenship work. Through strategic partnerships, we seek to enhance natural habitats and develop vibrant urban green spaces. 

In the Americas, we support the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Coral Reef Conservation Fund to help improve the health of coral reefs near Florida, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, among other areas. Since 2020, we have supported numerous projects aimed at restoring coral reefs across the U.S., helping enhance these vibrant underwater ecosystems. 

In Houston, where our Aramco Americas corporate office is located, our tree-planting partnership with Trees For Houston has added to canopies in parks and underserved communities for more than 15 years, helping improve the quality of life for residents by providing enhanced green spaces. Each year, Aramco Americas funds the planting of over 300 semi-mature trees and distributes around 2,000 saplings to local communities. 

And our more-than-a-decade-long support for the Galveston Bay Foundation helps maintain the health of the seventh-largest U.S. estuary, which hosts a diverse range of marine life, birds, and vegetation. We support the bay's wetlands by funding the planting of approximately 22,000 stems of marsh grass each year.

Energizing our communities 

Our work ‘energizing communities’ is aimed at helping to build greater social resiliency. This includes supporting the Houston Food Bank, Gleaners Community Food Bank in Detroit, and DC Central Kitchen, as well as other food banks across the U.S. over the years. On average, Aramco Americas' contributions have helped provide nearly 300,000 meals annually to individuals and families affected by disasters nationwide. 

We support Houston Methodist, a nonprofit healthcare organization serving the Greater Houston Area with their community breast cancer screening and diagnostics program helping around 200 uninsured and underinsured women annually. Through our support of Texas Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Developmental Unit, we benefit approximately 3,000 children and their families yearly. 

And our ongoing support for the Houston Health Foundation’s See to Succeed program has provided free eye exams and prescription glasses to tens of thousands of public school children in metropolitan Houston. Vision is essential for learning and this program has directly improved educational outcomes for hundreds of disadvantaged kids.

Emergency response efforts 

Our ‘energizing communities’ work also includes emergency response and relief assistance. When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita impacted communities and businesses in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas in 2005, Aramco donated approximately $1.2 million worth of diesel fuel vouchers to fishing boat owners in the region, in addition to goods donations for storm relief.  

In 2017, when Hurricane Harvey impacted the Houston region, we assisted with $15 million in funding to support Habitat for Humanity’s efforts repairing homes; to rebuild and equip seven schools through the Houston Independent School District Foundation; to construct a new TECHLink Library through the Houston Public Library System; and to support cleanup, utility restoration, and meals for seniors and underserved communities. 

Following the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri in 2021, we supported relief initiatives — including the Houston Health Foundation, the Houston Harris County Winter Storm Relief Fund, and the Southeast Texas Emergency Relief Fund, to help residents with home repairs, temporary housing, and other basic needs. Later that year, when Hurricane Ida caused flooding along the Gulf Coast and parts of the Northeast, Aramco Americas supported organizations providing immediate and long-term recovery aid, including the Greater New Orleans Foundation and All Hands and Hearts.

A culture of volunteering 

Volunteerism is integral to the employee experience at Aramco Americas, where employees and their families actively participate in community service, from supporting Houston Marathon activities to engaging in shoreline cleanup efforts.  

Our 20-year long involvement with the Houston Marathon Foundation is perhaps the best example of our employees’ volunteer spirit. Each year, hundreds of employees, friends, family members, and retirees help serve thousands of runners who participate in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. 

This passion for volunteering also comes to life through our partnership with the Galveston Bay Foundation, through which hundreds of Aramco employees have helped clean up shorelines, plant marsh grasses, and add to oyster beds that filter the bay’s water. Aramco's commitment to STEM education also brings out our employees on a regular basis to participate in volunteer events and programs in support of literacy through the Houston Public Library Foundation.  

Our employees frequently donate their time to the Houston Food Bank to support its mission to help feed the hungry. In 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 the company’s volunteers were recognized with the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Established in 2003 under the George W. Bush administration, the President’s Volunteer Service Award acknowledges the vital role of volunteers in strengthening communities.

Collaborating for a better future 

Whether we are helping to develop tomorrow’s innovators, supporting biodiversity programs, or assisting organizations that address social needs, being a positive influence through our corporate citizenship programs is central to who we are, both as people and as a business — as is our deep-held conviction that working together is how we build a better future for everyone.