Our investment strategy in global health is to improve the availability of nutritious food, improve health and increase health-promoting behaviors through proper nutrition and energy balance. We have three strategic areas for our funding:

• Food security
• Improved and optimum nutrition
• Energy balance activity models

We give priority to programs that promote and deliver change at the systems level. With major emphasis on underserved populations and communities, our funding targets both issues of overnutrition and malnutrition in relation to specific issues in local and global communities. Our approaches are designed to immediately benefit and impact community members while indirectly influencing permanent changes at the policy level.

To help minimize the growing water crisis faced by millions of people around the globe, PepsiCo Foundation supports a variety of environmental programs that advance private-sector and commercial solutions. These programs include integrated water management, water security, and in particular those that improve water quantity and water quality. Our vision is to partner side by side with people in their communities and provide the resources and knowledge for them to own and operate water systems, giving them access to sufficient amounts of safe water for their household, agricultural and livestock use.

Underpinning our water security approach are three strategic areas:

• Water security
• Sustainable agriculture
• Adaptive approaches to climate change

We believe water security includes sanitation as a necessary component to deliver safe water. Water usage and irrigation efficiencies are also critical elements driving conservation, along with source protection. Our first priority is funding "demand-driven" or locally identified need-based programs. Programs that seek to educate local communities on the value of improving water, sanitation and hygiene are crucial, because a lack of sanitary practice or water purification directly contributes to illness and disease. The Foundation seeks partners and programs that are proficient in implementing these practices through innovative commercial and private-sector approaches.

Securing safe water includes supplies of potable water for domestic use, as well as sufficient water for agriculture and livestock. Focusing on more efficient farming methods and conservative water use produces "more crop per drop." To reduce the effects of water insecurity and dropping water tables, it is vital to support improvements and achievements in sustainable agriculture and integrated water resource management. When coupled with access to technology, communities are better able to source, afford and manage their safe water resources over the long term.

Efficient irrigation, sustainable farming practices and overall improved usage practices are fundamental and often interwoven components of our strategy. Our funding is targeted toward areas in Latin America, Asia Pacific and African regions where water scarcity is a chronic and recurring crisis.

PepsiCo Foundation has a long history of funding diversity programs in education and workforce development with U.S.-based community organizations. At the core, our objective has been to foster economic achievement and mobility for underserved and minority populations, and those at economic risk. Back in the 1940s, Pepsi-Cola Company was one of the first supporters of the United Negro College Fund. Over the past three years, the Foundation has focused on improving high school graduation rates, while maintaining its scholarship program for children of employees.

Strategic focus areas include:

• Access to education, dropout prevention and skills training
• Women's empowerment

Education is an essential tool for economic achievement, advancement and mobility. Our funding has helped hundreds of organizations over the past decades significantly increase opportunity and advancement in urban communities. We affirm our commitment to this objective with a renewed dedication to funding dropout-prevention initiatives in U.S. public schools. Studies show the impact of "prevention" dollars to keep children in school is effective and sustainable. Our priority is to focus on spreading evidence-based programs that contribute to lessening dropout incidence in schools with the most chronic and acute dropout rates.

Additional focus is given to workplace equality throughout the world, with particular emphasis placed on the climate of business environments. Our goal is to provide resources that promote open and equal business cultures. See the Diversity & Inclusion section for more information.