GAF Community Matters

GAF Community Matters, our social impact initiative, helps improve resilience in communities across the country. As part of this effort, we bring our resources, expertise and products to vulnerable areas to support the fundamentals of building resilient communities: Shelter, Families, and Workforces. Our work has led to 3,000+ repaired roofs; hundreds of people trained and educated in roofing, opening doors to new career pathways; and support for local non-profit partners providing critical resources and tools for when disasters strike, and leading initiatives designed to bring people together in shared spaces that help enhance economic and social health. In 2022, we expanded this work in a big way. Read more about the work.

Expanding Our Impact

For too long disaster response has prioritized short term support over long term resilience. The impact of extreme weather on communities lingers beyond the initial storm and can even worsen, perpetuating economic and social hardships that make recovery for families seem near impossible. Immediate response efforts are often temporary and when those resources leave, GAF Community Matters steps in. To promote more resilient building practices and raise awareness of the long-term support needed following extreme weather, we announced a $25 million commitment through 2025 to help build more resilient communities across the country.

We are also in the process of training community members in essential roofing skills through GAF Roofing Academy and are working to replace 500 roofs in the Gulf Region, including 150 in the 7th Ward of New Orleans, an area that’s become synonymous with natural disasters. We assembled a team to work with us on this effort that included acclaimed actor and New Orleans native Anthony Mackie. The son of a roofer, Mackie knows first-hand the importance of having a solid roof over your head and the need for support long after extreme weather hits. Together, we are helping to build resilient communities, workforces and families, so they are better able to withstand future events.

Shafter: Revitalizing a Community

GAF believes that shared public spaces play an important role in bringing people together and helping enhance the economic and social health of places where we live and work for years to come. In spring 2022, GAF worked with the city of Shafter in California to renovate and reopen the Shafter Learning Center, an integral resource to all members of the community. The additional space will ensure that the Library & Learning Center is able to meet the community's needs today and into the future. After almost two years of being closed due to the pandemic, residents were finally able to enjoy the new facilities and beautified outdoor space. Learn more about this project.

GAF Roofing Academy: Bringing More People to Roofing

Designed to help individuals build the necessary skills for an entry-level position in roofing, GAF Roofing Academy combines classroom and on- the-roof training with access to job opportunities from GAF’s national network of thousands of independent, certified contractors seeking talent. GAF Roofing Academy aims to help individuals, especially underrepresented or disadvantaged groups, like formerly incarcerated, transitioning military and more. 2022 GAF Roofing Academy highlights include:

For more information on the Roofing Academy visit gaf.com/roofing-academy.