UC Rusal does not intend to reduce charitable programs

The Rusal company has completed the closed competition “It is important to support”. Grants were received by NGOs and institutions working with socially disadvantaged segments of the population.

UC Rusal is one of the world's largest aluminum producers. The company's divisions operate in Russia, the CIS countries, Southeast Asia and North America. The total number of employees of the enterprises is more than 90 thousand people. Rusal is a company known for its social and charitable projects. Among its latest initiatives is the “It’s Important to Support” grant competition, the results of which were summed up in July 2022.

Grants for NPOs

The initiator of the competition was "Center for Social Programs" (TSSP), founded in 2004. Acceptance of applications started in May 2022. NGOs and social institutions that received special invitations from the company presented their projects to the jury. Only organizations that had proven their reliability and effectiveness could apply for funding. Priority was given to participants who had previously received funding from Rusal and were able to implement their initiatives in full.

Before accepting applications, the organizing committee explained the reasons for the selective attitude towards the contestants. The problem is that in the first quarter of 2022, multinational corporations have seriously reduced or completely stopped funding socially important programs. As a result, charities and non-profit organizations were unable to continue implementing projects that had already begun. Socially vulnerable categories of the population were under attack: people with disabilities, children in orphanages, lonely old people.

The “It's Important to Support” competition is designed primarily for institutions and NGOs that find themselves in a difficult situation due to a reduction in the number of grant givers. First of all, these are organizations in the regions of Rusal’s responsibility that help the most vulnerable categories of the population. The projects were reviewed by a jury of federal and regional experts. The list of winners was published on the official website of the TsSP; based on the results of the competition, the company decided to support 20 projects with grants, and the total amount of funding amounted to almost 32,5 million rubles.

Using the funds allocated by Rusal, it is planned to:

• organize a course of high-tech therapy for children with disabilities at a specialized medical center in Bratsk;
• purchase new equipment for the neurology department of the children's hospital in Kamensk-Uralsky;
• create a health club in Volgograd, where older people can undergo rehabilitation after a stroke;
• purchase equipment for a children's psychoneurological boarding school in Krasnoyarsk;
• conduct advanced training courses for specialists working in social institutions.

The “It’s Important to Support” competition is just one of the projects that the Center is implementing. In recent months, the organization has funded many events as part of its ongoing programs. In particular, this is a large-scale environmental flash mob “Green Wave” aimed at improving and greening cities. Also - a conference dedicated to the problems of shelters for homeless animals, an educational quiz for children "Good Game". Among the important areas of the Center’s work are innovations in the field of social entrepreneurship, corporate volunteering and integrated development of cities in the regions of responsibility.

Investments in regions

UC Rusal is confident that today the tasks of business include not only commercial, but also social activities. The company's enterprises are located primarily in small cities and even towns, where the quality of life is lower than in regional centers. Therefore, the company carries out difficult work to train and retain personnel. Rusal annually indexes wages and offers a lot of corporate benefits, but today this is no longer enough. Job seekers are ready to work at enterprises that are located in cities with good living conditions and a comfortable urban environment.

The company strives to create a kind of ecosystem around its enterprises. This is precisely what RUSAL’s comprehensive social programs are aimed at today. The Taishet aluminum smelter, for example, serves as evidence of the effectiveness of such policies. Simultaneously with the construction of the enterprise, the company began implementing a large-scale improvement project. A new medical center has appeared in the city, the city park has been reconstructed, the swimming pool has been renovated, and active housing construction is underway.

The company plans to build another microdistrict in Taishet for plant employees. Several houses have already been put into operation. The plant's employees moved into fully renovated apartments, which have all the necessary household appliances.

Now the company intends to build the housing of tomorrow in the regions. In 7 cities of the company, entire microdistricts with closed courtyards and underground parking will be built. Sports and children's playgrounds and places for recreation will be organized on the territory.

“The company’s goal is to improve the quality of life of its employees,” notes Rusal HR Director Natalya Albrecht.

But now the company is helping its employees purchase housing. The enterprises have a housing program, under which employees can purchase an apartment on a mortgage with a zero down payment, and then the company compensates 50% of the amount of monthly payments.

Development of urban areas and employee benefits

In addition to housing construction, Rusal invests in urban improvement and plans to continue this work. In July 2022, a new recreation area for children, equipped with swings and areas for board games, was opened in Bratsk. At the same time, the management of BrAZ decided to pay a monthly subsidy in the amount of 10 thousand rubles to employees whose families have children with disabilities.

In Krasnoyarsk, the company equipped children's complexes in courtyards and public spaces. The playgrounds are equipped with swings, slides, sandboxes and carousels, and the ground is covered with crumb rubber to prevent injuries. At the expense of the company, the landscaping service equipped pedestrian paths, installed benches and trash cans in the favorite recreational places of the townspeople. Similar work was carried out in Volgograd, Boksitogorsk and Bratsk.

In 2022, the ESG Committee of the Association of Russian Managers conducted a study that showed that only 40% of companies operating in Russia retained full funding for social programs. Rusal is among the organizations that do not intend to reduce funding for the implementation of their projects.

“Our goal is to create the most comfortable living conditions and urban environment wherever our enterprises are located,” Natalya Albrecht commented on the company’s policy.