Ten-year commitment will advance equitable opportunities in STEM education, career development and community wellbeing; company launches employee challenge to take on one million acts of service

Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX) today announced Connect Up, a 10-year, $500 million corporate responsibility initiative to drive transformative, generational impact on critical societal challenges. This focused philanthropy expands upon and elevates the company’s legacy of community investment through lifelong learning, veteran and military family support, and localized community engagement.

“The measure of business success must include community growth,” said Greg Hayes, Raytheon Technologies’ chief executive officer. “The Connect Up program leverages our global reach, the expertise and passion of more than 180,000 employees, a heritage of era-defining engineering and technology ingenuity, with a track record of solving some of society’s biggest challenges. Through focused investments, volunteer commitment and strategic partnerships, we will create lasting, multi-generational impact in education opportunity, armed services support and local community relief.”

To meet the pressing needs of communities, today and into the future, Connect Up combines philanthropic capital, public/private partnership and employee volunteerism to support underserved communities by:

• Advancing lifelong learning, with a focus on providing access to STEM education to underrepresented communities — particularly communities of color — by partnering with groups like National Academy Foundation, SMASH and Girls Who Code.
• Honoring public service by helping military personnel and their families advance education goals and supporting post-service transition to the civilian workforce with key partners including Student Veterans of America, American Corporate Partners and The Mission Continues.
• Driving local community impact with organizations such as Feeding America and Boys & Girls Clubs of America that address social welfare to create a more equitable future.

In addition to philanthropy, employee volunteerism is central to the mission of Connect Up, and the company today launched an enterprise-wide employee volunteer initiative to provide opportunities for employees to connect with and give back to their communities. Raytheon Technologies will challenge the company’s 180,000 global employees to unlock the power of connections through 1 million acts of service in 2021, starting with the launch of its first-ever Global Month of Service in April.

For more information on Raytheon Technologies’ social impact initiatives and to stay updated on programs and investments, please visit us at RTX.com/social-impact 

About Raytheon Technologies
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.