Since the beginning of TPG (way back in 1981), philanthropy has been a cornerstone. We have long had a credo of “giving back to our communities and inspiring others to do the same.” And give back we do, allowing each employee eight hours per quarter of paid PTO to donate their time to non-profit organizations of their choice.
In 2020, we kicked it into high gear by establishing a 10-year giving campaign called Give30. The goal is to donate $30 million in time and money to the community as well as through profit sharing to our own employees by 2030. (As of the start of 2025, we are over halfway there!) In support of this decade-long Give30 campaign, we established the TPG Foundation as a means of generating large-scale donations through major fundraising events, such as the annual TPG Throwdown, a Portland cornhole tournament, and our more recent Paddle Palooza, a summertime pickleball event at our Renton, WA, offices. Funds generated by these events are given to specifically chosen charities and non-profits that serve the next generation.
Four years after Give30 launched, it was a true honor to be awarded the Portland Business Journal’s 2024 Corporate Philanthropy Innovation Award, which recognizes those companies displaying exemplary philanthropic practices and developing an innovative partnership between companies and non-profits. The Innovation Award in particular is “a celebration of the region’s most philanthropic companies of the past year and those who have broken new ground in how they give back.”
We were especially honored to be nominated for our work with the Sam Day Foundation (SDF), a partnership that began in 2014. SDF is focused on raising critical awareness of childhood cancers – according to the National Institutes of Health, a mere 4% of all funds raised for cancer research are dedicated to childhood cancers. What started as a personal connection between TPG President Sarah Friend and SDF founder Lorna Day (above, middle) has evolved into a longstanding alliance between our two organizations that evolves year after year. From sponsoring an annual soiree fundraiser to donating an office at TPG headquarters, our two teams often work literally side by side.
“I think our partnership reflects the heart of so many people at The Partners Group, as well as a corporate structure that allows us to really lean into things that our employees care about,” said Friend.
The TPG Foundation mission statement provides year-round direction: Making a difference in the communities in which we live and work by investing in the health, wellbeing, and education of the next generation.
For more information about TPG’s philanthropic efforts and our 2025 fundraising events, contact TPG Foundation Executive Director Emily-Rose Galati at egalati@tpgrp.com or visit www.thepartnersgroup.com/tpg-foundation/.
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