Early in its history, Cliffs prioritized giving back to the communities where it has business operations —a practice that continues today.

We strive to make a difference through a variety of social investments, including discretionary giving from mine operations, corporate contributions, and our corporate charitable funds, The Cliffs Foundation and the Cliffs Community Fund.

North America: Local Mine Contributions

Throughout Cliffs’ history, our mine operations have continued to invest in the surrounding communities that are home to our employees.  Giving is targeted to non-profit organizations that are seeking small contributions to help enhance the quality of life in our communities.

If you would like to request funding from a Cliffs mine in your community, please submit a letter with a description of the organization, details about the project, amount requested and contact information for the person submitting the request.  The letter should also describe how Cliffs will be recognized for the contribution.

North America: The Cliffs Foundation

Established in 1962, The Cliffs Foundation (formerly The Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation) has been a dedicated resource for charitable giving activities in North America for over fifty years. Giving is targeted on the basis of two primary criteria: geographic region and project scope. From a geographic perspective, Cliffs supports projects in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range and Cleveland, Ohio. Expenditures are then targeted towards projects that support educational endeavors or focus on building healthy, vibrant communities.

With its investments in education, The Cliffs Foundation seeks to build skills across all age groups, prepare a ready workforce, and increase employment opportunities for community members. Healthy and vibrant communities are achieved through involvement in projects that help those who are less fortunate, provide community services, support economic development and improve the environment in which our stakeholders live. Cliffs is grateful for the relationships we have established with the many organizations that are committed to this important work through partnerships with The Cliffs Foundation.

If you have a project that may be a good fit for The Cliffs Foundation, please email a brief project summary to the public affairs contact in your jurisdiction, listed below, which is no greater than two paragraphs in length. If you do not receive a request for additional information within 45 days, please be advised that your project does not match the giving strategy of The Cliffs Foundation or is ineligible for funding as a result of limited resources. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year; selected projects will be included in the annual budget that is reviewed by the Trustees in the first quarter of the subsequent year

Asia Pacific: Cliffs Community Fund

The Cliffs Community Fund aims to structure social investment to help create opportunity in our Asia Pacific communities, support existing initiatives, foster new ideas and encourage development that will enhance people's lives.

The Community Fund seeks partnerships in the areas of arts and culture, education, environment, health and indigenous initiatives, welcoming submissions from innovative programs that focus on building community capacity and the long-term sustainability of communities where we operate.

In addition to sponsorship and donations, Cliffs tries to maximize opportunities for local communities to participate in our business. Our operations, when possible, attempt to employ locally and the company pursues “buy local” policies when purchasing goods and services.