The Western Union Company’s Corporate Citizenship efforts are not limited to its Foundation. The company also gives back to the communities it serves through many innovative business programs.
Western Union has joined together with goverment entities and community associations to fund productive projects leading to sustainable job creation in Mexican states. For every $1 contributed by local Hometown Associations (HTAs), Western Union, plus local, state and federal governments in Mexico, contribute $1 each to these projects. In the initial stages of the program, Western Union donated more than $112,000 to fund eight projects in the state of Zacatecas, where more than 4,000 adults are participating. Western Union has committed $1.25 million projects in Zacatecas, Michoacán and Veracruz.
Launched in September 2007 with Western Union as a founding sponsor, the National Business Information Clearinghouse (BIC) is a unique, multi-lingual web site that provides critical business information and online training to help strengthen and grow new and existing businesses. The BIC is expected to serve more than a million small business inquiries and help develop hundreds of new immigrant and minority small businesses. The BIC is funded by the Western Union Empowerment Fund, a $10 million fund dedicated to empowering communities in the U.S. and abroad. Throughout 2008, the National Hispanic Business Information Clearinghouse (NHBIC) is being launched to Hispanic communities in key U.S. cities, stimulating economic development and entrepreneurship. Additional plans include the launch of the National Black Business Information Clearinghouse and the National Asian Business Information Clearinghouse with content translated into Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Korean.