Battelle Giving Campaign Sets Record With More Than $2.5 Million in Staff Donations and Matching Contributions

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - Nov 3, 2011) - Battelle and its world-renowned scientific staff, as well as the highly skilled employees at its affiliated national labs, have donated more than $4.7 million to charity this year, with more to come.

In Columbus and 130-plus locations around the world, more than $1.26 million was raised during the annual Battelle Giving Campaign in late October. Battelle will match that total dollar-for-dollar, subject to the guidelines for the Giving Campaign. That means the world's largest independent research and development organization and its employees will give a record total of more than $2.5 million this year. These funds are in addition to the more than 20 percent of net income that Battelle donates each year to charitable organizations.

Battelle manages or co-manages six national labs for the U.S. Department of Energy. At these federal research institutions, the Battelle formula for responsible giving is replicated. While the totals for the labs still are coming in, so far there has been more than $2.2 million raised for charitable organizations. That brings the total charity dollars generated by Battelle and its affiliated labs to more than $4.7 million in 2011.

The Battelle Giving Campaign allows employees to contribute to any approved 501(c)(3) organization in addition to the United Way. There are more than 1,500 such groups that receive Battelle money. "This is part of the Battelle legacy -- charity is one of our founding purposes," said Jeffrey Wadsworth, Battelle's President and CEO. "Additionally, we believe that what's important to our employees is important to Battelle. That's why we match their charitable contributions to a variety of philanthropic pursuits. It allows them to leverage Battelle's matching dollars to support causes they are passionate about."

Russ Austin is Battelle's Senior Vice President and General Counsel as well as the Executive Sponsor of the Giving Campaign. "We believe it's the right thing to do, and we encourage all our employees to make a difference in the communities where they live and work by participating in the Giving Campaign," Austin said. "We believe that Battelle's matching dollars coupled with staff donations will have a powerful positive impact in the community."

Following is a breakdown of the funds raised at national laboratories.

Brookhaven National Lab (New York): More than $440,000 was raised by the staff for United Way, Japan earthquake relief and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education.

Idaho National Laboratory (INL, Idaho): Lab employees have two formal options for giving. During the recently completed United Way campaign, employees gave more than $450,000. They also gave more than $66,000 to CARE, a fund for INL employees in need.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Tennessee): The United Way campaign netted $960,000 from the employees and lab. Additionally, more than $15,000 was raised for charities such as the Komen Race for the Cure and the Alzheimer's Walk.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Washington): In addition to unmonitored giving by employees, $300,000 was raised for United Way.

The other two national labs managed by Battelle, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, have not yet embarked on their annual giving campaigns.

As the world's largest independent research and development organization, Battelle provides innovative solutions to the world's most pressing needs through its four global businesses: Health and Life Sciences; Laboratory Management; National Security; and Energy, Environment and Material Sciences. It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $6.5 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 22,000 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide, including seven national laboratories which Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a nuclear energy lab in the United Kingdom.

Battelle also is one of the nation's leading charitable trusts focusing on societal and economic impact and actively supporting and promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.