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Building futures through math, science and technology education
There are few investments more important today than promoting the skills and abilities of our young people. We sponsor a wide range of educational programs designed to spark Canadian students’ interest in science, mathematics and technology -- skills essential to our country’s prosperity.
The programs that we contributed to are judged on their quality and effectiveness in fostering math and science education and learning; training in skill areas related to our industry; business and economic literacy; and community literacy and education in remote areas.
Since 1994, the Imperial Oil Foundation has consistently invested approximately $3 million a year to Building Futures, a company program that supports education and skills development in Canada.
Math, science and technology outreach programs
Investigate! Invent! Innovate!
We are a proud sponsor of The Learning Partnership’s I3 — Investigate! Invent! Innovate! — an integrated science and technology program for students in grades 7 and 8. I3 challenges students to design and produce their own technological inventions, applying science, math and technology skills. Thanks in part to our funding, this innovative program has reached many students in the Greater Toronto Area and Calgary, and is currently expanding to Edmonton and St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Foundation donation: More than $800,000 has been contributed to The Learning Partnership's national programs over the last decade.
Inspiring kids to explore the wonders of science
Rumbling through the jungle, building a water park or making quicksand are just a few of the activities offered through at York University's Science Explorations program aimed at encouraging children ages 8-11 to learn and explore topics in science and engineering. Science Explorations is a not-for-profit science outreach program based out of the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Foundation donation: $500,000 over five years to expand York University's science outreach program for school children.
Booting up girls' interest in science
Since the mid-1980s, the number of young women going into computer science at university has dropped dramatically. An innovative program at the University of Waterloo is aiming to reverse that trend. More ...
Foundation donation: $1 million over five years to the University of Waterloo's Computer Science for Young Women program.
Developing new science teaching technologies in Quebec
A grant from the Foundation of $800,000 over five years to McGill University to will support the development of new technologies to advance science, math and technology education.
Let's Talk Science
A national science education organization, Let’s Talk Science builds student interest in science and promotes science education through classroom workshops, teacher enrichment and research. The Partnership Program, one of four programs that Let’s Talk Science runs, trains a growing network of science outreach volunteers, primarily graduate students, to lead children from kindergarten through Grade 12 in hands-on science activities in schoolrooms, university laboratories and communities.
Foundation donation: More than $2 million has been donated to
Let’s Talk Science.
Training in skill areas related to the oil and gas industry
Supporting Aboriginal trades training in Alberta
In early 2007, the Foundation awarded $1 million over five years to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) to support Aboriginal trades training in millwright, electricity, instrumentation, power engineering, welding and carpentry. The funding was also used to build the Spartan Centre for Instrumentation Technology.
Expanding oil and gas curriculum in Nova Scotia
A $250,000 gift over five years is helping Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) expand its oil and gas program to better meet the needs of industry. The enhanced curriculum, which is being developed with the input of Imperial Oil refiners, is expected to expand the skills and capabilities of graduates in order to meet specific needs of the petroleum refining industry. The NSCC will have the capability to offer a new specialized stand-alone refinery module which will be supported by state-of-the-art training equipment.
Business and economic literacy
Teaching business and economic fundamentals
In 2006, the Foundation donated $1.2 million over five years to Junior Achievement of southern Alberta to deliver school programs that help to prepare young people for future work opportunities.
Mount Royal College
Recently, the Foundation pledged $150,000 over three years toward an elders program at Iniskim Centre, a new facility at Calgary’s Mount Royal College dedicated to fostering academic success for Aboriginal students, many of whom are from remote communities. The elders program is intended to help students adjust to life in Calgary and provide a link to the local Aboriginal community.
Aboriginal and community education in remote areas where we operate
The Foundation works to build capacity in the Aboriginal community through its Aboriginal scholarship awards program designed to encourage and assist students to pursue undergraduate post-secondary studies in disciplines relevant to the petroleum industry.
Promoting literacy in remote communities
The Foundation also supports programs that promote excellence in literacy in remote areas. "There is no more important gift we can give children to equip them for the future than literacy," explains Monica Samper, president of the Imperial Oil Foundation. "It is the key to opening minds and opening doors of opportunity."
Foundation donation: To date, $387,000 to Aboriginal and literacy programs in remote areas.
- $50,000 to the Dogrib Community Services Board
- $50,000 to the Yellowknife Public Denominational District Education Authority
- $49,000 to the Yellowknife Education District No. 1
- $50,000 to the South Slave Divisional Education Council
- $50,000 to the Beaufort Delta Education Council
- $60,000 to the Sahtu Divisional Education Council
- $50,000 to the Dehcho Divisional Education Council
- $22,000 to the Excellence in Literacy Foundation
- $6,000 to the Inuvik District Education Authority
Frontier College
Frontier College is a national organization that encourages volunteers to take action to improve literacy and learning in children, teens and adults. The college recruits and trains more than 5,000 volunteers each year to support children, families, community groups and organizations in high-needs areas through training, workshops, conferences and volunteer placement.
Looking for more information? Read "A Business Approach to Charitable Giving" by Tim Hearn.
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