Community Feature
Masco Corporation
Community Feature - Masco Corporation
Unifying to Forward Equity and Remove Workplace Barriers
Masco Corporation, a CMF corporate foundation member, transitioned from a foundation to a corporate giving model in 2017 and has since been able to dive deeper into its three focus areas of housing, community development, diversity, equity and inclusion.
Masco’s approach to DEI is holistic and infused throughout its culture and business and has three interrelated pillars: Workplace, Marketplace and Communities.
Masco has intentionally focused its DEI efforts across these three pillars to help broadly increase access, equity and inclusion through partnerships in the community, to advance DEI in the workplace and how it feels to work at Masco, and to focus on impact in the marketplace to provide consumers with innovative solutions that meet their needs.
The core of the company’s Community pillar is its Masco Million Difference program, a $1 million annual pledge to support nonprofits advancing equity in education and job training.
“Masco Million Differences addresses the barriers and biases that affect people’s ability to fully access opportunities to bring their whole selves to work. We partner with organizations that are opening the door for individuals and setting them up for success in their chosen careers,” Sue Sabo, director of communications and corporate giving at Masco Corporation said.
Through the Masco Million Differences program, which has totaled more than $6 million in community investments since 2018, the corporation has supported academic opportunities to populations to increase their access to the workplace pipeline, including scholarship organizations, mentorship programs, college preparedness initiatives and classroom-based learning.
The Job Training and Employment Initiative component of Masco Million Differences supports job training, employment services and coaching, internship experiences and work skills development programs.
Masco is also engaging in advancing DEI efforts internally, allowing space for courageous conversations and ensuring its employees are supported and represented in the work the corporation is leading.
“Our DEI work is a journey, and while we are in different stages of that journey throughout the organization, it’s really important to us to keep improving and learning from each other. We acknowledge that it’s hard work and we’re recognizing the people in our organization that help lead the way,” Sabo said.
“We strive to include everyone in our conversations, so how do we do that? We discuss how to learn and share ideas. We talk about what makes us different and alike so that we can find commonality in people that we never thought we had anything in common with,”
Sue Sabo
Director of Communications and Corporate Giving, Masco Corporation
Each month, Masco employees gather across teams in small groups both to discuss DEI topics and as a way to get to know each other better.
“We strive to include everyone in our conversations, so how do we do that? We discuss how to learn and share ideas. We talk about what makes us different and alike so that we can find commonality in people that we never thought we had anything in common with,” Sabo said.
Sabo shared that she sees a great opportunity for funders to partner to advance DEI collectively and in collaboration.
“It is about unity. If we’re all interested in forwarding equitable access to education, for example, is there a way for us to unite and address this problem together? Convening people who have passion in that area will just drive a greater impact and help us learn what works faster,” Sabo said.
Connecting with other CMF members and sharing how Masco is navigating this space and also learning from others has been invaluable, Sabo shared.
“We’re really doing the work in this space, and we’re going to continue to put effort into our DEI work. The results of these efforts are better solutions for community, better collaboration and more engaged employees,” Sabo said.
Masco has prioritized building relationships with its community partners and ensuring employee involvement. Sabo shared that as Masco has business units located across the country, each location’s employees are connected with local organizations and opportunities to give back.
“We strive to have some type of face-to-face relationship with all of the community organizations that we partner with, whether through volunteering or an employee serving on their board. We’ve worked to become active in the community alongside our local partners,” Sabo said.
Outside of their DEI work, Masco’s other philanthropic focus areas of housing and community development work in parallel to support the overall well-being of the community and its needs.
“We are a building and home improvement product company, so housing is particularly important to us. Masco is centering its work on helping to provide safe and affordable housing,” Sabo said.
Specifically, Masco has worked to provide housing for individuals experiencing homelessness, those who may be transitioning from foster care or individuals impacted by domestic abuse and are in need of safe shelter.
Sabo shared that Masco’s community development focus area supports programs and initiatives that foster prosperity and allow its community and employees to thrive.
“We’re focused on the things that bring everyone together in our community and make it a better place to live,” Sabo said.