Equinix today announced it is funding a new philanthropic arm of the digital infrastructure company aimed at advancing digital inclusion.

The Equinix Foundation, which is a private 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, received an initial financial commitment of $50 million from Equinix in the form of company shares, which should ensure the foundation is self-sustaining.

The major goal of this organization is to provide funding to organizations with initiatives targeting equitable and inclusive access to connectivity, technology, and education. It will also look for opportunities to fund environmental sustainability initiatives, which is “an area of strategic importance to the company.”

The foundation’s board of directors will decide on its annual spending budget, which will include items like “grantmaking, employee donation matching, and crisis response donations,” according to the company.

Equinix’s foundation will also target what it calls “impact investments” using income earned from interest, and this will contribute to the foundation’s assets while supporting social programs.

According to Equinix CEO Charles Meyers, the company’s purpose is to build a platform that brings the world together and fosters innovation, and this will enrich the way people work and live along with the planet, he explained.

“The Equinix Foundation is an important vehicle to deliver on our ‘In Service To’ commitment — to one another, our customers, our investors, and the communities in which we operate,” Meyers said.

This news coincides with the data center provider’s “future first” environmental sustainability efforts, to which the Equinix Foundation is paramount, and will move the needle toward a more “accessible, equitable, and sustainable future,” according to the provider.

In this way, the foundation will also support Equinix’s commitments to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG 9, which is centered on building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation.

“We are excited that through the foundation, we’ll also advance our future-first commitment to build a better, more inclusive, more sustainable world, while harnessing and amplifying the passion of our people to help close the digital divide in our communities and beyond,” Meyers added.

Equinix claims its employees will play an integral role in shaping the direction of the foundation. Employees will help identify community-focused nonprofits and social enterprises determined to close the digital divide. 

Equinix noted at the time of launch that it has active partnerships with “dozens” of organizations already working on that mission.

These include BigHope, a Texas-based nonprofit that preps elementary students for science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) pathways; CLAP-TECH, an education and tech industry collaborative initiative in Hong Kong for high school students; and World Pulse, and women-led social network focused on uniting female voices and accelerating their impacts.

“With Equinix’s support over the past seven years, we have developed classes that provide women worldwide with technology stipends and training. This has had a huge ripple effect for the global community since one digitally-trained woman can impact thousands of lives,” World Pulse CEO Jensine Larsen said.

Overall, the foundation will allow Equinix to be more strategic with its philanthropic funding, which the company hopes will be fueled by its employees’ passion for leaving positive impacts.