Microsoft Silent on 'Fair Share' Proposal from Struggling Community

Microsoft has been touting its commitment to being a 'good neighbor' in communities where it builds data centers. However, when asked to put its money where its mouth is, the company seems hesitant.

We Make Indiana, a local nonpartisan group of congregations and community organizations, recently proposed a binding agreement with Microsoft that would require the company to donate 1% of its data center costs to the county each year. This fund would be used to address social and environmental impacts from its $1 billion data center.

The proposal was met with silence from Microsoft, despite the company's promises to support 'the entire community'. The group believes that asking for 10% is 'very much on the high end', but a 1% share could add approximately $30 to $40 million annually to community programs.