Big Oil is a Big Cheapskate to Charity

ExxonMobil and its brethren have enjoyed record profits recently, but they continue to pull up the rear when it comes to charitable giving

At the same time ExxonMobil’s (XOM) record-breaking profits are making news, the company is running ads touting its philanthropic support for health and education programs in the U.S. and abroad. ExxonMobil’s commercials were especially evident during the 2008 Summer Olympics, when 30- to 60-second spots costing hundreds of thousands of dollars attempted to convince viewers that the company’s philanthropy is as deep and rich as its oil wells.

Unfortunately, such is not the case.


Strip away these choreographed, self-aggrandizing messages and you will find a corporation that needs to cut back on spin and instead pump up its charitable giving. ExxonMobil is in fact out-and-out chintzy when it comes to charitable giving