Geographic Reach

The Medtronic Foundation made health grants in 23 countries.

Improving the health of people with chronic diseases and conditions

2010 Health Highlights

  • Children’s HeartLink used a Medtronic MedLink grant to partner with health professionals in Brazil to promote sustainable cardiac care for children with congenital or acquired heart disease. An estimated 28,000 Brazilian children are born with congenital heart defects each year. The Medtronic Foundation supports Children’s HeartLink in five developing countries.
  • The Medtronic Foundation funded three National Urban Fellows, mid-level minority professionals working with three prominent Medtronic Patient Link organizations: National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Organization of Rare Disorders, and WomenHeart. National Urban Fellows is a rigorous 14-month graduate program which comprises two semesters of academic course work and a nine-month mentorship, culminating in a Master of Public Administration degree.
  • Using Medtronic Patient Link funds, United Cerebral Palsy launched My Child Without Limits, an online resource and community that provides parents, families and caregivers of children, birth to five years old with disabilities or developmental delays, with vital disability-related information, resource guides, and advice on early intervention and family support.

The Medtronic Foundation made education-related grants in 42 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

2010 Education Highlights

  • The Medtronic Foundation continues to inspire the next generation of scientific innovators through a premier partnership with the Science Museum of Minnesota including sponsorship of the Cell Lab, a permanent exhibit housed in the museum’s Human Body Gallery. Cell Lab visitors don a lab coat and play the role of scientist, exploring cellular biology, molecular biology and play the role of scientist, exploring cellular biology, molecular biology and microbiology.
  • The Medtronic Foundation launched the third edition of Science Matters, a free 16-page family science guide intended to complement classroom activities. Distributed throughout the United States, the magazine provides parents and caregivers with a variety of hands-on science activities, resources and profiles of scientists at work.
  • Four highly-qualified minority graduate students received financial support from the Medtronic Foundation through Graduate Engineering and Science Fellowships for Minorities (GEM). GEM addresses the critical shortfall of engineering and scientific talent in the United States. Since 1997, Medtronic has helped launch the careers of 25 emerging scientific innovators by providing GEM grants and scholarships and partnering with Medtronic businesses to provide challenging internships for these students. Graduate Engineering and Science Fellowships for Minorities.

 

The Medtronic Foundation made community grants in 7 countries.

2010 Community Highlights

  • Medtronic partnered with Foundation grantee World Heart Federation to sponsor the Medtronic Charity Challenge, a program that encourages European employees to be active while raising money to combat rheumatic heart disease. Medtronic donated 10 Euros for every kilometer walked, run or wheeled by a Medtronic employee. More than 300 employees from 17 countries raised nearly €57,000 (U.S. $69,000) in the inaugural year of the charity challenge, with each employee covering an average of 26 kilometers (16 miles).
  • Coordinated matching gifts campaigns in 10 Medtronic U.S. locations raised a total of $5,407,347 for United Way’s Live United campaign. Several locations showed outstanding growth due to the collaboration and shared resources of the coordinated campaign, including Jacksonville, Florida and Louisville, Colorado, which more than doubled their donations from the previous year. Increases in employee participation were also noteworthy, with the consideration rate (percent of employees who turn in a pledge card) increasing 5 percent from our fiscal year 2009 campaign.
  • Twin Cities employees donated $162,000 to Minnesota FoodShare, a program that raises funds and food donations for food shelves statewide. For the second year, the Medtronic Foundation provided a 2 for 1 match, which brought the total given to $486,000 – the largest cash gift ever to Minnesota FoodShare. The donation allowed food shelves across Minnesota to purchase more than 1,400 tonnes of food and provide two million meals.