Our commitment

Founded in 1865, the HSBC Group started offering support to local communities from very early days, with donations recorded in the 1870s and 1880s to schools in Hong Kong and Foochow. In 1909, HSBC became a founding contributor to the University of Hong Kong and also supported the establishment of the Alice Memorial Hospital in Hong Kong, now known as the Alice Ho Mui Ling Nethersole Hospital. To see more examples of HSBC's history of philanthropy, click here.

HSBC has always focused strongly on education and at least 75% of our total philanthropic expenditure is directed to our two core areas of education and environment, with the greater share going on education. This policy allows us to give sustained support to projects where we can build long-term relationships and make a significant difference, as well as helping other initiatives over shorter periods.

For example, in the USA, HSBC has supported the business education charity, Junior Achievement, since 1942 and its counterpart, Young Enterprise, in the UK since 1981. This programme gives young people the chance to set up and run their own business while at school. Click here to read more.