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  • September 13, 2022
  • 4 Minute Read
Press Release

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation Pledges $30 Million to The Nature Conservancy to Improve the Health of Rivers & Freshwater Ecosystems

Donation Extends Enterprise’s “Routes and Roots®: Healthy Rivers Project” by Five Years & Reinforces Its Commitment to Causes that Positively Impact Employees & Customers

The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation today announced a $30 million donation to The Nature Conservancy. The donation extends the Foundation’s “Routes and Roots: Enterprise Healthy Rivers Project,” which assists The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to support the protection, restoration and sustainable management of rivers and other freshwater ecosystems globally. The “Routes and Roots: Enterprise Healthy Rivers Project” was first established in 2017, when the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation pledged an initial five-year, $30 million donation to The Nature Conservancy. This latest donation, which will also be distributed over a five-year period, will further benefit many of the world’s most vital rivers, watersheds, streams and more.
 

"At Enterprise, we are passionate about supporting causes and initiatives that positively impact the communities where our employees and customers live and work," Enterprise Holdings Foundation President Carolyn Kindle said. "Our ‘Routes and Roots’ program is a shining example of this sentiment. Our employees are deeply passionate about this initiative, and we look forward to seeing the continued progress that this program will have on many of the world’s most vital waterways."
 

Support to The Nature Conservancy through the “Routes and Roots: Enterprise Healthy Rivers Project” has already helped achieve significant conservation outcomes at these estimated scales:
 

  • Securing or improving the health of nearly 5,400 river miles
  • Keeping 54 million pounds of pollutants out of rivers and streams
  • Conserving 7 million acres of land
  • Taking action that helps improve water security for 78 million people 

 

Over the next five years, The Nature Conservancy will use the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation’s donation to continue conserving rivers and other freshwater ecosystems around the world. Geographical focus areas include:

 

  • The United States – Funding will support many U.S. rivers, with particular emphasis on the Colorado River Basin and Mississippi River Basin.
  • Canada – Funding will support Indigenous-led conservation of lands and waters, including in the Canadian boreal and coastal British Columbia.
  • Europe – Funding will help ensure The Nature Conservancy’s proven, science-based approaches for river protection are shared throughout the continent to help create more resilient watersheds and protect and restore rivers.


"Businesses have a critical role to play in protecting nature and Enterprise has demonstrated their commitment to this work over the past five years – and now is ensuring it continues for the next five," The Nature Conservancy CEO Jennifer Morris said. "This generous gift will continue the work to not only protect fresh water but also the communities that depend on it."


In addition to the “Routes and Roots: Enterprise Healthy Rivers Project,” the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation oversees a variety of initiatives focused on positively impacting the communities where its employees and customers live and work. Examples include:
 

  • Enterprise Holdings ROAD Forward – Enterprise first announced its ROAD Forward commitment of $55 million in November 2020. The initiative focuses on Respect, Opportunity, Achievement and Diversity (ROAD) for youth and families by helping to address three areas in need of urgent attention: early childhood development, youth health and wellness, and career and college preparation. As part of the ROAD Forward program, annual grants are distributed at the local level that work to address social and racial equity issues.
  • Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge – Established in honor of Enterprise’s 50th anniversary and to thank customers for their longtime support, this program is funding the planting of 50 million trees throughout the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
  • Enterprise Fill Your Tank® Program – Established in honor of Enterprise’s 60th anniversary in late-2016, this program is committed to addressing food insecurity around the globe. In 2020, the Foundation announced a re-investment in the program and pledged an additional $65 million into Enterprise Fill Your Tank to address food insecurity. This brings Enterprise’s total financial commitment to the program to $115 million annually.      


"Giving back is part of our DNA," Kindle said. "Since its establishment in 1982, our Foundation has contributed more than $520 million to thousands of nonprofit organizations focused on community improvement, education and environmental stewardship."


For more information about Enterprise’s philanthropic initiatives, visit https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/our-impact/community-giving