M&T Bank

M&T Bank received a score of 95 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). The company integrates ESG into its business practices. From its 2024 Sustainability Report: “Amount of assets under management, by asset class, that employ (1) integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, (2) sustainability themed investing and (3) screening” (3). However, M&T Bank has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on views or beliefs (4).

M&T Bank’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2). The company likely uses Benevity as its charitable giving platform. Benevity vets charities according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hate List, which includes mainstream libertarian, conservative, family, and religious advocacy organizations (3)(4)(5).

M&T Bank’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology. The company provides gender transition guidelines for its employees (1)(2). M&T Bank hosts unconscious bias training for employees (3). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment. From its 2023 Sustainability Report: “Our recruiting efforts focus on achieving inclusivity among a variety of factors, including but not limited to, educational background, work experience, perspective, life experience, culture, all races and genders, and others.” The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its supply chain: “Diverse suppliers are defined by M&T as businesses that are at least 51 percent owned and controlled by women, people of color, Veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities” (4). M&T Bank protects its employees against viewpoint discrimination (5).

M&T Bank’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company agrees to allow a controversial stakeholder group focused on sexual identity issues to dictate marketing or advertising strategy. By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). The company’s CEO, Rene F. Jones, was a member of the Business Roundtable, which supports stakeholder capitalism over traditional shareholder obligations (3). M&T Bank’s CEO, Rene F. Jones, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace (4)(5)(6). The bank is a member of the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials, committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 (7). The company supports DEI within its business practices, hosting and employing a DEI Council and Officer (8). M&T Bank supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2023 Sustainability Report: “We are on the journey to transforming our organization and culture to integrate DEI into everything we do, and we’re making a difference in people’s lives along the way” (9). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2023 Sustainability Report: “M&T Bank Corporation’s Board of Directors is committed to overseeing the bank’s sustainability and ESG strategy and program” (10). M&T Bank scored a 95 out of 100 on the 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group (11)(12).

M&T Bank’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. Additionally, the company has pledged philanthropic support of at least one organization or event that promotes sex and gender ideology. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). M&T Bank’s foundation has previously donated to Planned Parenthood (3). The bank is a silver partner of PFLAG, an LGBTQ+ activist group that promotes books for children with sexually explicit and gender fluid content and advocates against laws that inform parents of their child’s gender dysphoria or prevent unapproved transgender medical treatments for minors (4)(5)(6). M&T Bank sponsored the following 3x events in 2025: Schuylkill County Pride Fest, Lancaster Pride Festival, Gettysburg Pride Fest Weekend (7)(8)(9). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (10).

M&T Bank’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company publicly advocated for controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). In 2024, the company donated to Equality PAC (3)(4). The company report on its lobbying at this time (5).