Community Outreach

Panasonic’s management philosophy of “contribution to society” has always extended beyond products and services that improve the quality of our customers’ lives, to encompass community outreach initiatives in the form of strategic partnerships with not-for-profit organizations, cash and product donations to worthy causes, and formalized programs for employee volunteers to donate their time and effort to the local community.

In 1989, Panasonic Corporation of North America established a formal corporate contributions outreach program to determine annual levels for spending, targeted categories for support, and to provide structured opportunities for employee volunteer participation.

Kid Witness News (KWN) is a hands-on video education program with an emphasis on team-centered learning that encourages students to develop valuable cognitive, communication and organizational skills through the use of state-of-the-art, high definition video technology. Panasonic provides students (grades 4-12; age 18 and under) with the latest digital equipment so that they can communicate stories that are important to them and their communities. These include such issues as the environment, peer pressure and drug prevention just to name a few. Through the production of videos, students are able to share "The World Through Their Eyes".

The Panasonic Foundation is an operating, not grantmaking, non-profit foundation created in 1984 with a $10 million endowment from Panasonic Corporation of North America (named Matsushita Electric Corporation of America at the time). The Foundation partners with public school districts and their communities to break the links between race, poverty, and educational outcomes, by improving the academic and social success of ALL STUDENTS.

Established in 1991, the Creative Design Challenge is a premier science and technology competition where the engineering and technical skills of NJ high school students are put to the test. In recognition of their hard work, winning teams are awarded special category prizes, as well as scholarships to be used exclusively for college expenses.

Panasonic's long-term partner in this program is the New Jersey Institute of technology (NJIT). While the majority of program funding comes from Panasonic, NJIT makes significant contributions to this outreach event. Three student interns develop the Challenge, while NJIT staff score the written reports, as well as provide judges for the performance and oral presentations of the Challenge. NJIT also lends its prestige as a top engineering university.

2017 Panasonic Creative Design Challenge Preliminary Competition