Firms giving back: PwC commits $125M to minority students

Big Four firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has announced a commitment of $125 million over five years to help 25,000 Black and Latinx college students begin their careers.

As part of the firm's renewed Access Your Potential initiative, the commitment will provide students with access to digital and career readiness training, mentorship and other pathways to begin long-term careers. PwC plans to hire 10,000 students through the program itself.

"This commitment starts with our purpose," said the firm. "Within our communities, we are focused on taking action to reduce the barriers to opportunity, especially for Black and Latinx individuals, by focusing our resources on efforts that lead to stable employment with rising incomes, and giving access to technology upskilling to prepare individuals for the jobs of today and tomorrow."

The plan will include introducing students to skills such as automation, visualization and data-driven storytelling. As students enter the workforce. PwC will provide further resources and mentoring to help with their careers.

The firm also plans to provide a platform that will connect students to employers, encouraging business leaders to recruit diverse candidates to expand their talent pool.

PwC US chairman Tim Ryan previously started the CEO Action initative to advance diversity in the workplace. PwC plans to hire 10,000 Black and Latinx students by 2026.

More information is availale on PwC's site here.

Consulting firm Protiviti will donate up to 100,000 meals to the nonprofit Feeding Children Everywhere based on the total number of birdies made by golfers Matt Fitzpatrick and Jennifer Kupcho during the 2021 Major Championships.

The 'Birdies for Meals' campaign is part of Protiviti's global "i on Hunger" service program to help fight world hunger. The program has provided over 11 million meals in more than 20 countries since its inception in 2014.

Nine Major Championships events are scheduled for the 2021 season, with men playing four and women playing five.

"Despite the challenges and restrictions brought on by the pandemic, our people have found innovative ways to continue supporting the fight against world hunger," said Protiviti president and CEO Joseph Tarantino in a statement. "We also want to raise awareness of hunger and encourage others to join in the effort to make a positive difference."

Separately, Protiviti has joined the Catalyst CEO Champions for Change initiative, with Joseph Tarantino signing a pledge to increase the representation of women, particularly women of color, in senior-level positions within the consulting firm.

"Protiviti is committed to achieving greater balance in gender representation, especially at our leadership levels, and to fostering a workplace where our people can reach their full potential," said Tarantino in a statement. "We're proud of the strides we've made so far and yet we know the journey to being a truly inclusive company continues."

The CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois, the charitable partner of the Illinois CPA Society, has announced its board of directors to serve from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022.

More than 1,100 donors donated to the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois in 2020, awarding more than $235,000 in scholarships and training programs to 300 diverse accounting students and future CPAs across the state.

“Since joining this board in 2016, I have witnessed firsthand how critically important the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois’ programs and activities have become,” said Howard Blumstein, newly appointed chairperson of the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois, in a statement. “It is an honor to now lead this outstanding team of directors dedicated to paving the way for future CPAs. Whether providing scholarships to offset education and CPA exam costs, procuring state of the art computers for economically challenged students, or expanding and supporting diversity in the profession through the highly acclaimed Mary T. Washington Wylie Internship Preparation Program, the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois will stand strong.”