Our Neighbor of Choice program is designed to build relationships of mutual trust with neighbors and key nonprofit organizations in communities where Merck has a major presence.

Through the program, Merck demonstrates its sensitivity and responsiveness to the specific concerns and needs of the local communities in which we operate. Neighbor of Choice, which Merck established in the 1990s, is based on three fundamental principles:

• Listen to and identify the community's essential needs, issues and concerns;
• Respond appropriately to those needs, issues and concerns; and
• Establish and grow relationships of trust with community organizations and individuals.

In September 2009, Merck expanded its community grants program to invite charitable requests from organizations across the state of New Jersey. In the past, the program had been limited to organizations located in communities where Merck has a physical presence. The program has been expanded in recognition of activities in communities across the state that merit support because they reflect the spirit of the Neighbor of Choice program and contribute to its mission. The statewide Neighbor of Choice program is highly competitive, governed by a formal proposal submission process. In 2009-2010, a total of $2.2 million was donated to 81 nonprofit organizations in New Jersey.

The Neighbor of Choice program follows Merck's philanthropic guidelines but recognizes that our stakeholders sometimes value other educational, civic, art and cultural, and environmental programs, which are considered for funding under the program.

United States

• In Durham, North Carolina, a grant from The Merck Company Foundation supports Communities In Schools Durham READS program, a research-based summer reading program that serves Durham's students with low reading achievement.
• As part of the New Jersey Neighbor of Choice program, The Merck Company Foundation provided funding to the Newark Museum Explorers Program, a program that offers academic enrichment, mentoring and employment to develop job and life skills to at-risk students over the course of their high school career.
• In Puerto Rico, a grant supported the Summer Program for Talented Students in Science and Medicine. Through this program, the Dr. Garcia Rinaldi Foundation offered 85 students a real-life experience in the health field where they could interact with physicians and their supporting staff in both hospitals and private-office settings. Students observed procedures ranging from basic medical exams to complicated surgeries, conducted and presented research projects in the cardiovascular health field, and completed a minimum of 20 hours of community work to finish the program. The goal: to promote the development of future healthcare professionals among talented students, including students from disadvantaged communities.
• In Elkton, Virginia, a grant supported the Center for Marriage and Family Counseling. The "Mental Health Means Families Win" program provides mental health services to low-income, under/uninsured people in Elkton and the surrounding area.
• Having recognized for years the importance of school programs that introduce children to the performing arts, the Neighbor of Choice program awarded funding to classical guitarists and university professors Laura Oltman and Michael Newman. Known in New Jersey as "The Guitar Duo," the musicians started a program in which they work with teachers at local schools in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, using music as a way to help children understand math, science, geography and other subjects.

International

• In Ireland, an International grant supports The Children's Sunshine Home–an organization that helps children with life-limiting conditions by providing high-quality transitional care, home support, respite, crisis and end-of-life care. Merck specifically provided funding to outfit the multisensory room at LauraLynn House—the first hospice for children in Ireland. MSD employee volunteers help with gardening, painting and other projects.
• In Germany, Merck is funding the Familienzentrum Haar–a center that offers a wide variety of programs for the social welfare of citizens living in Haar, a municipality in the district of Munich. Funding is supporting programs for young parents, parenting-skills workshops for parents who are unable to cope, and German language courses for migrant parents and children.
• An International grant is supporting Companhia de Actores in Portugal, which supports learning through music, dance and theater for children from poor, crime-filled neighborhoods. Merck funding is specifically targeted to the "Sailing Arts in Navegadores" program, which will help empower at—risk children, most of whom are ethnic minorities living in poverty in Paco de Arcos. The after-school program supporting 40 children provides mentoring, healthy meals and engagement in the arts.
• Merck provided funding to Newcastle University Medical School in the United Kingdom to support the Newcastle Mini Medical School and the Teddy Bear Hospital. Through medical students and teachers, the programs encourage and nurture a greater understanding of science among young children, as well as influence and improve their health.
• In Mexico, Merck employees and parents of children are working together at three public schools near our manufacturing site—a kindergarten, an elementary school and a special education school—to paint walls, repair and enhance play areas and classrooms, and install handrails to improve safety, among other improvements.