As a leading provider of hybrid colocation and mega scale data center solutions, QTS Data Centers has also become a leader in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) in the data industry. For a business dependent on energy and water, QTS understood their impact on the environment and knew they wanted to partner with philanthropies that give back. Values that support family, faith, and community drive the company, and they’re committed to delivering their services in a way that improves the lives of their employees, customers, and community members “while taking equal care of the environment and natural resources we all share.” After establishing “Grow with QTS” and partnering with a forestry nonprofit, QTS developed the HumanKind initiative, partnering with World Vision to equip people in developing countries with clean water for the life of every customer’s contract, at no cost to the customer. For large, multi-megawatt customers, QTS funds a sustainable clean water source, such as a well or water point, in a developing country of their customer’s choice, equipping an entire community with lasting access to clean water. For every 100kW contracted through QTS, they donate enough to World Vision to equip three people in need with lasting access to clean water. As well, some of QTS’s largest contracts last five to 15 years or longer, so they can assure their customers that the impact through the World Vision partnership will be significant.

In December 2020, QTS funded their first water point on behalf of a customer in a community in Kenya, and they have four more in progress. “It means so much to see the report of the impact now that the water point is done,” says Megan Hofmeyer, QTS director of strategic marketing. “It’s so exciting to share updates with the customer, and they were so happy to see what this partnership had done for a community in need.” To date, over 6,800 people in communities around the world have been equipped with access to life-changing clean water thanks to this partnership. QTS was also a corporate sponsor for World Vision’s 2021 Global 6K for Water®, an event that nearly 30 QTS employees across the U.S. also participated in—helping equip nearly 100 more people with clean water through fundraising and registration fees. Hofmeyer describes the company as “an extremely charity-minded organization,” where individuals and teams are encouraged to spend their time on giving back to their local communities and global efforts: “We’re always looking for ways to give back corporately and individually.” “We want our partnerships to be meaningful and measurable,” continues Hofmeyer, “so to be able to write up the impact of our partnership with World Vision and share with customers how they’re helping make a difference is important. With this partnership, we’re really showing that there’s an ongoing effort in our commitment to ESG.”