2008

Travelers Community Report

 Committed
to Our Communities

P
 resident Earl Richardson,
Morgan State University;
Grace Nyambura and
Tiara Colbert, TEAI scholars
at Morgan State University;
and Andy Bessette, Travelers
executive vice president and
chief administrative officer,
celebrate the launch.
Investing in Our Communities

Travelers has a long history of giving back to the communities where we do business. We’re
pleased to continue to build upon this proud tradition by supporting organizations that are
improving the quality of life for underserved populations.

2008 was a record-breaking year of giving for Travelers. The company and its private foundation,
the Travelers Foundation, provided more than $19 million in community support across the
country in fiscal year 2008, collaborating with community-based nonprofit organizations related
to education, community development and the arts.

We expanded the Travelers Education Access Initiative (TEAI), a program designed to break down
the barriers to college that underrepresented students face, to the University of Connecticut and
Morgan State University. We also held the inaugural TEAI partners symposium, bringing all our
stakeholders together for two days to share best practices and collaborate on ways to expand
and improve the program.

In addition to making an impact with funding, the company continues to make a significant
contribution with its large base of Travelers volunteers. Our employees’ skills and dedication
are a crucial element in helping community organizations serve those in need. Our employees 3

donate tens of thousands of hours through company-sponsored partnerships with not-for-profit

organizations and through countless individual initiatives.

Moving forward, I’m excited to announce that beginning in 2009, an increasing portion of
charitable giving in Saint Paul, Minn., and Hartford, Conn., will be focused on public education
reform and improving academic and career success for underrepresented youth. These students
are our future workforce and the health of our communities and our business depends on an
educated population.

We’re pleased to share our 2008 annual report “Investing in Our Communities,” which highlights
the investments we made in communities across the country.

Sincerely,

Marlene Ibsen
CEO and president, Travelers Foundation
 Breaking Down Barriers, Building Brighter Futures
Travelers is committed to building a diverse, qualified
workforce for the future. Through the Travelers Education
Access Initiative (TEAI), a comprehensive, holistic approach,
the company is increasing academic and career success for
underrepresented students.
In 2008 Travelers expanded the program, launching
partnerships with Morgan State University and the University
of Connecticut. Now with ten collaborating organizations in
Connecticut, Maryland and Minnesota, the initiative is designed
to remove the barriers to college that underrepresented
students face by helping them progress from middle school to
a rigorous high school curriculum which will prepare them to
enter college able to compete on an equal level with their peers.
Professional development and mentorship opportunities are also
in place to build an awareness of, and to help students access,
careers in insurance and financial services, providing them with
a competitive edge to career success.
4 A University of Connecticut Foundation grant for $365,000 to
TEAI students at their Travelers internship.
Additionally in 2008, Travelers held the inaugural TEAI partners
symposium in Baltimore. All college, university and community
partners came together to share both the successes and
challenges their TEAI students are facing and brainstorm ways
to further strengthen the program. It was also an opportunity
for our partners to discover how they can work together to build
the pipeline of students to higher education and careers.
Increasing Access to Higher Education
A more than $210,000 grant to Morgan State University to
provide scholarships to underrepresented students in the
actuarial sciences program.
A $325,000 grant to the Carlson School at the University of
Minnesota to provide scholarships and increase the number
of underrepresented students enrolled in the undergraduate
business program.
provide scholarship support for students who demonstrate a
commitment to multicultural diversity as well as programs to
improve retention through graduation.
A more than $180,000 grant to Capital Community College to
provide outreach, support and educational opportunities to
underrepresented students from Greater Hartford to increase
the pipeline to college and careers in insurance.
A Metropolitan State University grant for $260,000 to support
the Power of You initiative and the business department’s
Insurance Program to increase academic success and career
placement for minority and low-income students.
Building the Pipeline
After-school and enrichment programs can make a
powerful difference in the future success of educationally
underserved students.

Programs that enhance classroom learning are crucial in

helping students prepare for the future. Travelers is committed
to supporting programs that are combating the achievement
gap and helping students reach their full academic potential.

Increasing Academic Success

A Minnesota College Access Network grant for $75,000 for the
development of a network of services supporting students of
color and low-income students in securing access to college.

A University of Connecticut Foundation grant of $100,000

for Project M-Cubed, designed for talented math students
in Hartford, Conn.

A Children’s Storefront grant for $25,000 to support after-  ouston, Texas, students attend Camp Zoofaire, a program designed
H
5
to educate youth on conservation, zoology and the natural world.
school and summer academic enrichment programs for
low-income families in New York City.

A $25,000 grant to Hartford Youth Scholars for the

Stepping Stone Academy, an academic enrichment and
preparatory program.

A CommonBond Communities grant for $50,000 for educational

support programs at Saint Paul-area Advantage Centers.
 Increasing Affordable Housing
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development, more than 12 million households are spending
more than 50 percent of their annual incomes for housing.
Further, a family with one full-time worker earning the minimum
wage cannot afford the local fair-market rent for a two-bedroom
apartment anywhere in the United States.
Travelers believes in order for a community to be stable and
vibrant, affordable housing and community services must be
present. We fund organizations working to create and maintain
stability in urban neighborhoods through the building and main-
taining of affordable housing.
Creating New Opportunities in Housing
A Family Housing Fund grant for $125,000 for a network of
support services to help people successfully transition from
homelessness in the Twin Cities.
A $100,000 grant to Hartford’s South Arsenal Neighborhood
Development Corporation for zero-energy urban housing.
$50,000 in grants to Neighborhood Housing Services of New
York City and Chicago for the creation and preservation of
affordable housing and homeownership education.
More than $285,000 in grants to Habitat for Humanity
International to build affordable housing in 12 states.
Approximately $45,000 in grants to Rebuilding Together of
Hartford and Baltimore to preserve affordable housing.
A group of Saint Paul employees volunteer
for Neighborhood Housing Services
Helping Communities Prosper
Prosperous communities depend on financially stable residents.
As such, creating new opportunities in employment in
underserved communities is a priority for Travelers.
We provide support to organizations that are providing
participants the opportunity to become self-sufficient,
productive members of the community by teaching job
readiness skills and fostering small business development.
Fostering Career Success
An Our Piece of the Pie grant for $60,000 for the High Demand
Career Initiative.
A $35,000 grant to Women Venture to help Twin Cities women
and men with career planning, small business development and
financial literacy.
S
 aint Paul-area students attend Career Day at Travelers.
7
$175,000 in grants to the Community Reinvestment Fund
to support community development leaders across the
country grow small businesses, create and preserve jobs and
develop community facilities.
A more than $45,000 grant to Capital Workforce Partners for
job training and workforce development programs.
A $15,000 grant to Jobs for Youth Chicago for job training and
employment placement for low-income teens and young adults
ages 17 to 24.
 Enhancing Learning
The arts not only enrich lives, but can enhance academic
learning. Learning through the arts often results in higher
test scores and fewer disciplinary problems. According to a
study by the YouthARTS Development Project, arts education
programs have a measurable impact on at-risk youth in deterring
delinquent behavior and truancy problems while also increasing
overall academic performance.
Travelers is committed to funding organizations that are both
using the arts to improve academic achievement and exposing
underrepresented audiences to the arts.
Encouraging Arts Education
A $100,000 grant to the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
to support access programs that make it possible for students in
the Saint Paul Public Schools to attend performances.
8
 Baltimore student participates in Art with a Heart, an interactive
A
program to bring hands-on art activities to disadvantaged families
and children.
A Baltimore School for the Arts grant of $15,000 to support
arts education programming for low-income families through
the TWIGS program.
A $100,000 grant to The Bushnell Center for the
Performing Arts to support operating expenses and the
Arts in Education program, bringing the arts to students
throughout Greater Hartford.
A $40,000 grant to the Hartford Symphony Orchestra
for the Musical Dialogues program which is providing an
interaction between Hartford Symphony Orchestra soloists
and a diverse audience.
A $125,000 grant to Project Success for its theater program
which teaches Twin Cities middle and high school students to
make informed choices and plan for meaningful futures.
A $20,000 grant to the Center for Puppetry Arts funds
scholarships for low-income students in Atlanta so that they can
experience the arts and advance cultural and academic learning.
Fostering Diversity
The arts not only bring vibrancy to our communities, but also
provide us with an opportunity to learn about other cultures and
build multi-cultural understanding.

Travelers funds arts organizations that preserve cultural heritage

and present audiences with a variety of cultural traditions.

Strengthening Cultural Traditions

A $25,000 grant to the Mark Twain House and Museum in
Hartford for operating support.

A $250,000 grant to COMPAS for the Arts & Diversity Committee,

a collaboration with Travelers employees to allocate general
operating funds to small arts organizations in the Twin Cities.

A $90,000 grant to Penumbra Theatre Company in Saint Paul

for productions that seek to increase public awareness of the
significant contributions of African Americans in creating a
A
 performance at the Charter Oak Cultural Center, a multi-cultural
diversified American theatrical tradition. arts center in Hartford 9

A $25,000 grant to Real Art Ways in Hartford for programs

committed to supporting artists, generating diverse
audiences, participating in neighborhood development,
and building community.

A $25,000 grant to the Jubilee Players in Fort Worth, Texas,

to create and present theatrical works which reflect the
African-American experience.
 Culture of Volunteerism
Travelers employees donate tens of thousands of hours through
company-sponsored partnerships with nonprofit organizations
and through countless individual initiatives each year. Our
employee volunteers’ skills, expertise and compassion can make
all the difference in helping our community partners to achieve
their goals. Their contributions of time and talent take many
forms, including walk-a-thons, clothing and food drives, service
on nonprofit boards, tutoring in schools, work on Habitat for
Humanity homes and much more.
10
Travelers employees in Pennsylvania participate in a Habitat for Humanity build.
Committed to our communities
Travelers employees responded to the need in our communities
by making the 2008 Employee Giving Campaign a record-
breaking year of giving. Employees raised more than $3.7 million
for social service and arts organizations across the country.
Travelers matches gifts of employee time and money through
the Community Action Awards. Employees have the opportunity
to contribute up to $1,000 of Travelers funding to the nonprofit
organizations of their choice annually.
The Field Innovation and Involvement Awards program
encourages any of the company’s office locations to develop
innovative community service projects involving employee
volunteers, local insurance agencies and local nonprofit
organizations.
To Learn More About Us The Community Relations Team
This report presents a snapshot of what Travelers does in the Marlene Ibsen
community. For a complete listing of grants and detailed Vice President, Community Relations
program guidelines, visit www.travelers.com/community. CEO & President, Travelers Foundation
860.277.9039

Mike Newman
Director, Community Relations
Vice President, Travelers Foundation
651.310.7263

Rita Ortiz
Director, Employee & Community Engagement
860.277.8646

Tara N. Spain
Director, Community Relations
Program Officer, Travelers Foundation
860.277.7015
11

Deb Morris
Manager, Community Relations
Program Officer, Travelers Foundation
651.310.7881

Lisa Colaninno
Operations Manager
860.277.3761

David S. Daye
Project Leader, Community Relations
860.277.3051

Shary Kempainen
Employee & Community Engagement Specialist
651.310.7875
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