The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) and Points of Light, the nation’s definitive experts on civic engagement, in partnership with Bloomberg LP, today announced the results of The Civic 50. IBM, Citi, and AT&T, Inc. take top honors in the first comprehensive ranking of S&P 500 companies that best use their time, talent and resources to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business.

An article about The Civic 50 by Bloomberg Businessweek senior editor Diane Brady, looking at the philanthropic efforts of some of the top companies honored appears in the November 12-18, 2012 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek. The full Civic 50 ranking is posted on Businessweek.com.

“NCoC is proud to be part of The Civic 50 launch," said Ilir Zherka, Executive Director of NCOC. "The Civic 50 demonstrates that the best companies in America are deeply committed to strengthening their respective communities. Leaders of these companies are aligning the expertise of their companies and people with the needs of their communities, and then measuring the impact of their programs. NCoC hopes The Civic 50 will spur companies throughout our country to do the same.”

"As a company committed to community engagement and improvement, Bloomberg is proud to have partnered with the National Conference on Citizenship and Points of Light on this important ranking," said Norman Pearlstine, Chairman, Bloomberg Businessweek and Chief Content Officer, Bloomberg LP. "The Civic 50 is a pioneering addition to the Bloomberg Rankings inventory. It features a comprehensive, transparent methodology to identify companies that have taken a leadership role in developing and implementing civic engagement programs. We believe it will raise awareness of the importance of a civic consciousness through the U.S. corporate world."

Companies were evaluated on seven specific metrics: leadership, measurement and strategy, design, employee civic growth, community partnerships, cause alignment and transparency. Winning companies employed increasingly sophisticated tools to measure the impact of community engagement and alignment of these programs with their business’ core competencies. More than two-thirds of the top 50 companies say they “frequently” or “always” use the professional skills of their workforce to address social issues and real community challenges. Sixty-six percent of the top 50 say they have “mission-level” alignment with the community partners, meaning they work with them on the highest strategic level, not just on individual programs or events.

“Today, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, we can see clearly how much corporate America pitches in – with expertise, talent, time and money – to help communities meet critical needs,” said Jackie Norris, executive director of the Points of Light Corporate Institute. “In times of disaster and in relative calm, The Civic 50’s work is transformative, innovative and critically important.”

The companies recognized in the inaugural Civic 50 contributed a remarkable amount of time and resources to improve the communities they serve. For example, the top five companies alone provide $1.5 billion in grant support to community organizations, 17.5 million volunteer hours valued at over $375 million, and $150 million in matching donations.

The full list of winners in descending order is below, and can be found online at Businessweek.com.

1. IBM
2. Citigroup
3. AT&T Inc.
4. Aetna
5. Capital One Financial Corporation
6. Morgan Stanley
7. Campbell Soup Company
8. The McGraw-Hill Companies
9. General Electric
10. Hasbro, Inc.
11. Western Union
12. FedEx Corporation
13. Allstate
14. Microsoft
15. Bank of America
16. Target Corp.
17. Intel Corporation
18. UnitedHealth Group
19. Abbott
20. Southwest Airlines
21. Pacific Gas & Electric Company
22. Viacom Inc.
23. Apollo Group, Inc.
24. American Express Company
25. Cummins Inc.
26. Wal-mart Stores, Inc.
27. Comerica, Inc.
28. Hewlett-Packard Company
29. The Hershey Company
30. Altria Group, Inc.
31. McKesson Corporation
32. ConAgra Foods, Inc.
33. Raytheon Company
34. H.J. Heinz Company
35. The Goldman Sachs Group
36. Spectra Energy
37. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold
38. Discovery Communications
39. Dr. Pepper Snapple Group
40. Motorola Solutions
41. Devon Energy Corporation
42. Baker Hughes Incorporated
43. Starbucks Coffee Company (tie)
43. Ameriprise Financial (tie)
45. Harris Corporation
46. Weyerhaeuser Company
47. Adobe Systems Inc.
48. Sigma-Aldrich Corp. (tie)
48. Verizon Communications (tie)
50. Life Technologies