STORY

UnitedHealth Group Announces Support for Minneapolis-St. Paul in Response to George Floyd Tragedy and Civil Unrest

June 01, 2020 | 1 min Read
george floyd support

Following the tragic death of George Floyd, UnitedHealth Group on Monday announced a commitment to support Mr. Floyd’s family, help Minneapolis-St. Paul businesses restore operations, and fund efforts to advance equality and inclusivity in the Twin Cities community. In all, UnitedHealth Group and its team members will donate $10 million and 25,000 volunteer hours in response to Mr. Floyd’s tragic death and the ensuing civil unrest.

“George Floyd’s death is an unspeakable tragedy. Communities all across America are struggling to make sense of what’s happened and how we as a society pull together to move forward, heal, learn and grow,” said David S. Wichmann, chief executive officer of UnitedHealth Group. “The 325,000 people of UnitedHealth Group remain steadfast in our commitment to not only build a culture of inclusivity and diversity within our own organization, but to ensure our actions help create a more equitable society for the people we serve.”

“The 325,000 people of UnitedHealth Group remain steadfast in our commitment to not only build a culture of inclusivity and diversity within our own organization, but to ensure our actions help create a more equitable society for the people we serve.”

DAVID S. WICHMANN CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF UNITEDHEALTH GROUP

 

UnitedHealth Group’s support consists of three initiatives:

  • Support for the Floyd family. UnitedHealth Group will establish and administer a dedicated Diverse Scholars trust fund to help support Mr. Floyd’s children’s education through undergraduate college or equivalent achievement. The company hopes this gesture will help the Floyd family honor the memory of their father while helping his children pursue their full academic potential.  
  • Support for Twin Cities businesses. UnitedHealth Group also announced a $5 million donation and funding for 25,000 employee volunteer hours to help businesses in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul restore their operations after several days of civil unrest that left many businesses, including small and minority owned operations, destroyed.
  • Support for a diverse, inclusive community. Recognizing the need to address the larger societal issues at the root of George Floyd’s death, UnitedHealth Group is donating an additional $5 million to the YMCA Equity Innovation Center of Excellence in memory of Mr. Floyd. The Innovation Center, a collaborative effort serving the Twin Cities and beyond, is dedicated to advancing equity, inclusivity and systemic change so that all people may thrive.

“We all have a lot of work ahead of us to address long-standing inequalities, and it’s going to take individuals, governments and private enterprises like UnitedHealth Group to achieve our goals of a more inclusive society,” said Glen Gunderson, president and chief executive officer of YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities. “We’re grateful for this contribution, which will help us accelerate our efforts to drive positive change in our communities.”

With its corporate headquarters located just outside Minneapolis, UnitedHealth Group employs nearly 20,000 people in Minnesota.