ST. LOUIS -

Enterprise Rent-A-Car launched a new philanthropic initiative this week called Giving Back. It’s a contest where charities nominated by Enterprise employees compete through social media outlets for funds from the company’s foundation.

Visitors to Giving Back on the Enterprise Facebook page can learn about the individual charities and vote for foundation funds to be given to the charity of their choice. The 10 competing charities were nominated by Enterprise employees in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

Officials stated nearly 75 percent of the foundation’s contributions are steered by Enterprise employees to qualifying organizations connected with company workers. They explained voting will determine which of the 10 employee-backed causes that recently received grants from the foundation will earn additional support.

The first-place finisher is scheduled to receive $10,000, while the organization that comes in second will get $5,000. Enterprise plans to give the third-place and fourth-place holders $2,500 each.

Voting in the Giving Back competition is already underway and concludes on April 15. Results are set to be posted on Facebook, Twitter and Enterprise’s sustainability website — DrivingFutures.com — following the close of balloting.

“We give back to the communities that are responsible for our business success,” stated Jo Ann Kindle, president of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation.

“It’s a natural part of our commitment to be a responsible corporate citizen,” Kindle continued. “Our Giving Back campaign is another way for our employees to be involved in our philanthropic efforts, giving them one more reason to feel good about being part of our business.”

Since its founding in 1982, foundation leaders say they have contributed $200 million to the communities in which they operates. The funds are given to organizations recommended by employees as well as nonprofit programs including the United Way and other charitable organizations.

Enterprise pointed out major gifts since the foundation’s inception have addressed such areas as environmental sustainability, health and human services, education and disaster relief. These gifts include:

—The foundation’s $50 Million Tree Pledge to the Arbor Day Foundation, which is providing annual $1 million grants to underwrite the planting of 50 million trees over 50 years on public lands in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service.

—More than $10 million during the 2010 fiscal year to a variety of organizations in communities where the company operates.

—More than $400,000 since 2007 to Sustainable Travel International as part of Enterprise’s Customer Carbon Offset Program. The program is meant to empower customers in the U.S. and Canada to offset the CO2 of their rental by funding projects that work to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Customers can opt to pay $1.25 under the carbon offset program, and the foundation matches that donation dollar-for-dollar up to a total of $1 million.

In addition to ongoing support for these programs, the foundation’s 2011 priorities include continuing support for the United Way, the National Urban League and additional environmental projects.

Prior to the 2010 holiday season, Enterprise recalled that it launched its first social media campaign where consumers selected charities online to split a $75,000 foundation donation. Topping the winning charity list was CARE, followed by Red Cross International and the Arbor Day Foundation.

About 60,000 votes were cast in that campaign, according to Enterprise.

“CARE was extremely honored to receive the most votes through Enterprise’s Holiday Card program,” noted Helene Gayle, president and chief executive officer of CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.

“We greatly appreciate Enterprise’s philanthropic spirit and their innovative approach to supporting charities like ours,” Gayle went on to say. “We know their generous gift will go a long way toward supporting our mission to fight global poverty by empowering women and girls.”