General Mills Foundation
Since the General Mills Foundation was created in 1954, it has fueled more than $480 million in support to nonprofit organizations in our communities.
Through its foundation and charitable corporate contributions, General Mills has donated from its pretax profits to many causes since 2000.
We reached a milestone in fiscal 2010, donating $100 million, or nearly $2 million a week, and exceeded that in fiscal 2011, when we reached nearly $119 million.
Brand philanthropy and corporate contributions represents the largest share of our giving – more than $65 million in fiscal 2011.
This slice includes the company’s popular and well-known cause-marketing programs such as Box Tops for Education (which supports K-8 schools in the U.S.), Yoplait Save Lids to Save Lives (which supports breast cancer research and education), Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories (which supports literacy programs),and many others.
Foundation grants covers the $25.4 million donated by the General Mills Foundation to strengthen families and communities by supporting:
- Hunger and nutrition wellness initiatives such as Champions for Healthy Kids, a program to support organizations that promote healthy, active lifestyles in children.
- Education programs such as Admission Possible, which helps talented low-income students get into college by helping them prepare for college admission.
Product donations refers to the $28.2 million of food the company donated to Feeding America, the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Food is also donated following natural disasters such as devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, and flood relief in Pakistan.
Whether through simple community breakfasts in North Minneapolis, or complex food science collaboratives in Africa, our Foundation recognizes the great opportunity and responsibility we have to unleash the power of food to nourish lives of families around the world.
Closer to home, the General Mills Foundation provides financial support to non-profit partners in its headquarters community of Minneapolis/St. Paul in the following four areas:
Hunger and nutrition wellness
Food, and the role it plays in nourishing lives, has been central to General Mills’ business since the company was founded in the 1860’s with two flour mills. As the company has grown in its commercial, technical, and civic influence, so has our Foundation's resolve to apply what we know and do best to advance the kinds of change the world needs most. Recognizing the spectrum of social change that food is able to advance for families across the world, our Foundation supports initiatives across 4 stages of impact:
- Hunger: Providing food to those in need
- Technology: Developing and sharing food solutions
- Nutrition: Helping families make nutritious food choices
- Fitness: Integrating food with healthy, active lifestyles
Youth education and enrichment
The General Mills Foundation partners with the employees and brands of General Mills to support K-12 educational efforts in the domestic U.S. communities in which General Mills operates, particularly in our headquarters community with Minneapolis Public Schools. Our Foundation prioritizes efforts in three areas that best leverage our financial, intellectual, and creative resources:
- School leadership: Recognizing the need and return on effective teacher and administrator training and development.
- Lay leadership: Complementing the classroom experience with proven strategies that keep parenting and caring adults engaged in a child’s lifelong educational success.
- Student advancement: Partnering with established and emerging organizations that provide secondary education pathways and scholarships to at-risk students.
Family Services
Our Foundation’s commitment to address the critical needs of families in our administrative and manufacturing communities around the world aligns with our overall giving philosophy that puts food and families at the intersection of sustainable social change.
Our most significant partnership in this area is with local, national, and international operations of the United Way – a partnership which accounts for over 60% of our grantmaking in this focus area, including a dollar-for-dollar match on employee contributions around the world. We enthusiastically support United Way’s Advancing the Common Good framework and continue to believe that United Way is the most efficient and effective means of supporting families in their times and areas of greatest need.
Arts and culture
While the Foundation does not sponsor specific exhibits or performances, A thriving artistic community reflects and promotes the vitality of a culture at large, which is why the General Mills Foundation supports a limited variety of artistic endeavors in our corporate headquarters community of Minneapolis/St. Paul.
