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
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
Self-Sustaining Agriculture for Nigeria?
In a country where 60% of the population are employed as farmers, it is a disheartening fact that Nigeria is not agriculturally self-sustainable. Not only does the country lack the level of food production needed to feed its growing population, but the shortfall is so great that Nigeria is the world’s largest importer of rice, spending $11 billion a year on food importation.
Despite some 100 million farmers, out of a population of 167 million, the majority practice subsistence farming. Less than half of Nigeria’s arable land is currently being used for food production, and some sources claim less than 10% is used optimally. Additionally, many of these farmers still aren’t employing modern methods and tools.
Without government intervention, this is unlikely to change soon. For one, the farming population is aging, despite 70% of Nigeria’s total population being under the age of 30. Youth are moving to the cities rather than remaining in rural areas, and this demographic shift takes a toll on farms as the potential workforce is depleted. Additionally, banks are reluctant to lend money to farmers, as returns on investments are slow. A system of government aid or microcredit may be necessary to allow farmers to update their equipment and buy fertilizer, and so increase their yields.
However, it is a lack of infrastructure in the country that might be the biggest contributor to the constant shortcomings in food production. Roads are often unsuitable for transportation, and water and electricity provision are inconsistent. The lack of suitable roads leads to a huge amount of waste as crops are unable to be transported in a timely manner. According to Nigeria’s Farms Minister, Akinwumi Adesina, 45% of the country’s tomato crop is lost every day, simply because farmers are unable to get them to the market.
The problems in agriculture stems partly from the discovery of oil in Nigeria in the 70s, and the subsequent shift away from farming. But more often it appears to be inefficient methods and insufficient workers. Crops often go unharvested, or yields simply aren’t high enough to provide a surplus.
Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, has targeted 2015 to eliminate the need to import rice. With Nigeria’s population quickly swelling, though, it will take more than a simple increase in yields to meet the demand. Infrastructure will need to be improved, and a modernization of the industry must take place.
With the country set to surpass the population of the United States before 2050, this revitalization will be crucial to its future success.
– David Wilson
Sources: The Economist
Photo: IFAD
Italy’s Economy is Taking a Beating
With the global recession lasting over two years now, many countries have been highly affected by the current state of the global economy. One of the countries that has been hit the hardest is Italy. Many people do not think of Italy as a poor country by any means. However, the number of people that live in seriously deprived families in Italy has soared up to 8.6 million.
The unemployment rate in Italy for the younger generation has recently hit 40 percent. Italians’ purchasing power fell by 4.8 percent in this last year.
To put the drastic rate at which the poverty level in Italy is increasing into perspective, here are a few figures: The percentage of families that could not afford to eat a protein based meal such as meat every two days, rose to 16.6 percent in 2012. The year before, this percentage was only at 12.4 percent. In 2010 this percentage was at 6.7 percent. In two years, the percentage of families that could not eat a nutritious meal for a period longer than two days rose by 9.9 percent.
While all of this may seem grim, there is still hope for Italy. Prime Minister Enrico Letta stated that he believes Italy can stage an economic recovery without increasing its huge public debt. After meeting with his advisors, he concluded Italy’s economy may get slightly worse before there is improvement, but in the next few years improvements are expected in Italy’s fiscal state.
– Matthew Jackoski
Sources: Huffington Post, Reuters
Photo: Didier Ruef
Student Documentary Sheds Light On Poverty
For Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci, students at Claremont McKenna College studying economics and international development, the daily struggle that over a billion people living on one dollar per day face is more personal than it is for the average westerner. After a visit to Guatemala with a microfinance group, Temple began to lay the foundation for what some might call a radical experiment. Along with two filmmakers, Temple and Ingrasci set out to shine a light on global poverty in a bold way: by living it themselves.
For 56 days in the rural village of Pena Blanca, each of the four young men vowed to live on just one dollar per day. Because many people who live in such poverty must take work as it is given, the quartet paid itself random dollar amounts (often $0) each day to make the experience more realistic. The film even takes a pragmatic turn as the students investigate the powerful impact of microloans on the lives of people in the region. They do all of this while battling chronic hunger and parasitic infections.
Although the documentary, which was available on Hulu for a limited time, began as a small project with only four crew members, it eventually drew the attention of big names such as Jeff Klein, the former general manager for the L.A. Times, David Doss, the former executive producer of Anderson Cooper 360, and Mike Lange, who was the former CEO of Miremax.
Currently, the filmmakers are travelling to promote the film. Those interested in watching the film can find a screening in their area or even host one themselves via the organization’s website.
– Samantha Mauney
Source: Huffington Post
Photo: My Northwest