Hope grows when people with a common purpose come together. And as partners work side by side, their combined strengths, resources and ideas make a greater impact possible.

For decades, SM Foundation has done collaborations through programs that bring education, healthcare, livelihood and community support closer to Filipinos who need them most. Its scholarship program remains one of the clearest examples of this mission.

SM Foundation has supported 7,376 college scholars, with 4,640 college scholar graduates to date by working with around 60 organizations for education. Its collaboration with Mastercard, for example, began during the pandemic with the provision of tablets to SM scholars, ensuring they could continue learning amid remote classes. The collaboration evolved into a broader mission. Today, their partnership focuses on expanding access to education and encouraging more youth to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses.

“At the core of every collaboration is the sharing of strengths. By working together, we achieve far more than what we originally set out to do. Collaborations create a multiplier effect, allowing our programs to reach more communities and make a greater impact,” Joy Guevarra, partnerships manager of SM Foundation, said.

“Creating impact is not only about the resources each organization brings, but also about how we bring people together around a shared purpose,” said Jason Crasto, country manager of Mastercard. “SM Foundation’s deep expertise in education, combined with Mastercard’s network of stakeholders and cardholders, has allowed us to reach more students and create opportunities that neither organization could have achieved alone.”

More than just numbers, corporate social responsibility impact grows when support is designed not only to respond to immediate needs, but to create pathways that last. SM Foundation also works with more than 100 other organizations across its education, livelihood and health programs, each one helping extend opportunity to more communities. Its other education initiatives have helped build 116 school buildings and 398 classrooms, creating safer and more conducive learning environments for public school students.

Complementing these efforts, the Foundation has rehabilitated 228 health and wellness centers, helping improve access to quality healthcare in communities across the country. Through 1,797 medical missions, SM Foundation has served over a million patients nationwide. Its SM Blood Bank initiative has collected more than 40,000 blood bags.

In livelihood, the Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Market Linkage Program now has 72 farmers supplying produce to the SM Weekend Market, helping transform harvests into more stable and sustainable sources of income.

As its partner base grows, SM Foundation also continues to care for sponsors through recognition and meaningful value for the support they give.

Every new supporter represents more than just an added name to SM Foundation’s growing network. It can mean another scholar entering college, another patient receiving care, another farmer finding an avenue to sell, or another community gaining access to essential support. Scholars who graduate can find gainful employment, support their families, help siblings or relatives continue school, and contribute back to their communities — proof that the change continues long after assistance is given.

“We’ve seen how opportunity can transform lives and open doors to new possibilities,” Crasto added. “When organizations, communities, and individuals each contribute what they can, those collective efforts create lasting opportunities not only for today’s scholars, but for the families and communities they will one day help uplift.”

Guevarra carries the same message that “to create positive change, you don’t need to make it big. You can start with the world of the person sitting next to you.”

And when shared purpose is turned into action, its impact is not merely added. It is multiplied — one scholar, one family, one patient, one farmer, and one community at a time.