8. Giving Back >
8.1 Ben & Jerry’s Foundation
The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation
The 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. Its mission 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. Its core areas of interest include economic and social justice, environmental stewardship, and peace through understanding in Vermont and other communities throughout the United States.
Visit the website of Ben & Jerry’s Foundation.
In 2005, the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a banner year of grant-making and a joyous party at the newly renovated historic Monitor Barn in Richmond, Vermont.
Funding
In 2005, the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation received $1,445,844 from Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc., based on 2004 sales of the Company. This represents a 9.3% increase over the previous year.
Employee-directed grantmaking
Most of the grants awarded to nonprofit organizations by the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation each year are directed by Ben & Jerry’s employees. In 2005, these grants totaled $1,072,400. For more information, click here.
The U Fund
The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation trustees make grants to organizations involved in education and activism around globalization and social justice from a special fund that was established when Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000. Learn more.
Other grants
Learn about the Plant Managers’ Discretionary funds and other small grants the Foundation makes.
Community Action Teams
Each of the Company’s Vermont sites (Waterbury, St. Albans, South Burlington) has an employee Community Action Team (CAT) that directs the energies of Ben & Jerry’s employees toward community improvement projects.
BOX — 2005 Highlight
In 2005, the Foundation initiated a Speaker Series at Ben & Jerry’s Central Support Office to highlight the work of Foundation grant recipients. The first in the series was a panel of representatives from the many organizations in Vermont’s Labor and Environmental Alliance, a group dedicated to holding Wal-Mart accountable to workers and towns in Vermont.
BOX — 2005 Highlight
The Foundation is especially proud of one particular past grantee, The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation funded CIW in 1999 to help them start a workers’ center. In 2005, CIW won a huge and unprecedented victory when Taco Bell met all of CIW’s demands after a four-year boycott. In 2005, the Foundation also funded CIW’s allied organization, The Student/Farmworker Alliance in order to help further their goals throughout the fast food industry.
BOX — 2005 Highlight
The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a joyous party at the newly renovated historic Monitor Barn in Richmond, Vermont in October, 2005. Attendees included past and present trustees, Grant-making committee members, CAT members, and other Foundation friends and family. The food was all locally sourced and the entertainment included a raucously funny performance by performance artist and puppeteer Paul Zaloom. Guests shared stories and remembrances of the Foundation at an open mike session as a part of a wonderful evening.
