Social
The shift to a digital economy is undoubtedly delivering significant benefits for society. Yet these benefits can only be fully realized if social and economic barriers to accessing technology are removed. Through the Equinix Foundation, partnerships and Equinix employee engagement initiatives, we are working to create a more accessible, equitable and sustainable future globally with a focus on addressing the digital divide.
Sustainable Development Goals
Our philanthropic, volunteer and community impact initiatives work to advance digital inclusion. Our work supports the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10.
The Equinix Foundation
We established the Equinix Foundation in 2022 to expand equitable access to technology, education and skills in today’s digital world. The vision of the Foundation is a more accessible, equitable and interconnected digital future for everyone, everywhere.
The Foundation leverages company expertise to make strategic philanthropic investments, mobilize the passions of Equinix employees and amplify our impact in the communities where Equinix operates. The Foundation provides funding and facilitates Equinix employee volunteer support primarily to organizations working to advance digital inclusion and drive environmental sustainability. It also funds the Equinix Employee Matching Gifts Program, the Equinix Employee Relief Fund and crisis response donations.
The Foundation funded 13 grant partners for a total of US$782,083 in grant funding during its first full year of operation.
Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA)
Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA) is a Temasek Trust initiative dedicated to catalyzing collaborative philanthropy in Asia through dynamic multi-sector partnerships. By harnessing collective strengths, PAA multiplies impact, accelerates positive change, and takes urgent action to address the pressing environmental and social challenges of our time. The Equinix Foundation is supporting PAA’s Holistic and Inclusive Education mandate that drives equity and inclusion in education among historically marginalized communities with digital inclusion as a focus area. In 2023, the Equinix Foundation awarded PAA a grant of US$1,000,000—to be paid over five years—that will support the High Touch High Tech for All initiative, an integrated approach that aims to deliver adaptive and personalized learning for the most disadvantaged learners, combining the unique strengths of the teacher (high touch) and the power of Artificial Intelligence (high tech).
Employee-Led Focus
In 2023, we expanded the employee-led Board of Directors for the Equinix Foundation. The Board leverages the passions within our workforce and recognizes that employees play a central role in our philanthropic initiatives. We expanded the Board by selecting three additional employees, bringing the total to seven employee Board members. Their diverse backgrounds and experiences encompass various regions and functions within the company, further enriching the Board’s perspective and ensuring broader representation.
In 2023, we launched the WeGive program to serve the interests of our employees and get them involved in the Foundation’s mission. WeGive is the Foundation’s key employee-driven, community-centered initiative to advance digital inclusion at a local level. Leveraging Foundation funding and partnering with regional leadership and local WeAreEquinix teams, WeGive supports nonprofit organizations making an impact in the communities where we work and operate. We provided WeGive donations to 34 organizations, totaling US$343,600.
Driving Impact Through Collaboration
The Equinix Foundation adopts a highly interconnected and collaborative approach to philanthropy, engaging key partners and customers to enhance our impact. At present, our primary focus is supporting organizations dedicated to bridging the digital divide through various initiatives.
Equinix has invested in digital inclusion since 2015, focusing on:
- Affordable connectivity: Connecting our communities to the opportunities of a digital world
- Digital literacy training: Developing digital skills and providing access to technology education
- Technical career development: Providing training and career opportunities in the technology fields
Our Nonprofit Partners
Equinix’s role in connecting communities and underserved populations to digital opportunities is multifaceted. In addition to supporting employee-led service and making grants through the Foundation to organizations advancing digital inclusion, Equinix leverages our technology, resources and expertise to accelerate the digital transformation within the social sector.
Case Study
Scaling Open-Source Innovation for Sustainable Outcomes
Since 2017, Equinix has partnered with the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) Community Infrastructure Lab (CIL) to provide subsidized access to cutting-edge computing resources for open-source developers focused on advancing cloud native computing.
In 2023, in partnership with CNCF, the service value of our in-kind support exceeded US$2 million. This allowed more innovators throughout the CNCF community to access powerful, on-demand infrastructure resources in 25 metros across the globe, including New York City, Silicon Valley, Amsterdam and Tokyo. The projects supported by this effort use Equinix infrastructure for large-scale automated testing of new hardware and software, taking advantage of our powerful network, compute resources and application programming interfaces to automate infrastructure deployments.
In 2023, the Foundation also supported nonprofit organizations working to bridge the digital divide, including:
Creates social change through community building, storytelling and training on a woman-led social network
Brings Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) curriculum to children in Dallas, Texas
Empowers communities of color to realize their full potential by providing the mindset, skills and access necessary to embrace technology and innovation
Empowering Employee Led Service
Our community impact starts with our employees; in 2023, a record 28% of employees participated in giving and/or volunteering. Their generosity benefits communities and fosters a stronger sense of unity within Equinix. Through the employee-driven Equinix Community Impact Program, our team’s service and contributions make a difference in their communities, with a combination of volunteerism, employee donations and matching programs magnifying our impact.
In 2023, our employees logged 25,266 service hours and contributed US$778,647, with an additional US$860,540 in company matching funds.
Our Annual Month of Giving
October is Impact Month at Equinix, a time when our employees join forces globally to serve their communities through a month of volunteer service and fundraising efforts. Our 2023 theme, “Community,” reflects how working together leads to significant progress in bridging the digital divide.
We operationalized our Impact Month programming to make it easier for our employees to support the communities where we live and operate. As a result, 2023 was a record year in all categories, with 1,915 employees participating virtually or in person, raising over US$282,000 and contributing over 8,900 service hours. The impact stretched across 619 causes, a 17% increase from the prior year.
Additionally, our Global WeAreEquinix (WRE) teams and Equinix Employee Connection Networks (EECNs) organized giving campaigns and volunteer activities.
Case Study
WRE Singapore
WRE Singapore partnered with Willing Hearts and organized Carnival of Giving. Through the challenge, Singapore employees raised over SG$10,000.
WRE Mexico
WRE Mexico spent an afternoon packing backpacks with essential school supplies. These backpacks were later distributed to the children of Casa Hogar Douglas Monterrey.
EECNs
In 2023, our EECNs continued to implement our Community Impact strategy. FaithConnect hosted their signature event with StreetCode Academy, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit revolutionizing the tech education landscape by offering free classes to communities of color. This event created an opportunity for employees to dive deep into the inspirational work of StreetCode and meet the Equinix Foundation’s newest grant recipient. This event was hosted in partnership with GenteConnect, BlackConnect and the Equinix Foundation.
Learn more about our EECNs in Caring for our People.
Equinix Employee Relief Fund
Now in its fourth year, the Equinix Employee Relief Fund (EERF) provides an opportunity for employees to support one another during difficult times. In 2023, employees donated over US$18,870 to the EERF (with donations also eligible for an Equinix match via our Equinix Impact Exchange). In addition, 20 grants were awarded, totaling US$59,000.
Enabling Pathways to Tech
Advancing digital inclusion helps create equal access to tech job opportunities and skill development. Our Pathways to Tech program empowers Equinix employees to educate and mentor youth by showcasing their career paths in the data center industry. Through classroom presentations, mentorships and tours of Equinix facilities, the program raises awareness of diverse tech sector opportunities, benefiting the community through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and skill building.
In the program’s second year, participation from our global employees expanded to include locations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Toronto, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dubai, London and Hong Kong.
Our Brightest Achievements in 2023
By expanding and deepening our reach in our communities, we successfully accomplished much more than we thought possible, including:
Donations
Donated US$1.9 million collectively from employee donations, company matching, and WeGive donations
Volunteer hours
Tracked 25,266 employee volunteer hours
Funded digital inclusion
Launched WeGive, an employee-led, community-based program funding digital inclusion across the globe
Grant partners
Funded our first 13 grant partners in 2023 totaling roughly US$780,000
Crisis relief
Raised US$317,000 for crisis relief
Relief funds
Made 20 Equinix Employee Relief Fund grants totaling US$59,000
Employee engagement
Achieved 28% in employee engagement through service and/or giving