What is the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation and how do they support individuals with disabilities?

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) is the corporate foundation of the Mitsubishi Electric group companies in the United States. MEAF works to make changes for the better in society by investing in innovative strategies to empower youth with disabilities to lead productive lives.

MEAF was established in 1991 with a $15 million endowment by the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan and the Mitsubishi Electric US group companies. The Foundation supports national grant programs and employee volunteer programs across the United States to support youth with disabilities.

By harnessing the power of Mitsubishi Electric’s people, products and philanthropic resources, the Foundation invests in innovative strategies to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Strategies generally fall into one of three broad areas:

• Leadership development strategies include promoting self-advocacy, service and volunteerism, and environmental stewardship.
• Employment preparation strategies include efforts to promote mentoring, internships, workforce readiness, and careers in science and technology.
• Ability awareness strategies include efforts to promote inclusion, equal access, and changing attitudes by focusing on the skills and accomplishments of youth with disabilities

For more information, visit the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) website, or visit the MEAF success stories to learn more about this incredible work. MEAF also offers a website called Stay Connected, which describes the myriad ways to follow MEAF’s work, and offers a list of recent news items.