Ben & Jerry's Foundation

Unilever Gift

Ben & Jerry's Foundation
30 Community Drive
S. Burlington, VT 05403
Phone: 802-846-1500

A Statement From the Ben & Jerry's Foundation Trustees

In the merger agreement between Ben & Jerry's and Unilever, Unilever affirmed Ben & Jerry's commitment to philanthropy, to the employee-led manner in which these funds are distributed, and to the company's long-held progressive values. The merger agreement allowed for the following:

an annual contribution of $1.1million (floor amount, to be adjusted based on annual sales and inflation) to be maintained for ten years.
a one-time gift of $5 million to a new Social Venture Fund run by Ben & Jerry's co-founder, Ben Cohen.
a one-time gift of $5 million to The Ben & Jerry's Foundation to be administered by the Foundation's trustees in a manner consistent with the company's long-held progressive values and commitment to social change at the grassroots level.

Historically, the Foundation's Trustees have been charged with the grant-making decision process in keeping with the Foundation's guidelines. The Foundation donates money in a number of ways, including:

national grants (decision-making process is delegated by the trustees to employees of the company).
Community Action Teams (CAT) at each Vermont site make grants designed to improve their local communities.
Employee Match program (up to $1,000 per employee).
Monies granted to support local organizations, including Public Television, Public Radio, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility.

Unilever's one-time gift of $5 million to The Ben & Jerry's Foundation is designated for grants by the three Foundation trustees, co-founder Jerry Greenfield, board member Jeff Furman, and former board member and Social Mission Director, Liz Bankowski. These funds will be given away consistent with the company's founding values of caring capitalism, peace through understanding and economic and social justice. Grants are made only to U.S. based, IRS certified (501c3) nonprofit organizations. Neither Unilever nor Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. is involved in the Foundation's decisions as to what organizations are supported with funds from the $5m one-time gift.

To date the trustees have focused grants on organizations doing both policy and education work around global issues such as world trade and its impacts on workers and the environment and U.S. fiscal policy issues such as proposed changes in the estate and capital gains tax. Between March and August of 2001 the following grants have been made:

$150,000 to United for a Fair Economy (www.faireconomy.org) This Boston based nonprofit organization does policy work and training around the widening income and asset gap in the United States. Early this year they organized a highly visible campaign against elimination of the estate tax that enlisted the support of individuals such as George Soros and Bill Gates Sr.

$150,000 to for the Chautauqua Tour (www.jimhightower.com) Envisioned and organized and by Jim Hightower, a popular radio commentator based in Texas. These "citizenship festivals" combine "serious purpose with good fun" and are being held in collaboration with organizations such as ACORN, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Global Exchange, The National Council of Churches. The purpose of the festivals is to forge coalitions among progressive groups on a local level.

$150,000 to Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org) Global Exchange is a human rights organization based in San Francisco dedicated to promoting environmental, political and social justice around the world. They operate a number of programs and provide research, education and training on global issues. The Trustees have made a $1 million dollar commitment to Global Exchange over a three-year period.

$100,000 to The Ruckus Society (www.ruckus.org) This Oakland based nonprofit organization conducts training in non violent civil resistance for activists concerned with human rights and environmental concerns. Civil resistance has long been a catalyst for social change, most remarkably in the civil rights movement in the United States. In their own words The Ruckus Society "condemns and does not train activists in any technique that will harm any being".