‘Symetra Empowers Communities’ Program Celebrates Five Years On GivingTuesday by Awarding $1 Million in New Grants

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As GivingTuesday gets underway, Symetra Life Insurance Company is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its signature corporate giving program, ‘Symetra Empowers Communities’, with $1 million in immediate and multi-year grants directed to 19 national and local nonprofits across the country, including nine Puget Sound area-based organizations.

Launched in March 2020, ‘Symetra Empowers Communities’ is a key pillar of the company’s wider Symetra Social Impact corporate social responsibility initiative. It prioritizes organizations working to create long-term positive change with a focus on increasing access to economic mobility for underserved communities including women, youth and students, and addressing housing affordability and homelessness.

“Symetra is proud to celebrate the deep partnerships formed over the last few years, the lives positively impacted, and the progress made by investing with our community service providers,” said Sharmila Swenson, VP, Public Affairs and Social Impact. “These awards reflect our focus on addressing some of the most pressing needs in the communities where we live and work nationally and the states of Washington, Iowa, Connecticut and Massachusetts — and support our belief that strong, inclusive communities benefit us all.”

Of the 19 grants, individual one-time (2025) grants range from $25-$50K, while multiyear (2025-2027/8) funding commitments range from $50-$100K in total.

Nine grants will support organizations empowering underserved communities to achieve their goals through entrepreneurship, leadership training, and education; six grants will support programs and organizations that address the disproportionate effects of homelessness and housing affordability on underserved populations; three scholarship grants will expand access to education for underserved students, such as LGBTQ+, BIPOC and students that have experienced foster care; and one will support increased access to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) learning opportunities.

National

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation, New York, N.Y.
• National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Atlanta, Ga.
• National Network to End Domestic Violence, Washington, DC
• YWCA USA, Washington, DC

Washington

• Degrees of Change, Tacoma
• GSBA Scholarship Fund, Seattle
• Housing Connector, Seattle
• Kids Quest Children’s Museum, Bellevue
• Mary’s Place, Seattle
• Treehouse, Seattle
• United Way of King County, Seattle
• YouthCare, Seattle
• YWCA Seattle King Snohomish, Seattle

Connecticut

• Aurora Women and Girls Foundation, West Hartford
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford
• My Sisters’ Place, Hartford

Iowa

• Central Iowa Shelter & Services, Des Moines

Massachusetts

• REACH Beyond Domestic Violence Massachusetts, Waltham
• Rosie's Place, Boston

About Symetra Empowers Communities

Since 2020, ‘Symetra Empowers Communities’ has contributed nearly $13 million to nonprofit organizations in Washington state and across the country through direct grants, employee giving and company match. Highly collaborative, the program works hand in hand with the company’s community partners, professional sports team relationships, and civic and business coalitions, focusing time and resources around four areas: funding communities, empowering youth, employee engagement and advocacy.

To learn more about Symetra Empowers grants, visit https://www.symetra.com/communities.

About Symetra

Symetra Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corporation, a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Washington. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent financial professionals and insurance producers. For more information, visit www.symetra.com.