BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Chevron announced Wednesday that the California Partnership, an initiative to invest in education and economic development in its home state.

Under the new initiative, Chevron is said to expand and deepen its partnerships with nonprofits focused on supporting underserved communities, including relationships with 18 new nonprofit partners providing programs for education, entrepreneurs and job training.

Additional partners will be introduced throughout the remainder of 2009.

“Communities in California are facing extraordinary challenges accessing the resources they need to be successful during these turbulent economic times,” said Matt Lonner, manager of Global Partnerships and Programs at Chevron. “Innovative partnerships between private and nonprofit organizations are needed to invest in opportunities and solutions. Chevron’s California Partnership is a renewed commitment on the part of our company to work with the organizations that can deliver the programs that our communities need, and invest in the future of our home state.”

According to a release, the California Partnership represents a $7 million enhancement to Chevron’s community engagement investments in the state, bringing Chevron’s total investments in 2009 to approximately $28 million. Nonprofit partners receiving funds from the California Partnership have demonstrated innovative approaches with proven track records for delivering economic and educational benefits to those in need, the release said.

According to a release, among the organizations that are part of Chevron’s California Partnership is Project Lead the Way, the nation’s leading provider of science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM) education programs for middle school and high school students. Project Lead the Way provides students with a foundation and proven path to college and career success in STEM fields. With Chevron’s contributions, Project Lead the Way – which currently reaches nearly 350,000 students – will be able to expand existing programs or introduce new opportunities in the Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley and the Los Angeles Basin, where Chevron’s major business is concentrated.

“Advancing STEM education in California and creating more opportunities for today’s students is key to maintaining competitiveness in the global economy, but it also hits much closer to home,” said John Lock, CEO of Project Lead the Way. “The widening gap in science, technology, engineering and math knowledge in today’s students can only be addressed with a focused effort to deliver an expanded curriculum that will give young people the opportunity for prosperity in the fields that will drive the future growth of this state. Chevron’s understanding of the importance of STEM has made this a natural partnership.”

Chevron’s California Partnership will also be supporting Kiva.org, the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website that allows individuals to make small loans to entrepreneurs online. Chevron is making a contribution to Kiva.org to assist in funding the organization’s operations as they continue to build their innovative microfinancing platform, which is already available to California small businesses and entrepreneurs, the release stated.

“California small businesses and entrepreneurs are facing unprecedented difficulty in obtaining necessary business funding in this economic slowdown, which can be the key to job creation and overall economic growth for the state,” said Premal Shah, president of Kiva.org. “Chevron’s support through the California Partnership will help Kiva.org continue to spur growth in small businesses, which represent more than 87 percent of all businesses in the U.S.”

Other nonprofits supported through the California Partnership include Teach for America, which will target new programs for Richmond schools, and WE Invest, which provides tools and resources that help women become more financially self-sufficient.

Chevron’s California Partnership extends beyond investments in nonprofit organizations, and includes volunteerism and training in local communities throughout the state. Volunteerism remains a core value at Chevron and employees in California dedicate their time to serve communities through the Chevron Humankind program. In 2008, Chevron employees volunteered more than 16,000 hours of time to their communities, and in this year’s company volunteer week, 2,550 Chevron employees in California rallied to work on 225 projects with 90 nonprofits, totaling nearly 9,000 hours of service. Each year, Chevron also offers the Chevron Management Institute, a one-week leadership and management skill training course available to nonprofit organizations in local California communities.

Chevron announced the California Partnership at an event in San Francisco on Wednesday morning. As part of the event, Chevron hosted a panel discussing innovative approaches to public-private partnerships featuring Chevron nonprofit partners Kiva.org, DonorsChoose.org, Project Lead the Way and Teach for America. A video of the discussion will be available online at: www.chevron.com/CA.

Chevron California Partnership Nonprofit & Community Partners for 2009 Education

· California State University Bakersfield (CSUB) – REVS-UP program for STEM education in local middle and high schools, and creation of a new STEM Activities Center at CSUB

· Contra Costa County Office of Education – online media services to local districts and schools

· DonorsChoose.org – providing grants to teachers to purchase tools for STEM education

· Project Lead the Way – preparing middle and high school students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics

· Project SEED – teaching high-level mathematics to increase education options for urban youth

· Science Buddies – online resource for science fair projects and content for class assignments

· Teach For America – places high-achieving college graduates as teachers in low-performing schools

· Techbridge – a hands-on after school science program for young girls