Planet and Communities
Our Community Programs
Giving back is the Unitherian way. It is part of who we are. Our community engagement program has historically been organized around two principles: first, supporting causes that are directly related to our mission around PAH and other rare diseases; and second, supporting our local communities where we live and work through monetary donations, an annual Community Service Day, and other service projects throughout the year.
The activities provide meaningful assistance and support to charitable organizations in our communities while fostering a spirit of volunteerism in our employees. Unitherians have supported many organizations through volunteer efforts or sponsorships, such as Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army/Boys & Girls Club, among others. In 2020, we also supported Black Girls Code, Equal Justice Initiative, Reality Ministries, and Ronald McDonald House of Durham.
Continued Support for STEM Initiatives
- In 2020, we helped fund the Richard Montgomery High School mBIT competition, which is a student-run computing competition
- For the past 10 years leading up to 2020, we sponsored the Montgomery County Science Fair in Maryland. We expect to resume our support in the upcoming school year
- We work closely with FIRST®, (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science & Technology), which is the leading, not-for-profit STEM engagement program for youth worldwide. The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills; that inspire innovation; and that foster well-rounded life capabilities, including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. As part of this partnership, United Therapeutics sponsors numerous individual FIRST teams. Each team's goal is the opportunity to attend and compete in the World Championship event at the end of the season. As a leading biotech company, we also sponsor the FIRST Innovation Faire at the World Championship event, which inspires participating youth to seek career opportunities they may not have been aware of with the knowledge and skills they obtained participating in FIRST
2020 HIGHLIGHTS
~ $450,000
in community-focused donations
Over 150
organizations supported
100%
employee participation
Remote learning
and STEM support
THE SEISMIC EVENTS OF 2020 – THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND CALLS FOR RACIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY – EXPANDED OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PRIORITIES
- As part of our $1 million commitment (see page 23 for more details), we donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Ed Fund, Black Girls Code, Boys and Girls Club of America, and the Equal Justice Initiative
- We provided a cash stipend to our Unitherians — in the form of a $100 gift card for each employee — to support one of our five selected charities or a charity of their choice. Our Unitherians supported over 150 organizations, in many cases personally matching the donation to double the impact. This innovative program helped drive engagement throughout our organization, as employees across all locations participated in support of their favorite charities
- When we learned that many students would not be returning to their classrooms in the fall, we shifted our typical funding for local organizations in Silver Spring, MD and Research Park Triangle, NC to purchase technology and other supplies needed for remote learning
- We provided financial aid to local charitable organizations
