Responsibility

General Mills Foundation

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. 

In fiscal 2010, the Foundation contributed over $22 million in grants, a 13% increase in giving from 2009. 

Our Foundation's global impact fueled that increase, with $2.7 million in international giving through strategic partnerships with humanitarian organizations like CARE supporting women and girls in Malawi, and through Haiti earthquake and other disaster relief efforts.

Closer to home, the General Mills Foundation provides financial support to non-profit partners in its headquarters community of Minneapolis/St. Paul in areas of Hunger and Nutrition Wellness, Youth Education & Enrichment, Family Services, and Arts & Culture.

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
• SOLUTIONS:  Developing and sharing food solutions
• NUTRITION:  Helping families make nutritious food choices
• FITNESS:  Integrating food with healthy, active lifestyles

YOUTH EDUCATION & 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 that align with this giving area’s guiding principles of innovation, collaboration, and parental involvement.

• INNOVATION: Supporting the development and scale of promising and proven approaches to student instruction and in-school engagement. 
• ENRICHMENT: Complementing the classroom experience with proven enrichment strategies that keep students engaged and on a path toward lifelong learning and success. 
• ADVANCEMENT: Partnering with established and emerging organizations that provide secondary education pathways and scholarships to at-risk students. 
• LEADERSHIP: Recognizing the need and return on effective teacher and administrator training and development

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 & 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.