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.
Funding
In 2006, the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation received $1,587,917 from Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc., based on 2005 sales of the Company. This represents a 9.1% 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 2006, these grants totaled $1,133,985.
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.
Of special note:
The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation is especially pleased to recognize two of our grantees who have been awarded prestigious social justice and environmental prizes.
The Chemical Weapons Working Group, a project of the Kentucky Environmental Foundation, was given renewed funding in 2006 for their work mobilizing the grassroots around the country to force the Pentagon to deploy safe technologies in the destruction and 
remediation of stockpiled and non-stockpiled chemical weapons. The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation has supported this organization and its founder, Craig Williams, since 1995 for their very influential and daunting work, holding the Pentagon accountable for the safe remediation of their toxic weapons legacy. We are extremely proud that Craig was named the 2006 winner of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize.
The Sadie Nash Leadership Project was sponsored by the Foundation to lead an inspiring leadership training workshop for 
Ben & Jerry’s Scoopers Making Change program in Vermont in July 2006. SNLP has been promoting leadership and activism among young women in the New York area since 2001, receiving Ben & Jerry’s Foundation support in 2003 and again in 2005. SNLP was awarded the 2006 Union Square Award for their successful grassroots activism and social impact.
Give the “Gift of Giving” Alternative Holiday Market
As part of our mission to empower Ben & Jerry’s employees and nurture and support their philanthropic spirit, Ben & Jerry’s Foundation hosted our first annual “Gift of Giving” alternative holiday market. We invited 14 local non-profit organizations to come and table in our lobby and talk 
about the good work they are doing in our community. Employees and the public were invited to “shop” for donations to give to family, friends and business associates. The day was festive as our lobby was festooned with lights and filled with holiday cookies and music. Many employees volunteered their time to greet visitors, inscribe gift cards and shepherd people to Scoop U. which was opened to scoop ice cream for the occasion. We raised close to $3,000 for the participating organizations, $1,000 of which was matched by our employee Matching Gift program.