Social: Being there for each other.

BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITIES — ONE ACTION AT A TIME.

Our Building Strong Communities community investment and engagement program focuses on issues relevant to our business: disaster relief and community preparedness, affordable housing and support for underserved communities.

American Red Cross Partnership

The American Red Cross has supported AvalonBay and our residents in times of need throughout the years. That’s why, since 2015, we have been an American Red Cross Disaster Responder Partner, donating over $2 million to-date to support the important work they do. Our national partnership also includes blood donations, volunteering, CPR training, our annual Community Preparedness Week and more.

National Urban League Partnership

In 2021, we launched a national partnership with the National Urban League (NUL), led by our associate resource group, the Black Associate Coalition. Through this partnership, we make a $150,000 annual financial commitment, which supports NUL’s work in economic empowerment and equality, and engages our associates in volunteering, mentoring, networking events and memberships with the NUL Young Professionals.

Regional Philanthrophy Engagement

Building Strong Communities focuses funding and partnerships on building relationships with the most impactful local nonprofits aligned to our focus areas of affordable housing and support for underserved communities. Across the country, we currently partner with more than 60 charitable organizations.

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Spirit of Caring Season

An important part of our Building Strong Communities program, this two month-long company-wide program creates opportunities for our associates and residents to engage with our nonprofit partners and support their missions through volunteer events and donation drives across the country. We celebrated “A Decade of Dedication” in 2021 with the 10th anniversary of Spirit of Caring Season.

Associate Relief Fund

Building Strong Communities includes support for our own associates and we’re committed to helping meet their needs after a natural disaster or personal hardship. Through our Associate Relief Fund associates can make a donation and apply for a grant from the fund. Since we launched the fund in 2019, more than 100 associates have received over $280,000 in grants.

Vacation Donation Program

We recognize that in some cases our associates who are experiencing a hardship may need support in the form of time off from work. So, as an extension of the Associate Relief Fund, we launched the Vacation Donation Program, which allows eligible associates to donate vacation time to help fellow associates who are experiencing hardship related to a medical emergency.

MANY VOICES. ONE AVALONBAY.

Our communities reflect the diversity of our customers and the locations where we operate. So, too, should our associates. As we continue to grow and innovate, it’s important that we recruit, develop and promote associates with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives; and create an environment that encourages all voices to be heard, understood and appreciated.

Inclusion & Diversity Mission

Every day, we aim to foster an environment where all associates feel welcome, are supported with opportunities to thrive and are represented by our leadership team.

Creating Personal Awareness

The journey towards a more inclusive and diverse AvalonBay starts with the individual. In order to support our associates in this process, we’ve compiled many resources on our internal intranet site and offer training programs that address unconscious bias, allyship, inclusive leadership and more.

Recognition and Research

We are proud to be recognized for our commitment to inclusion and diversity (I&D), most recently by the Associated Builders and Contractors for IDE Excellence and the Human Rights Campaign, receiving a perfect score on their Corporate Equality Index. We also participate in surveys related to I&D, which include Women in the Workplace, Race in the Workplace, the Global Real Estate DEI Survey and Nareit’s DEI Survey.

Fostering a Culture of Inclusion

Through our Associate Resource Groups (ARGs), celebration months and associate forums, we aim to foster an environment where associates feel both safe and welcome at work. To learn more about each of our seven ARGs, click here.

Holding Ourselves Accountable

To support our vision and ensure we remain focused on this commitment, there are several ways we’re taking action. We’re building a more diverse leadership pipeline, establishing new leadership goals and each department has created an I&D action plan specific to their business unit.

Growing Our Impact

True inclusion and diversity extends beyond our walls. We support and champion this in many ways, including our partnership with the National Urban League and membership with CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, Nareit Dividends Through Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative and the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship DEI Advisory Board.