Updated: 06/18/19

The HRC Corporate Equality Index is an annual measure of how equitably large private businesses in the United States treat their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees, consumers and investors.

What Businesses are Invited or Eligible to be Rated?

Any private sector (non-government) and for- profit employer with 500 or more full-time U.S. employees that is not owned by a larger U.S.-incorporated entity can request to participate. Businesses interested in participating in the Corporate Equality Index are encouraged to contact the HRC Foundation Workplace Equality Program at cei@hrc.org. The Corporate Equality Index does not rate public sector (government) employers or businesses with fewer than 500 full-time U.S. employees.

Businesses owned by a larger U.S.-incorporated entity must be rated and represented on the CEI and its related publications as part of the larger entity. Exceptions to this policy are made on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the HRC Foundation, typically only for those businesses in a temporary restructuring process (e.g., temporarily owned or taken private by a private equity firm before being spun off as an independent entity or sold), or for situations where a subsidiary entity wishes to participate under the condition that the larger entity will participate in a subsequent year.

Because the CEI currently only rates policies and practices within the U.S., businesses that serve as the U.S. subsidiary of a foreign-based multi-national business are welcome to participate.

The above lists do not include employers owned or based in countries other than the United States. Foreign-owned private companies may submit a survey on behalf of their U.S. operations, as long as they have at least 500 full-time U.S. employees.

Due to resource limitations and limited public information about private employers, it is not possible for us to actively rate most employers without a survey.

Additionally, the HRC Foundation uses the following lists of the largest and most successful U.S. employers as a basis for inviting businesses to participate in the Corporate Equality Index:

• Fortune magazine's 1,000 largest publicly-traded businesses (the Fortune 1000),
• American Lawyer magazine's top 200 revenue grossing law firms (the AmLaw 200).

How do I get a Business Rated?

If your business is eligible and you are authorized to represent your employer and its policies, please e-mail cei@hrc.org to participate in the CEI. If you are not authorized to participate on your employer's behalf, please forward the appropriate contacts with name, position, e-mail and mailing address to us. Appropriate contacts can include professionals in:

• Human Resources,
• Diversity,
• Staffing,
• Marketing / Communications, or
• Counsel / Legal.

We will make sure they receive an invitation to participate in the survey either in the current or approaching year. Please note that it is best for individuals internal to the organization to approach these contacts first, to educate them on the value of the CEI and to secure a commitment on their part to participate.

If you are not an authorized agent for your employer but wish to provide the HRC Foundation Workplace Equality Program with updated information, please e-mail cei@hrc.org. Submissions of this nature are handled on a case-by-case basis. Please allow some time for the HRC Workplace Equality Program to verify your information.