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local communities

In over 110 years of history, we have seen communities grow and change, hit hard times and thrive. Our global operations are located mostly in small towns, where we embrace our responsibility to participate in and support these communities. Whirlpool is not only a local employer — we become immersed in the fabric of the community. Our community engagement strategy helps us identify and remove barriers and create strong, stable homes — the building blocks of a society we can all be proud of.

Our House+Home Strategy

Our community initiatives are guided by our House+Home strategy and supported by our Global House+Home Ambassador Program, a new volunteer program we launched in 2023.

House

Under the House pillar, we focus on ensuring that everyone has a comfortable, nurturing place to live where families can make healthy choices to build their best life. We work on programs to connect people with decent and affordable housing, promoting inclusive practices and making home ownership a reality for more people.

home

Our Home initiatives focus on education and neighborhood development so that when people walk outside of their home, they are entering a resilient, thriving community. Together with our partners in nonprofit organizations, local governments, businesses and educational institutions, we support a holistic quality of life that makes a positive difference in the lives of those who live there.

125,000 people served in 2023 through collaborations, philanthropy and product donations

Habitat for Humanity

Like Whirlpool Corporation, Habitat for Humanity is a global organization that believes the home to be a special place for families to grow and thrive. Throughout our long-standing relationship, Whirlpool and Habitat for Humanity have helped build and improve homes around the world for individuals who need it most.

Where We Are Building

THE UNITED STATES
mexico
Dominican Republic
Brazil
argentina
U.K.
Italy
Poland
1.23M people served
in locations across
the globe
Globally, Whirlpool
has donated more than $144M and over 242,000 products to Habitat for
Humanity families in our 24 years of working together.

Habitat for Humanity’s BuildBetter with
Whirlpool Program

Climate change disproportionately impacts underserved communities due to their geographical locations, access to resources and services, and decision-making power.1 While strides have been made in the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient development, it’s typically happening only in countries and communities that have more financial resources to begin with.

For this reason, Habitat for Humanity’s BuildBetter with Whirlpool program was created. It aims to build climate resilient, energy-efficient homes and scale and implement best practices across the U.S. These homes are designed and built to conserve energy, resulting in lower operating costs and the ability to better maintain interior temperature and function. They are also specially designed to reduce damage caused by acute climate risks, such as high winds and hail, wildfires and more, with features like advanced roof fastening hardware, water-management systems and fire-rated siding.

Our goal to build 250+ homes across the U.S. is in the third and final phase. As of 2023, we have selected all the BuildBetter with Whirlpool homes and expect the building phase to be complete in 2025.

Habitat for Humanity is conducting a formal evaluation of the homes in partnership with Auburn University, in which energy-use habits and utility data are compared to average U.S. homes as well as national residential energy consumption data. We expect the findings to be published in 2025 and show that affordable homes built with climate resilience in mind can protect the planet and reduce the cost to those homeowners who need it most.

Phase 1

58 energy and hazard resilience projects were completed
20 states
54 average Home Energy Rating System rating, with the lowest being 11
12 homes in areas where Whirlpool Corporation has manufacturing plants

Phase 2

85 energy and hazard resilience
projects completed
31 states
12 additional homes in areas where Whirlpool Corp. has manufacturing plants

Phase 3 (In progress)

123 projects in
27 states
13 homes in areas where Whirlpool Corporation has manufacturing plants
3 renewable energy system installations (rooftop solar)
1,093 women completed
entrepreneurial
education programs
225% increase in income for
women beneficiaries in
the Empreende Mulher
program
59 entrepreneurs received
product donations in 2023

Consulado da Mulher

In LAR, for over 20 years we have worked extensively with Consulado da Mulher, an organization dedicated to supporting women and enabling them to start or expand their own businesses, generate income and provide a better future for their families. The organization’s mission is to empower women, eradicate poverty and promote gender equality, all of which speak to our own values and goals.

  • 1,093 women completed entrepreneurial education programs, with a 225% increase in income in their small businesses in the year 2023.
  • We launched the House+Home Ambassador Program in collaboration with Consulado da Mulher involving 352 volunteers in 57 activities, such as renovating schools and shelters for women or mentoring women benefited by Consulado da Mulher.
  • We conducted two projects with Habitat for Humanity, engaging 36 volunteers in the renovation of nine houses.

Our Collaborations Help Us Improve Life at Home

Feel Good Fridge

Through two programs, we are donating refrigerators to address the issue of food insecurity. With the help of our sales team, refurbished refrigerators are placed in community centers in underresourced neighborhoods across the U.S. and filled with fresh healthy food for anyone who needs it.

Our Maytag brand, in their long-standing relationship with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, is placing refrigerators in Boys & Girls Clubs across the country to give Club members and their families access to fresh, healthy food.

388 refrigerators donated in 2023
202 employee volunteers
120 kids impacted per day
50 Clubs across the U.S.

United Way

Whirlpool works with United Way chapters across the U.S. to fund hundreds of organizations and causes that focus on education, income, health and basic needs. United Way Worldwide appointed our Chairman and CEO Marc Bitzer as Worldwide Board of Trustees Chair in 2021, where he has served on the Board since 2018.

$4.2M employee donation plus Whirlpool Foundation match in 2023

Care Counts Program

In collaboration with Teach for America, the Whirlpool brand has been donating washers, dryers and laundry supplies to schools since 2015. Thousands of kids each year miss school because they don’t have clean clothes to wear, and elementary students who are frequently absent risk falling behind.1 We are working to expand the program to all 50 states and double the number of participating schools by 2028.

150+ schools impacted in
40 states2
78% increased attendance rate among high-risk elementary schoolers

Whirlpool Community Charity Golf Event (WCCGE)

The 2023 WCCGE raised money for local charities with a focus on youth education. Among the recipients of the funds raised was the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the organization for which the event was originally conceived in 2004.

In the 20 years of the event, more than $30 million has been raised for Boys & Girls Club of Greater Southwest Michigan, First Tee of Benton Harbor and the local public-school foundations of Benton Harbor, Lakeshore and St. Joseph.

$3M raised for local charities
10,000 youth impacted annually
6 golf courses hosted the event
  1. Among kids who miss at least 15 days of school, according to American University 2021
  2. Whirlpool Care Counts™ Program Data 2015-2023 school year results