Amplifying Our Impact in the Permian Basin
As the Permian Basin has long been one of the most active and largest oil and gas basins globally, its people and communities have experienced many cycles of oil booms and busts. While the “boom” times were good, the “busts” compelled permanent residents, businesses and communities to save their money, a pattern that resulted in a lack of infrastructure and social investment.
The development of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies has unlocked a vast resource of previously untapped oil and gas within the Permian Basin. Seemingly overnight, new opportunities for residents, producers and service companies were abundant. However, Permian Basin cities, like Midland and Odessa, desperately needed an injection of resources and industry partnership.
After announcing our intention to become a Permian Basin pure-play operator in late 2017, Pioneer recognized the rapid level of oil and gas development in the region was creating critical needs within the local community that required creative and enduring solutions. Working with nine other companies operating in the region, Pioneer led the creation of the Permian Strategic Partnership. This unprecedented coalition in the oil and gas industry is dedicated to improving the quality of life for Permian Basin residents in five key areas: education, roads and infrastructure, healthcare, affordable housing, and workforce development.
The Permian Strategic Partnership, now consisting of 20 member companies, is a catalyst for advancing these five goals by bringing stakeholders together; advocating for local communities with national, state and local officials; and contributing people, expertise and resources to help plan for and meet local needs. Since its inception three years ago, the Permian Strategic Partnership has leveraged more than $125 million in member funds into more than $1 billion in collaborative investments from other stakeholders. Pioneer is proud of our role in founding the Permian Strategic Partnership and committed to supporting the impactful initiatives the coalition implements. For details on Permian Strategic Partnership initiatives and impacts, please reference the organization’s annual report.
Cal Ripken STEM Centers
In 2022, through the Permian Strategic Partnership, Pioneer worked with local organizations to equip 134 elementary schools in the Permian Basin and train local teachers to deliver weekly, year-round STEM instruction. Together with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, the Permian Strategic Partnership committed $7.5 million to ensure Permian-area students receive access to innovative, custom lessons focused on STEM problem-solving, skills-based learning. Pioneer’s sponsorship of the Permian Strategic Partnership is assisting in the groups’ ability to provide fully equipped STEM centers to numerous elementary campuses, reaching more than 60,000 students and 2,000 teachers in 22 counties. When discussing its hallmark investment in STEM centers, Permian Strategic Partnership President and CEO Tracee Bentley highlighted the organization’s impact on education across the entire Permian Basin, stating:
With a STEM center in each elementary school, we hope to inspire young learners to explore careers in STEM fields, teach STEM concepts and encourage them to develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for lifelong success.
Pioneer Donates 15 Acres of Land Worth $400,000 to City of Midland
In June 2022, Pioneer donated nearly 15 acres of land to the City of Midland for a portion of the extension of Fairgrounds Road north of Loop 250. This donation will save the city approximately $400,000 in land acquisition costs on this project.
City of Midland Engineering Services Director Jose Ortiz said this land donation will help complete a project that will allow drivers to travel from I-20 north to Occidental Parkway, alleviating severe traffic congestion on Big Spring Street north of Loop 250. Additionally, the road expansion will allow for future development in northeast Midland.
At a city council meeting, Midland Mayor Patrick Payton issued a proclamation recognizing Pioneer for its continued partnership and generosity.
We believe community collaborations like this help make Midland an even better place to live and work for our employees and their families. We are honored to steward our resources to benefit residents and make a lasting impact in the Midland community.
In-kind Donations
For Pioneer, sustainable social investment includes resourceful in-kind donations of company assets. In 2022, with our guiding principles promoting efficiency and innovation, we identified and donated more than $520,000 worth of company-owned assets, including vehicles, equipment, land and rights of way to local charitable organizations, municipalities and first responders. Two of our former fleet trucks are now assisting local nonprofit Irving Cares in transporting goods from its pantry to community members in need.
We were proud to aid the Midland County Emergency Management team’s mission through a donation of a mobile crisis response command center. In addition, when the Northeast Midland County Volunteer Fire Department expressed a dire need for a second vehicle to combat wildfires, Pioneer stepped up with a donation of a Ford F-350, which was then converted to a brush truck. We realize creating social value can take many forms — donations of monetary gifts, contributions of company assets or volunteering our time — and Pioneer is proud of our innovative social investment strategy that maximizes our impacts in the community.
Employee Giving Programs
Pioneer’s culture of giving flourishes because our valued employees invest their time, talent and resources to make our communities stronger. We are proud to support their generous investments in nonprofit organizations through matching gift and volunteer grant programs. With these programs, Pioneer amplifies our collective social investment impact in our communities, reflecting the personal passions and pursuits of our employees.
In 2022, Pioneer and its employees donated more than $1 million in employee and company-matching contributions to more than 450 individual nonprofit organizations. These donations supported initiatives ranging from rural education and local animal service programs to national medical research and global disaster relief. All regular, full-time employees are eligible to participate in each of Pioneer’s match programs, and our Board members may elect to participate in our monetary donation and PAC match programs.
- Monetary Donation Match — Pioneer believes in directing company charitable dollars to organizations that are meaningful to our employee stakeholders. We match employee monetary contributions dollar-for-dollar to qualifying charitable organizations, bolstering the impact of our employees’ social investments in their communities.
- Individual Volunteer Match — To encourage volunteerism with charities our employees are most passionate about, Pioneer donates $25 per volunteer hour to the charity where an employee completes their service. We know investments of time and talent are as impactful as financial ones, and Pioneer is proud to support employee efforts in our communities.
- Team Volunteer Match — Our employees can also leverage our matching gifts as groups and departments. Pioneer donates $250 per group volunteer hour to the organization where the team completes its volunteer service. This program promotes team building, benefits local nonprofit organizations and allows Pioneer contributions to reach a broader base of the local nonprofit community.
- PAC Match — When an employee elects to participate in one of our PACs, Pioneer matches the employee contribution dollar-for- dollar to a charity of the employee’s choice. Our PAC Match Program encourages employees to engage in the political process while also supporting philanthropic organizations.
- 2:1 Match Opportunities — In addition to Pioneer’s dollar-for- dollar Monetary Donation Match program, we offer special two- to-one match days for employees’ contributions, including Permian Basin Gives Day, North Texas Giving Day and Giving Tuesday. These double-match opportunities allow our employees to collaborate in regional and global days of giving, while amplifying Pioneer’s collective impact within nonprofit communities.
