Corporate Responsibility
Commitment to the Australian community:
At J.P. Morgan, we believe that we can use our resources to help improve lives and strengthen the local communities in which we operate. The firm is committed to building vibrant communities, preserving our environment and promoting an inclusive culture. Each year JPMorgan Chase distributes more than US$100 million to selected charities across the globe.
In Australia, our philanthropic commitment to the local community is through educational programs. We are partnered with organisations that perform remarkable work in the community.
J.P. Morgan is The Bell Shakespeare Company's New South Wales education partner, sponsoring its Actors at Work program. The firm is also partnered with the Victorian-based Reach Foundation, supporting a youth leadership and development program. In addition we support Football United, which fosters social cohesion for refugee communities and manages a student leadership program at Granville South High School. We also support The Museum of Contemporary Art's Bella program, and a literacy and numeracy program developed and operated by Matthew Talbot Homeless Services.
These relationships expand J.P. Morgan's community-based initiatives, which include a corporate relationship with The Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN).
Our Australian philanthropic initiatives fit within our global organisational commitment to corporate responsibility detailed in our Corporate Responsibility Report.
The Bell Shakespeare Company:
J.P. Morgan's focus on education in New South Wales is via the work of The Bell Shakespeare Company. As its NSW Education Partner, we sponsor the Actors At Work program, ensuring students and teachers at remote schools nationally are given an opportunity to view Shakespeare's work and interact with and learn from the actors.
The Reach Foundation:
The Victorian-based nonprofit, Reach, encourages all young people, regardless of circumstance, to believe they can achieve. The organisation's crew of inspirational young leaders run workshops, weekends away and large-scale events that improve teenagers' overall levels of self-esteem, optimism and feelings of control, helping them to believe in themselves and take control of their lives.
J.P. Morgan contributes to the delivery of "Finding Heroes" workshops for teachers and youth professionals, secondary school workshops and the future development of programs.
Each year The Reach Foundation works with more than 50,000 young people in Australia.
Football United:
Football United is a soccer development program that aims to help young refugees integrate into Australian society by providing an enjoyable, supportive environment that facilitates group cohesion.
J.P. Morgan became the official partner of the program in the Blacktown and Liverpool areas of Western Sydney in September 2008 and has since supported the program's integration into Granville South High school, the firm's partner school in NSW, through the ABCN's Partners in Learning program. Football United was the 2009 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge beneficiary in Australia.
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Bella program:
The MCA's Bella program provides gallery-based sessions and hands-on workshops for young people with social, behavioural and/or intellectual disabilities.
J.P. Morgan supports a series of tailored programs for teenagers from Sydney's West. The programs take a current MCA exhibition as a starting point and focus on the processes of art making, offering experiences that develop participants' creativity, encourage social interaction, aid comprehension, communication, physical coordination and social skills.
Matthew Talbot Homeless Services Homeless Literacy and Numeracy program:
Matthew Talbot Homeless Services' Homeless Literacy and Numeracy program has been developed to assist disadvantaged young people where poor literacy and numeracy are endemic due to itinerant lifestyles of their parents, high levels of domestic violence, or where previous schooling has been fractured due to an overwhelming sense of failure.
J.P. Morgan supports a language centre operated by Matthew Talbot, equipped with learning material and computer-based resources to facilitate ongoing skill development and social interaction within a class setting. The group language sessions aim to give learners a sense of responsibility, help them develop functional literacy skills and move them towards independence.
Community initiatives and partnerships:
As a company, J.P. Morgan is dedicated to forming strong community partnerships and giving back to those who need it the most, through donations, grants and personal time.
Australia Day of Service:
Globally, J.P. Morgan employees volunteer hundreds of thousands of hours each year in service to their communities, participating in a number of activities, including an annual Day of Service. Over the last two years, J.P. Morgan Australia employees have chosen to offer their services assisting with the general maintenance of a school in an area of high need in Sydney's Western suburbs, Granville South High School.
Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN):
J.P. Morgan Australia is a member of the Australian Business and Community Network, where business leaders come together to address social issues in the community, focusing on education among students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. J.P. Morgan employees play an active role in key ABCN programs, namely, the Partners in Learning, GOALS and SPARK programs.
Partners in Learning matches senior business partners with principals and deputy principals in order to share experiences and understand the challenges facing many young people today.
Growing Opportunities and Learning Skills (GOALS) is a mentoring program that sees Year 9 students with limited opportunity paired with professionals from a wide range of roles, who can encourage them to consider their vocational and educational options.
SPARK Reading and Literary Support is a mentoring program where business professionals spend an hour each week over two terms reading and spending time with students in Years 2 and 3. The program offers students the chance to socialise and learn from a non-familial adult interested in seeing them succeed.
Give As You Earn Program:
J.P. Morgan Australia gives all permanent and fixed-term employees the opportunity to donate to a selected charity directly from their pre-tax salary through the Give As You Earn Program. The charities supported by the Give As You Earn Program include the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, Australian Red Cross and the Children's Hospitals Australia. Many J.P. Morgan Australia employees choose to donate through this program each year.
Commitment to progressive employment practices:
J.P. Morgan's aim, both locally and globally, is to be acknowledged as an employer of choice. We seek to create a culture where all employees are encouraged to reach their maximum potential. The critical factors in our vision are equality and diversity. We aim to build our teams with the best people doing their best work, regardless of nationality, gender, race, sexual orientation, age and physical ability. The framework of employment policies J.P. Morgan has built includes skills-focused recruitment, support for people returning to the workplace and Flexible Work Arrangements; these policies are supported across all areas of the bank and give us an edge over our competitors.
Our efforts are being rewarded in part by the recognition we are receiving in the Australian market. The awards we have achieved in Australia signify our commitment to progressive employment practices globally.
J.P. Morgan has been recognised by the Australian government as an Employer of Choice for Women, gaining a citation from the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA). J.P. Morgan is one of only 99 companies in Australia to gain an EOWA citation, and one of only 42 companies in New South Wales.
On an international scale, J.P. Morgan has received many awards for progressive employment practices and has achieved a 100% rating on the Human Capital Index for the last five years. The Human Capital Index is an evaluation conducted by the Human Rights Campaign to measure how well major corporations treat their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees and customers.
Environmental footprint:
As a firm, we are committed to making a positive contribution to environmental sustainability in order for others to follow suit. With this in mind, J.P. Morgan has committed to an extensive environmental policy that actively seeks to reduce our environmental footprint. Learn more about the firm's global environmental initiatives.
Reducing financial risk:
J.P. Morgan is committed to participating in international efforts to reduce the risks faced by the financial services industry. In Australia, J.P. Morgan has been a participant in the establishment of regulation that promotes transparency and efficiency in the financial services industry. J.P. Morgan has participated in the Australian Financial Markets Association's Anti-Money Laundering (AML) working groups, co-operating with the Attorney General and AUSTRAC to help establish the act and draft rules, in addition to the Australian Custodial Services Association's AML working group. Our Compliance Department took a lead role in ensuring that the obligations of the act are reflected in our current policies.