At LP, we believe in Building a Better World™ by supporting the communities where we live and work. Our teams share their time and expertise to help build strong communities and provide help where it is needed most by giving money, shelter, and services to our neighbors, as well as enriching children’s education and protecting the environment.
The LP Foundation was established just eight months after LP was founded and has since donated over $20 million to deserving nonprofits and K–12 public schools in the communities where we operate.
The LP Foundation was granted charitable status in 1973 and is recognized as a U.S. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt private foundation based in the United States. It is separate from but entirely funded by LP.
The Foundation is managed by a seven-member Board of Trustees—comprised entirely of LP employees appointed by the company’s chief executive officer to serve three-year terms.
The LP Foundation donates approximately $500,000 annually through five programs:
LP and the LP Foundation provide support for disaster and humanitarian relief efforts in areas severely impacted by natural disasters and where LP has a significant local employee and business presence. Since 2017, LP has donated over $1 million in the wake of 2017’s Hurricane Harvey that caused catastrophic flooding in Houston, Texas; 2018’s Hurricane Florence that devastated Wilmington, North Carolina; and 2020’s deadly tornados that ripped through Middle Tennessee.
Over $1 million in disaster and humanitarian relief efforts donated since 2017.
The LP Foundation supports 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and public schools that fall within our giving categories which are assessed annually by LP’s Executive Team. These giving areas include programs that provide new and repairs homes to those in need, environmental programs, K–12 public schools, and causes that support diversity, equity, and inclusion. Grants and sponsorships are awarded by the LP Foundation’s seven-member Board of Trustees annually and approved on the basis of merit and alignment with our giving areas.
One of our most popular programs, the LP Foundation’s community mill grants, are awarded to nonprofits and public schools where our employees live and work. Each North American LP facility decides where to direct its annual grants based on community needs and employee requests. Grants range from $5,000 to $15,000 depending on the size of our workforce at the local LP facility. With over 20 North American facilities, community mill grants account for half of the LP Foundation’s annual giving. In 2020, the LP Foundation awarded 30 community mill grants to deserving nonprofits and public schools, hand selected by our employees.
The LP Foundation helps communities through financial support from the Employee Giving Match program. Since 2013, LP employees personally contributed more than $370,000 to charitable organizations and educational institutions across North America, for which the LP Foundation provided matching gifts totaling nearly $800,000. The program enables employees to choose how they play their part in ensuring that communities benefit from LP’s presence. Employee charitable donations are matched up to $1,000 per individual per year, with a minimum match per transaction of $20.
Nearly $800,000 donated to charities since 2013 through the Employee Giving Match Program.
LP employees are active members of their local communities, often volunteering their time and resources to support the needs of their hometowns. The LP Foundation supports employees who serve on the Board of Directors of nonprofits designated as 501(c)(3) organizations or Canadian registered charities whose mission falls within the LP Foundation’s giving areas by donating up to $1,500 annually to the organization.
Grant and sponsorship requests are reviewed by the LP Foundation’s seven-member Board of Trustees annually and approved on the basis of merit and alignment with our giving areas.
LP grants are normally awarded in the May-June timeframe. To learn more about the process, click here.
If you’d like to apply for an annual grant and/or sponsorship from the LP Foundation, please email LP.Foundation@lpcorp.com with the following information:
If interested in receiving a grant from your local LP facility, please contact the mill directly. A list of our locations is available here.
LP Staff Help Write a Great Story for Kids
Shortly after LP relocated its headquarters from Portland, Oregon to Nashville, Tennessee, company leaders approached a local nonprofit with the idea to create a teacher resource center. Thankfully, the PENCIL Foundation said yes, and with LP’s seed investment, the LP PENCIL Box was launched to provide Nashville public school teachers with school supplies, free of cost.
Since 2006, and with annual investment from LP, the LP PENCIL Box has grown exponentially. In 2021, the LP PENCIL Box surpassed $10 million dollars’ worth of all-time supply distributions to Nashville teachers, a remarkable milestone considering the program’s small beginning.
“Without LP Building Solutions stepping up at the start, there would be no PENCIL Box,” shares Angie Adams, PENCIL President & CEO. “Company leaders at the time understood that our community needed a collective effort to ensure that no student is hindered by a lack of supplies. Teachers tell us how incredibly valuable it is to access brand-new essentials like pencils, copy paper, and crayons on a regular basis, and how cared for and safe that makes their students feel.”