The Foundation Center has compiled a list of the top givers in the business world based on the most current financial data obtained in May 2013. Here is a list of the top 25 philanthropic corporate foundations, including the total amount of money the foundation has given in its lifetime.
1. Sanofi Foundation for North America; $497,491,467
2. Novartis Patient Assistance Foundation, Inc.; $331,911,548
3. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc.; $198,213,418
4. The Wal-Mart Foundation, Inc.; $175,680,474
5. The JPMorgan Chase Foundation; $136,201,550
6. GE Foundation; $112,221,740
7. Wells Fargo Foundation; $107,542,374
8. Citi Foundation; $78,614,500
9. The Coca-Cola Foundation, Inc.; $76,230,474
10. ExxonMobil Foundation; $74,507,597
11. Verizon Foundation; $56,282,791
12. The PNC Foundation; $54,22,909
13. The Merck Company Foundation; $53,306,196
14. Caterpillar Foundation; $49,789,926
15. Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Foundation; $49,556,298
16. Intel Foundation; $43,388,787
17. MetLife Foundation; $43,938,306
18. The UPS Foundation; $39,833,790
19. Illinois Tool Works Foundation; $36,176,325
20. Lucasfilm Foundation; $34,770,779
21. Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Patient Help Foundation; $30,592,240
22. The PepsiCo Foundation, Inc.; $29,773,085
23. Abbott Fund; $29,545,990
24. The Medtronic Foundation; $29,241,817
25. The Goldman Sachs Foundation; $29,237,825
Corporate philanthropy is important for several reasons and it comes in many forms, from simply donating money to encouraging employees to volunteer within the community. An obvious benefit of businesses giving back is that it benefits the community by either providing money to buy supplies or fund programs, or supplying the volunteers to run events or fundraisers. Other less-obvious benefits include boosting employee morale, recruiting more socially responsible potential employees, as well as boosting the company’s public image. These 25 companies have reaped all of these benefits and more through their generous donations to charities.
– Katie Brockman
Source: Foundation Center, Houston Chronicle
Photo: TreeHugger
Google Embraces Renewable Energy in Africa
Google announced in late May that it is investing $12 million on a “96 megawatt solar photovoltaic plant in South Africa.” This plant is significant because it utilizes the climate of southern Africa to generate clean and renewable energy.
While South Africa is one of the continent’s more economically advanced countries, the utilization of solar panels in Africa could set an important trend for developing countries in the region. As Africa continues to progress and its standards of living rise, there will be a higher energy demand coming from Africans. Without the use of renewable sources, this higher energy use would result in an increase of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, potentially propelling climate change.
The investment made by Google demonstrates that higher standards of living in Africa can be possible through the use of clean energy. The majority of the continent is well suited to obtain energy from solar panels since most areas in Africa have a high level of Global Horizontal Irradiation, a parameter which evaluates the solar energy potential of a particular region. The investment should also encourage other areas of the world, both developed and developing, to invest in renewable energy. The solar plant is expected to “generate enough power for 30,000 South African homes” without emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. While not all areas of the world have climates that are well-suited for the use of solar plants, other renewable resources, such as wind power, hydropower, and geothermal energy should be considered as ways to maintain a high standard of living without creating pollutants that can degrade the environment.
– Jordan Kline
Source: TechCrunch,SolarGis
What Does CRS Do?
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve WWII survivors in Europe. The organization now serves over 100 million people in over 100 countries. Their mission is to serve impoverished and disadvantaged people, working in the spirit of Catholic social teaching to promote the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person. Although CRS is a Catholic based organization, they help whomever they can regardless of their race or religion, employing Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
CRS works to ease suffering, provide development assistance, and foster charity and justice. They have a set of guiding principles including: the sacredness and dignity of humans, preservation of basic human rights, supporting the social nature of humanity, promoting the common good, subsidiarity, solidarity, stewardship, and strengthening the options of the poor. CRS is governed by a board of directors including clergy, elected bishops, and Catholic lay men and women.
CRS provides both emergency and long-term relief to countries. They work to provide basic necessities, healthcare and education to the poorest and most vulnerable populations in the world. CRS focuses on six key areas of services including: emergencies, hunger, education, health, peace and helping at home.
CRS assists in regions affected by natural disasters and wars, providing water, food, shelter, as well as attempting to bring about long lasting peace if possible. CRS fights hunger through development of agriculture, improved water and sanitation, sustainable work options and through providing microfinance loans to those in need. They build improved educations systems, especially for women and girls and develop community-based health care systems to improve medical conditions. CRS also fights HIV/AIDS and establishes programs to reduce child and maternal mortality.
CRS proclaims Peacebuilding as the most important thing they do, lying at the heart of their operations. Conflict resolution, education and prevention are incredibly important to CRS. However, CRS also believes that rebuilding civil society and civic organization encourages good governance and makes governments accountable to their populations.
Some good examples of their programs are their programs to improve agriculture in Latin America. They are connecting farmers with suppliers and vendors to agricultural cooperatives to help the poorest farmers thrive. They have introduced more efficient technology to increase profits by the means of bean processing plants and drip irrigation systems. This method has seen beneficial results in Nicaragua and Ecuador where farmers have seen an additional dollar in profit per pound of cocoa. CRS is looking to expand their programs to Haiti in the wake of their natural disaster. CRS is creating an exit strategy for farmers in poverty by helping them improve their products, expand their markets and become self-sustainable.
– Caitlin Zusy
Source: CRS Blog, CRS
Global Communities Are Partners For Good
Global Communities is an international non-profit that works to bring about sustainable changes to the lives of vulnerable people. They work with community members to determine the needs to the community. They utilize a multi-faceted approach by mobilizing the communities, governments, the private sector and NGOs to work together. They bring together complementary strengths and shared responsibilities of given organizations to work toward a common goal.
Global Communities was previously named CHF International. Founded in 1952, they currently work in 20 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe & the Caucasus, Latin America & the Caribbean and the Middle East. Their mission is “to be a catalyst for long-lasting positive change in low- and moderate-income communities around the world helping them to improve their social, economic, and environmental conditions.” They strive to be genuine, committed, connected and purposeful in every project they pursue.
Their funding comes from governments, foundations, local groups and the private sector in order to maximize impact and effectiveness. They try to create self-sustaining organizations that can withstand crises and work well and efficiently on their own.
Global Communities implements innovative housing techniques to help the most vulnerable of populations. They work to make living conditions more stable and desirable in the developing world. One such population is the Nairobi community in Kenya. The slums there feature some of the most-at-risk populations in Kenya with high unemployment, cramped living spaces, and marginalization from mainstream society. There are also ethnic, religious, and political tensions present.
Global Communities’ project in Nairobi is funded through USAID and is called the Kenya Tuna Uwezo program. This program aims to reduce politically motivated conflict in the area. Global Communities is strengthening social networks of community members and civil society groups. They are working with PeaceNet and Kituo Cha Sheria, partner organizations, to engage young people with the goal of reducing resistance within and between identity groups. They are also fostering communication between ethnic lines while also ensuring technical and organizational capacity of partners to ensure the program can be sustained.
Global Communities has projects all over the world focusing on a range of topics including economic development, micro, SME and Housing Finance, infrastructure and construction, governance and urban development, civil society and municipal development, global health, and emergency response. Global Communities is an important ally in providing development assistance to countries in need, and one that can provide an important link between USAID funding and actual on the ground development and progress.
– Caitlin Zusy
Source: Global Communities
AidData and China’s Foreign Aid Policy
In the past decade, China has committed at least $75 billion to aid and development in Africa. Since 2000, there has been up to 1,700 projects, and China’s commitment to development in Africa stands as one of the strongest of any donor country. Research in the U.S. has created a large public database of these projects, named AidData, in order to analyze China’s efforts.
While this ongoing data collection could create debate over China’s interests in Africa, it is clear that Chinese engagement in the continent strengthened infrastructure, energy generation, and supply and communications. The ability to measure this aid will allow for transparency in China’s aid processes and strategies. Chinese aid is performed through direct investment “without state involvement and NGO aid” so that there is no middleman and the money can go directly where it is needed. However, this makes it more difficult to track where the money goes, and how it is used.
Ghana, Nigeria, and Sudan are the biggest aid recipients, receiving a quarter of a trillion dollars over the past 10 years. As was earlier mentioned, the biggest priority for Chinese aid is infrastructure. This means that empowering women, providing food aid, and creating education systems rank much lower on the priority list. AidData has suggested that because these are areas that the West tends to focus on the most, China has taken a different route.
In spite of this reasoning, according to AidData, China has backed hundreds of health, transport, and agricultural projects. Doctors and teachers have been sent into Africa as well, while African students have been encouraged to study in China. Some insist that China is only interested in the continent for its natural resources, yet it is clear that China is interested in supporting Africa for the future.
– Sarah Rybak
Sources: The Guardian, ONE
Photo: China Daily
Rice Farming Productivity in Ghana Increases
Rice farming in Botanga, Ghana, has seen an increase in productivity due to an agricultural project funded by the USAID. The Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) program started two years ago to help farmers who use the lands of the Botanga Irrigation Scheme. The program was designed to increase productivity.
Marketing companies and produce buyers were brought into the project to help the rice farmers grow and cultivate improved rice varieties. Currently around 600 farmers are farming the land and many of them have benefited from the ADVANCE project. The rice cultivated is used mainly for cereal and vegetables. The project brought in combine harvesters that have improved rice harvesting and helped to lower some of the post-harvest losses in Botanga. Rice farmers were educated on better farming techniques. They were shown how to create nurseries and replant with adequate spacing to ensure better yields for future crops. The ADVANCE project also helped improve the business side of rice farming. Farmers were offered support in selling crops and provided information and expert knowledge on controlling pests and disease.
Food insecurity is a major issue across all developing nations and Ghana is no exception. The USAID-ADVANCE project hoped to improve food security and increase the incomes of households of rice farmers in the Botanga region. A value-chain method was developed to allow farmers access to all parts of the production process such as input dealers, seed suppliers, and produce buyers. The method starts first with identifying a buyer and demand for the product to ensure crops can be sold. Premium Foods and AMSIG Resources were two buyers linked to the rice farmers. The buyers then developed contracts with the farmers that provide support, weed control, seeds, and an agreed upon price to buy the rice from the farmers.
Since the ADVANCE program began, 29,000 low income farmers are being supported. These farmers grow maize, rice, and soybeans. They are getting the help they need to grow successful crops and are being paid a fair market price for their produce. 269 demonstration sites have also been set up to show farmers new technology and how to best utilize it. The introduction of infrastructure and technology have helped Botanga rice farmers improve their lifestyles. The project also falls in line with President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative.
– Amanda Kloeppel
Source: GhanaWeb
The Akaa Project: Grassroots Done Right
The Akaa Project was started by then college student Lauren Grimanis in 2008. She took the idea of affecting change in rural Africa and created a campus-wide movement. The movement then spread to a full-fledged and funded non-profit organization.
The Project works within the Akaa region of eastern Ghana, working directly with poverty-stricken families in Ghana to alleviate poverty and promote self-reliance. The Project team works to improve the health, education and financial well-being of the village families. Their on-the-ground efforts create concrete change in the community’s day-to-day life.
Major projects have included building a school, enabling access to healthcare, and enhancing the community’s access to finance through micro-loans and small business initiatives. The Akaa Project involves the community in all decisions, projects, and initiatives, and works to ensure the community is involved and empowered through the organization.
Akaa’s founder Lauren Grimanis graduated from The College of Wooster in 2012. She majored in Global Development and Management. She was able to travel to South Asia to learn from social entrepreneurs and NGOs to best understand the most practical practices for rural development.
During her time at Wooster, Lauren and a group of dedicated students developed a strategy to engage the small liberal arts community at the college. They sold handmade village jewelry in the bookstore, organized dodge ball tournaments and dances, and made customized sunglasses to help fundraise. Several College of Wooster students were also able to travel to Ghana to volunteer in the community. They were able to not only spread the word about their organization throughout the college, but also spread knowledge of global poverty and development needs in Ghana and the developing world as a whole.
Lauren’s efforts translated into a school with six classrooms, six teachers, and an educational advisor. Seventy-five children are able to attend on a daily basis. The organization has plans for future expansion. Lauren was also able to install two borehole water wells, placing women at the center of the decision making process. Additionally, the Akaa Project sponsors child and infant nutrition awareness clinics, sexual health education, and condom distribution, among other services. The Akaa Project has also been able to provide eleven micro-loans to women in Akaa, helping to empower women in the community.
For an organization of their size, the Akaa Project is taking substantial leaps forward in providing real development to a marginalized and vulnerable community. They are looking to expand their future operations to bordering communities to help as many people as they can.
– Caitlin Zusy
Source: The Akaa Project
Top 25 Philanthropic Corporate Foundations
The Foundation Center has compiled a list of the top givers in the business world based on the most current financial data obtained in May 2013. Here is a list of the top 25 philanthropic corporate foundations, including the total amount of money the foundation has given in its lifetime.
1. Sanofi Foundation for North America; $497,491,467
2. Novartis Patient Assistance Foundation, Inc.; $331,911,548
3. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc.; $198,213,418
4. The Wal-Mart Foundation, Inc.; $175,680,474
5. The JPMorgan Chase Foundation; $136,201,550
6. GE Foundation; $112,221,740
7. Wells Fargo Foundation; $107,542,374
8. Citi Foundation; $78,614,500
9. The Coca-Cola Foundation, Inc.; $76,230,474
10. ExxonMobil Foundation; $74,507,597
11. Verizon Foundation; $56,282,791
12. The PNC Foundation; $54,22,909
13. The Merck Company Foundation; $53,306,196
14. Caterpillar Foundation; $49,789,926
15. Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Foundation; $49,556,298
16. Intel Foundation; $43,388,787
17. MetLife Foundation; $43,938,306
18. The UPS Foundation; $39,833,790
19. Illinois Tool Works Foundation; $36,176,325
20. Lucasfilm Foundation; $34,770,779
21. Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Patient Help Foundation; $30,592,240
22. The PepsiCo Foundation, Inc.; $29,773,085
23. Abbott Fund; $29,545,990
24. The Medtronic Foundation; $29,241,817
25. The Goldman Sachs Foundation; $29,237,825
Corporate philanthropy is important for several reasons and it comes in many forms, from simply donating money to encouraging employees to volunteer within the community. An obvious benefit of businesses giving back is that it benefits the community by either providing money to buy supplies or fund programs, or supplying the volunteers to run events or fundraisers. Other less-obvious benefits include boosting employee morale, recruiting more socially responsible potential employees, as well as boosting the company’s public image. These 25 companies have reaped all of these benefits and more through their generous donations to charities.
– Katie Brockman
Source: Foundation Center, Houston Chronicle
Photo: TreeHugger
6 U.S. States That Give The Most
Last year The Chronicle of Philanthropy published a list of the most charitable U.S. states based on total donations, but another way to find the states that give the most is through tax deductions. The Tax Foundation did just that with more recent tax data from 2011 to see how the numbers compare with the Chronicle‘s study.
1. Maryland: This was the state that gave back the most, according to the Tax Foundation’s study, with 40.1% of tax returns in Maryland including a charitable deduction. The total state donations amounted to $3.9 billion, or approximately $2,969 per taxpayer.
2. New Jersey: 36% of taxpayers in this state deducted a donation to charity in 2011, creating a total of $4.5 billion of donations and a median amount of $2,181.
3. Connecticut: In a very close third place, this state had 35.9% of their taxpayers deduct charity donations on their tax returns, which amounted to $2.3 billion and a median of $1,916 per person.
4. Utah: 33.1% of Utah resident taxpayers donated to charity, giving back a total of $2.4 billion, which is a whopping $5,255 median contribution per taxpayer.
5. Minnesota: In this state, 32.7% of taxpayers noted a deduction for charity on their returns, creating a total of $2.6 billion of donations and a median contribution amount of $2,213.
6. Virginia: In another close rank, 32.5% of Virginia taxpayers deducted a donation for charity, totaling $4.2 billion and a median amount of $2,790 per taxpayer.
There are a few things to note after viewing this short list of the states that give the most. One is that the list is compiled based on the percentage of people who donate even a small amount, not the amount that the state donates as a total. Another is that the numbers in this list include donations from companies as well, and a third consideration is that the only money counted was that from itemized deductions, not standard deductions, which could affect the total amounts.
Of the six states in this list, only two of them (Utah and Maryland) also made to The Chronicle of Philanthropy‘s top ten list of states that donate the most.
– Katie Brockman
Sources Daily Finance, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
BRAC: Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee
Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, BRAC, is an international NGO from the global south. It started off with meek beginnings, trying out various methods and putting them to the test in Bangladesh before implementing them in other developing countries. Today, BRAC exists for 11 countries reaching out to approximately 130 million people in rural and urban areas. According to Soraya Auer, journalist and communications and global advocacy specialist for BRAC, Bangladesh, BRAC has been called the “best aid group you’ve never heard of.”
Established during the Bangladesh independence war in 1972 as a mere “relief and rehabilitation project to help returning war refugees,” BRAC is now a leading organization in fighting global poverty. Soraya says BRAC recognizes that changing how women view themselves is the answer to many global poverty-related injustices. It focuses on women empowerment. She lists examples of women who lifted themselves out of poverty by being community leaders; one woman brought healthcare into her community, and another “raised awareness through theater.”
About one month ago, Bangladesh experienced a fire in one of its buildings, which housed 5 garment factories, costing over 1,100 lives. Soraya says how the community and the BRAC group all pitched in during this tragedy, “bringing food, water, oxygen cylinders, [and] blood donations” to the site, and BRAC medical teams went to aid hospitals. She states how some of the victims and the survivors are BRAC members, and she hopes that the “next time [she] mentions BRAC… it [is] to be recognized for what it is — a growing family, always learning, today mourning its losses…but always moving forward.”
– Leen Abdallah
Source: Huffington Post
Photo: Google
Should the Government Demand Transparency?
In John Tyler’s book “Transparency in Philanthropy,” the author discusses the idea of allowing the government to demand transparency among charities and other philanthropic organizations, and whether or not it would be beneficial to the charities and the people who support them. Tyler draws the seemingly paradoxical conclusion that “transparency is complicated” in his book, because even though transparency in charities can help make business processes simpler by removing secrets, it can also prove to be a challenge, especially if it is mandated and not voluntary.
Many organizations choose to be transparent in their work, and some philanthropic groups will readily supply all the numbers about how much they donated, received, paid in salaries, etc. This is a good thing because it 1) ensures that there are no secrets being kept behind closed doors about the donations, and 2) encourages trust. If people know where their money is going when they donate to a charity, they may be more likely to give and give more often. Tyler also mentions that foundations with stakeholders are legally obligated to share their information with them, but there is a difference between legal and social transparency.
There is a down-side to demanding transparency in the philanthropic sector, though. If the government demands a charity to be transparent, that means people can easily research to find these companies’ tax returns. While this may not seem like much of a problem, “in countries with weak rule of law, such information could be used to harass and pressure donors.” Then, because of these pressures, people are frightened away and donations dramatically decrease, which hurts everyone.
Philanthropic foundations are necessary to organize donations and charity around the world, and sometimes transparency is a good thing, especially when it’s voluntary. But at other times, it can lead to results that don’t help anyone.
– Katie Brockman
Source: Forbes
Photo: FDA