Background

From its very beginnings, Bethlehem Steel Corporation has recognized the value of corporate leadership in establishing, building and maintaining a high quality of life for its employees, their families, retirees and community as a whole.

Our corporate support programs have provided substantial help over the years to many diverse non-profit organizations. Historically, Bethlehem Steel provided this support solely by making corporate charitable contributions. But, since 1993, the Bethlehem Steel Foundation has provided most of the corporation's charitable giving. The foundation, which is funded by the corporation, is one way by which Bethlehem meets its objective of being a good citizen.

Guidelines for Giving

Throughout the year, there are many impressive and compelling case statements presented to the foundation staff by non-profit organizations seeking capital and operating grants. Budget constraints limit the number and amount of grants that can be made in any one year; therefore, priority is given to requests that originate in communities where Bethlehem has operating and other facilities.

Prior to board consideration, funding requests are categorized by areas of community need consistent with Bethlehem's interests. For example, the United Way has long been a recipient of Bethlehem's support because it has broad community backing, its agencies provide vital social services to the community, and our employees and retirees often volunteer for, or use, the services of United Way agencies.

Several years ago, the Foundation Board made education its highest priority and continues to allocate significant resources in support of that commitment.

Allocation of Grants

The Bethlehem Steel Foundation focuses its grantmaking in the following categories:

• Education - to maintain and improve the quality of pre-K through higher educational programs and institutions; to support research facilities important to Bethlehem's business interests; to ensure appropriate numbers of high-quality graduates, and to improve the level of understanding of our free enterprise system, particularly among young people during their formative years.
  
  
• Human Services and Health Care - to help ensure an effective and efficient health and human services system for our employees, retirees and their families in communities where we have operations.
  
  
• Arts & Cultural - to recognize the importance of cultural resources to the vitality and quality of life in communities in which our employees and retirees live and work.
  
  
• Public Policy Research - to support organizations that study important public policy issues impacting Bethlehem Steel and the steel industry, and provide government, industry and the public with the results of their investigations.
  
  
• Environmental Protection and Safety - to reinforce our commitment to the continuous improvement of the environment, and safety in the workplace.
  
  
• Civic and Community Improvement - to support and strengthen organizations and programs devoted to government improvement, community revitalization, public safety, economic development and community planning.
  
  

Special Programs to Benefit Employees

Two programs directly benefit Bethlehem's employees and their families - Bethlehem Steel Scholars and Matching Gifts for Education.

Through the Scholars program, forty children of employees receive grants of $1,000 each to assist with their college expenses. The Scholars are selected by an independent firm on the basis of their academic and extracurricular achievement.

Through the Matching Gifts program, in March, 2000, the Foundation made payments to 98 colleges and universities to match $45,650 in employee gifts.

Total Annual Giving

The Foundation's activities have grown steadily since 1993 when it awarded 43 grants totaling $771,325 mainly to United Ways serving our plant communities. In 2000, the Foundation provided 272 grants totaling $1,580,013 to organizations primarily in the Lehigh Valley, Burns Harbor, Sparrows Point, Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Lackawanna areas. Grants are not limited to cash; the Foundation also provides in-kind contributions, including steel products.

Foundation Leadership

The Foundation is a separate legal entity governed by a Board of Directors. Stephen G. Donches is president of the Foundation, which is staffed by James F. Kostecky, executive director, and Frank L. Fisher, administrator, from Bethlehem's public affairs department. The board meets once a year to discuss and approve the planned giving for the year. The Foundation's Annual Report for 2000 is available in this section.

2000 Bethlehem Steel Foundation Giving (in dollars)