$1B Reached Today, Building Resilient Communities for Tomorrow

Asha Varghese, president of the Caterpillar Foundation, reflects on the significance of this milestone and shares how the Foundation will continue strengthening communities across the globe.

More than 72 years ago, a small act of generosity sparked something big. What started as a gift to a firehouse in East Peoria, Illinois, grew into what would become the Caterpillar Foundation, supporting more than 11,000 charities around the world. Now, as the Foundation surpasses $1 billion in total philanthropic giving, this feels like more than a milestone.

To every organization and person across the globe who made this possible—thank you. This moment is a testament to decades of dedication, teamwork, and compassion, the strength of our collaborations and the heart of the people we support. It’s a young person stepping into a career in technology or science who never thought it possible. It’s clean water flowing in communities that once went without. It’s lives changed and impact made real.

Given Caterpillar Inc.’s heritage—a century of working alongside its dealers and customers to build the infrastructure needed to make the world run—it’s no surprise how far the Caterpillar Foundation has evolved. The Foundation now focuses on helping individuals and communities that live within this infrastructure—making sure they thrive and are resilient, from the natural services they rely on to the education programs they have access to.

This milestone is about accelerating change. The Caterpillar Foundation helps prepare communities for the workforce of today and tomorrow by supporting programs focused on STEM education, vocational training and digital upscaling. We kicked off 2025 with the launch of a mobile education lab in collaboration with Learning Undefeated, a nonprofit organization that brings life-changing experiential learning experiences directly to students. The lab, which was designed to address a lack of manufacturing programming in schools around the U.S., has spent the year touring local communities so students and teachers alike can explore the vast opportunities that await. It’s the result of years of research and a deep partnership, filling a critical gap in the labor force that will be created through advanced technology.

*Students experience the Learning Undefeated lab at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in early 2025. Photo courtesy of Learning Undefeated.*

*Students experience the Learning Undefeated lab at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in early 2025. Photo courtesy of Learning Undefeated.*

Our donations are focused on deepening greater resilience in the natural systems that keep a community going. That’s why the Foundation supports projects that help protect, restore and strengthen natural infrastructure, supporting communities in gaining access to the resources they need. As people around the world are facing growing risks from extreme weather events, our support of resilient physical and community infrastructure takes a systems-oriented and long-term approach to disaster philanthropy, supporting communities before, during and after disasters.

Each year, the Caterpillar Foundation’s support helps deliver educational resources and toolkits to communities worldwide. The Foundation also matches Caterpillar employee, retiree and dealer employee contributions to the American Red Cross through its Disaster Matching Program.

One example of this work is the Caterpillar Foundation’s close collaboration with the American Red Cross. As a proud member of the global organization’s Annual Disaster Giving Program, our funding helps pre-position supplies, train volunteers and develop innovative technologies that help communities feel prepared and strengthened in the face of a storm. Through the American Red Cross, the Caterpillar Foundation has donated more than $9 million over the last five years to support global disaster relief efforts.

But we’re not doing it alone.

Caterpillar employees, retirees and Foundation-supported programs are the drumbeat of the Caterpillar Foundation. In 2024, Caterpillar employees dedicated more than 110,000 hours of volunteer service to strengthen communities in ways that can’t be measured in dollars alone. Still, Caterpillar employees have given back with their hard-earned dollars as well. This spring, the Foundation’s 10:1 donation match for Caterpillar employees reached the $10 million cap in just under 12 hours, helping the Foundation cross the $1 billion milestone of global giving. Together, we turned the passion of Caterpillar employees into progress.

Our greatest impact comes when philanthropy, business and local voices move together because no one organization, group or person can achieve lasting progress on its own. The Caterpillar Foundation is proud to stand alongside some of the world’s most impactful organizations, working together to build a more sustainable future for generations to come.

See how we reached this milestone, together with our grantees and Caterpillar employees, and what’s possible when purpose meets passion.

This content was paid for and created by the Caterpillar Foundation. The editorial staff of The Chronicle had no role in its preparation. Find out more about paid content.