As we navigate life during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrestle with accentuated inequities, we see humanity demonstrating resilience and a continued desire to help one another. We learn to be thankful for the things we used to take for granted and now more than ever recognize the importance of giving back to our communities.  

The KLA Foundation and KLA employees around the world supported the communities where we live and work throughout 2021 through fundraising, activities and charitable programs. Here are some of the events and activities we participated in to support the Foundation’s mission of advancing humanity by investing in our communities to create a more equitable, inclusive and accessible world.

Read more about some of the KLA Foundation’s activities during 2021 in these Advance articles:  

KLA Foundation Aligns With United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

In 2021, the KLA Foundation strategically partnered with organizations that know their communities best. With the help of these organizations, the KLA Foundation was able to assist in creating sustainable change and empower our own employees to get involved.

The KLA Foundation supported programs and activities that aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10: no poverty, zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, quality education, gender equality and reduced inequalities.  

Good Health and Wellbeing

At KLA, the health, safety and wellbeing of our global employees and their families is a priority. For over 20 years, the KLA Foundation has remained committed to aiding the communities in which our employees work and live. When India was hit with a resurgence of COVID-19, the KLA Foundation expanded its efforts in the region with a $550,000 donation. This money went toward combatting the second wave of infections that taxed the country’s healthcare system amidst a national vaccine shortage.

KLA employees have contributed more than 4,000 hours of their time to support KLA Foundation initiatives in 2021. This year, they raised $61,010 during the annual Tour de Cure event, which supports the American Diabetes Association (ADA) through bike rides, walks and other physical activity. This was the most KLA has raised in the last four years and a 147% increase from last year’s total.

This commitment was also demonstrated in China, where KLA employees participated in a walkathon to benefit Shanghai United Foundation (SUF), a grant-making organization known for investing and supporting independent non-profit groups in China. The walkathon, which was completed over a 12-hour period, was streamed live on WeChat by employees who participated. There were six teams who achieved their goal of raising 30,000 Chinese Yuans each.

Quality Education

Since the launch of the KLA Foundation’s STEM Inspectors program, a total of five lesson plans have been developed in partnership with Santa Clara Unified School District. The lessons focus on microscopes, their role in the semiconductor industry, STEM education pathways and STEM careers. After piloting the program in summer 2020, the KLA Foundation and its educational partners have delivered the lessons to over 1,000 students globally.

Reduced Inequalities

The KLA Foundation announced the first-round of recipients for the KLA Social Equity Fund (SEF), in partnership with the American Heart Association (AHA). The fund was created to help reduce social and economic barriers to health equity in the Metro Detroit and South Bay/Silicon Valley areas over three years. By partnering with organizations based where we live and work, KLA is developing long-term relationships with our communities, investing in the compassion of those around us, and helping to create upstream solutions for sustainable change.

Feeling inspired? Visit the KLA Foundation to learn more about how we make a difference in the lives of people across the globe.