The Amgen Foundation, the organization driving Amgen’s philanthropic giving and corporate citizenship programs, made grants last year totaling $16 million to more than 130 not-for-profit local, regional and national groups.

Several of these grant recipients are highlighted in the 2004 Amgen Foundation Charitable Contributions Report, which the Foundation released last week.

	Pictured: From the cover of the 2004 Foundation report, Cidney watches the results of an experiment at the California Science Center, one of the organizations supported by the Amgen Foundation.

The report provides a compelling review of the Foundation’s expanding efforts to assist groups dedicated to advancing science education, improving quality of care and access for patients, and creating better communities. The Foundation awarded grants to scores of groups in California, Colorado, Rhode Island, Washington, and Puerto Rico, and also supported important national science education and patient-care programs. Among these were Teach for America, the National Action Council for Minority Engineering, the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation, including the educational outreach program associated with the Public Broadcasting Service series "Remaking American Medicine."

In addition, the report cites programs directly involving Amgen staff. For years, the Matching Gift Program has been the vehicle for staff members to make their own contributions to worthy non-profit groups and, in 2004, staff gifts totaling more than $2.5 million were matched by the Foundation. Since the inception of the Foundation in 1991, more than $7.5 million in staff gifts have been made and matched, a remarkable record of personal generosity and community involvement.

“Amgen staff have such a tremendous commitment to volunteerism and philanthropy, and the Foundation team is working hard to harness that enthusiasm and provide opportunities for meaningful interaction with the community," said Jean Lim, president, Amgen Foundation. In addition to the Matching Gift Program that was launched online earlier this year, we will begin rolling out other ways to support staff in their philanthropic efforts later this year."

The Foundation’s growth for the year was marked by an effort to broaden its impact by sharpening its focus on programs that, as the report states, closely align with Amgen’s commitment to advance science and its mission to serve patients.

Late last year, moreover, the Foundation formalized its ability to respond to worldwide emergencies and natural disasters with its new Disaster Relief Program.