Voya Foundation Announces New Giving Strategy

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today a new Voya Foundation giving strategy designed to align with the goals of the company, to address a pressing social issue and to foster employee engagement in the community. 

After extensive research, financial resilience emerged as a fitting umbrella concept for all of the foundation's programs. Financial resilience is defined as an individual's ability to make educated financial decisions, take advantage of growth and development opportunities as they appear, as well as weather difficult times.

The new strategy will ensure that youth are equipped with the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) experiential learning necessary to compete in the 21st century workforce, as well as the financial-literacy skills needed to make smart money-management decisions. These are both important foundational competencies that influence retirement readiness.

"After months of immersing ourselves in research, we have determined where we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of young people," said Angela Harrell, SVP, Corporate Responsibility, and president, Voya Foundation. "We are focusing on financial resilience to prepare youth for the workforce and to enable them to manage their income through life's twists and turns. In addition, our employees have the knowledge and expertise to augment our financial resilience programs in the community."

To further the new vision of Voya Foundation, grant applications will only be accepted from organizations that: 

• Provide innovative and experiential K-8 STEM learning opportunities to promote an early interest in STEM career fields, and improve teachers' capabilities in STEM; or
• Provide financial education curriculum to grades 9-12 students focused on navigating major financial milestones, including student debt, credit, home ownership, financial products and services/financial capability, and family needs.

In addition, Voya Foundation provides funding to a select group of partners to promote employee engagement and disaster relief as well as academic scholarships to students in higher education through the company's signature Voya Scholars program.

Media Contact:Mary Beth Conklin                                                                 Voya Financial                                                                                                              Cell:  (423) 596-1449                                                              [email protected]

About Voya Foundation

Voya Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of life in communities where Voya Financial® operates and its employees and customers live. Voya Foundation provides grants and establishes signature partnerships in the areas of financial literacy and children's education and fosters employee engagement to deepen our positive impact on the community. For more information, visit www.voyafoundation.com.

About Voya Financial®

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings — to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately 13 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $11 billion in revenue in 2015. The company had $466 billion in total assets under management and administration as of June 30, 2016. With a clear mission to make a secure financial future possible — one person, one family, one institution at a time — Voya's vision is to be America's Retirement Company®. The company is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is ethically, economically, socially and environmentally and responsible — Voya has been recognized as one of the 2016 World's Most Ethical Companies® by the Ethisphere Institute, and as one of the Top Green Companies in the U.S., by Newsweek magazine. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook and Twitter @Voya.

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SOURCE Voya Financial, Inc.