2004 Annual Report
The Mission of the Ben & Jerry's Foundation is to make the world a better place by empowering Ben & Jerry's employees to use available resources to support and encourage organizations that are working towards eliminating the underlying causes of environmental and social problems.
About the Foundation
Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, a separate entity from the Company, was established in 1985 through a donation of stock in Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. These funds are used as an endowment. Since the time of the merger agreement between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever in 2000, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. has made a minimum yearly donation of $1.1 million dollars, adjusting the amount upward annually for sales growth and inflation. In 2004 the Foundation received from Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. $1,445,844. These funds will be given away in 2005.
Since these significant dollars for philanthropy are the result of the hard work of the Company’s staff, employees are extensively involved in the Foundation’s grant making. In general, the purpose of Ben & Jerry’s philanthropy is to support the founding values of the Company: economic and social justice, environmental restoration, peace through understanding, and to offer assistance to communities in Vermont and other communities throughout the United States.
The Foundation administers the following programs:
Employee Grant-Making
A nine-member committee, representing each of the Ben & Jerry’s sites in Vermont, makes funding decisions (subject to review by the trustees) on grants to national and Vermont-based nonprofit organizations that support progressive social change and environmental work. Members are chosen by their peers. Grants range from $500 to $15,000.
To learn more about this program and to review our 2004 grant recipients, visit: www.benjerry.com/foundation/
Community Action Teams
Each of the Company’s Vermont sites has an employee Community Action Team or CAT. The teams review and decide on small grant requests, generally $100 to $1,000 for local Vermont-based nonprofit organizations. These grants are intended to express both employees’ concerns and the Company’s intent to be a good neighbor.
In addition to the grant-making program, each team working with their site management, identifies, undertakes and underwrites community enhancement projects. Projects must be undertaken with a 501c(3) approved nonprofit or a municipal entity. (There are guidelines used for determining appropriate projects.)
Matching Gift Program
The Foundation matches dollar-for-dollar, up to $1,000 a year per staff member, contributions that our employees make to nonprofit organizations.
Other Grants
The Foundation trustees may make grants to nonprofit organizations in the areas of children and families, environmental restoration, sustainable agriculture and in support of the Company’s Social Mission initiatives. These grants may not be used for sponsorships, promotions or other marketing purposes. Recognizing that part of the Company profits comes from international sales, the foundation trustees may allocate funds annually for grants to registered non-governmental organizations operating outside the United States.
| Funds Disbursed | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Employee Grant-Making Committee | $839,300 | $851,873 | $873,900 |
| # Grant Recipients | 92 | 91 | 101 |
| Community Action Teams | $194,539 | $187,100 | $172,101 |
| # Grant Recipients | 211 | 181 | 163 |
| Other Grants (Corporate) | $80,200 | $101,000 | $96,200 |
| # Grant Recipients | 43 | 28 | 41 |
| Matching Gift Program | $29,986 | $25,871 | $28,740 |
| % Staff Participating | 13% | 15% | 12.5% |
| Total Grants | $1,144,025 | $1,165,844 | $1,220,941 |
“The U Fund”
In addition to the funds allocated to the Foundation from the Company, the Foundation trustees oversee and administer a one-time, $5 million dollar gift that resulted from the Unilever acquisition. These funds are granted proactively to nonprofit organizations that support citizen education and activism around globalization issues and social justice. In 2004 the Trustees distributed $315,000 in grants that included $250,000 to Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org) and $50,000 to The Ruckus Society (www.ruckus.org).
Ben & Jerry's Foundation
30 Community Drive
South Burlington, VT 05403-6828
(802) 846-1500