Community development in the Gulf States
BP is supporting communities in the Gulf states through partnerships, sponsorships and direct community engagement
BP directly employs more than 2,300 people in the Gulf of Mexico and supports tens of thousands of additional jobs in the region. We expect to invest at least $4 billion a year in oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico over the next 10 years.
In addition, BP invests in Gulf Coast communities by building partnerships through educational programmes, enterprise development and community improvement. Our goal is to provide a positive legacy in these coastal communities.
Future of the Gulf Fund
After the Deepwater Horizon accident, BP established a $100-million rig worker assistance fund through the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF) to support unemployed rig workers experiencing economic hardship as a result of the moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed by the US federal government. The foundation administers the fund and BP has no authority to direct grants or awards. More than $11 million went to compensate certain rig workers and other individuals engaged in direct support of deepwater drilling rigs.
John Davies
Chief Executive Officer, BRAF
"The Future of the Gulf Fund will provide significant resources to some very worthwhile worker-training and environmental organizations that have been on the frontlines of relief ever since the spill began."
With fewer than 2,000 individuals applying for funds during the first two rounds of payouts, the foundation decided to award the remaining funds to community-based organizations through its Future of the Gulf Fund. The foundation has approved more than $55 million in grants to a variety of organizations, including the Audubon Nature Institute and Tulane University. The foundation is reviewing grant proposals for the remaining $25 million in funds.
Gulf Region Health Outreach Program
As part of the Medical Benefits Class Action Settlement that received approval by the court in January 2013, BP will provide $105 million to the Gulf Region Health Outreach Program to improve the availability, scope and quality of healthcare in Gulf communities. The focus will be on strengthening local capacity to deliver primary care, behavioural and mental health services, and environmental medicine. BP provided approximately $20 million in 2012 to launch the assessment and evaluation phase of the health outreach programme across the four Gulf states.
Education programmes
BP supports local education programmes across the Gulf region.
- The Sea, Sand, & Stars Summer Program is a partnership with coastal Alabama organizations to engage local people and holidaymakers in learning about native marine species using the facility’s 1,200 gallon saltwater touch tank.
- The Challenger Learning Center in Tallahassee, Florida, engaged 600 students from economically disadvantaged Panhandle schools to attend a BP-sponsored space exploration-oriented programme designed to stimulate interest in mathematics and science.
- The BP Foundation provided an endowment to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Foundation for academic scholarships in the areas of hospitality and science, technology, engineering and mathematics-based programmes.
Dwayne Baraka
Business Support and Development Director,
Business in the Community
"I'd like to know more about the outcomes of specific investments BP has made in local communities, so that we see whether BP's efforts have efficiently maximized creation of social and environmental value. Stakeholders will rightly demand to know whether it has used the restoration budget to fix the problems created by the incident. Other companies could learn a lot from BP's experiences in the Gulf of Mexico, so more detail would be welcome."
Enterprise development
BP supports local enterprise development in the Gulf region by hiring local suppliers and partnering with local organizations.
- During 2012, we spent more than $173 million with minority and women-owned business enterprises. The Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce named BP its Minority Business Advocate of the Year.
- In Louisiana, BP is providing business development and computer training to small business owners. We have expanded the reach of these programmes to southwest Louisiana through partnerships with Louisiana Direct Seafood and Options for Independence.
- BP’s continued support of the Mississippi International Relief and Development US Café Climb initiative is delivering tools to at-risk youth to help them prepare for work at one of the Gulf Coast’s major employers in the food preparation and service industry.
- BP partnered with the Mobile Business Development Authority in Alabama to support supplier diversity through workshops and database development.
- BP continues to provide support for the coastal tourism and seafood industries through grants to each state.
Attestation
The information on this page forms part of the information reviewed and reported on by Ernst & Young as part of BP's 2012 sustainability reporting.
Related links
An overview of our business, investments and commitments
We aim to support development programmes that create a meaningful and sustainable impact
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