Philanthropy is one of the ways that major corporations are able to give back to society. Donating or matching monies earned and creating grants and funds to help the less fortunate is a great way for businesses, large and small to show that they are socially responsible and that they are about more than just the bottom line.
The following six businesses are well known for their philanthropic ideals.
1) Casely
Casely is a company that specializes in selling cases for iPhones, either through purchasing a case to protect your phone or through subscribing to their monthly service that delivers a new case to subscribers every month.
They are known for choosing a different charity every month to give to. This month, every iPhone case counts as a $1 donation to Other Side of the Wall, a charity aimed at providing funds to help find a cure for pediatric brain tumors and to help care for the children battling those tumors. The company uses the hashtag #EveryCaseCounts to help spread the word about the charities they work with on social media.
2) Gilead Sciences
This Fortune 500 Company is, based on records for 2015, the largest corporate donor in the world. Gilead Sciences has given over $445 million towards finding cures for AIDS/HIV and liver disease.
Most of their grants are reactive, giving money to nonprofits that request their assistance. One recent example is when they helped the nonprofit Liver Foundation build a new treatment facility in Kolkata, India by giving them a $2 million donation. Most of their charitable giving is aimed at helping fund nonprofits that specialize in finding cures for a variety of diseases.
3) Starbucks
This coffee house chain helps charitable causes in two different ways. One way is through their Starbucks’ Partner Match Program which provides grants to programs that their American and Canadian employees and retirees volunteer at.
They also have the Starbucks’ Foundation, which grants money to nonprofits that are geared towards leadership and helping young people succeed. It shouldn’t be a surprise that through this foundation, Starbucks also provides support to communities involved in the production of cocoa, tea and coffee.
4) H & M
This fashion company makes a donation for every gift card they sell during the holiday season. Their H&M Foundation raises money for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Company (UNHCR). All money raised by the foundation goes toward benefitting refugee children, giving them school supplies through the Education Above All Foundation and their education-focused program, “Educate A Child”.
5) Kohl’s
This clothing chain funds the Kohl’s Team Volunteer Grant Program, which provides grants to nonprofits when teams of employees band together to volunteer.
When groups of five or more employees from the same store volunteer for at least 3 consecutive hours on a given day, this program will donate $500 to the employees through their Associates in Action. The employees can then give these funds in their name to whatever charity they have volunteered at. Since the program’s inception in 2001, Kohl’s has donated over $79 million through the actions of over 834,000 employees who have volunteered.
6) Microsoft
Bill Gates is well known for his charitable deeds, and his software company offers year-round employee philanthropy. Their campus hosts over 200 charity events each October, including a 5k fun run and an online auction. Last year, they set a new record having raised over $20 million for more than 20,000 charities and nonprofits.
In addition, Microsoft’s Corporate Philanthropy Program offers nonprofits access to their world-class computer technology as part of a commitment to help with humanitarian relief programs and disaster management.
These are just some of the major corporations that are trying to make the world a better place through their charitable actions. As a consumer, you can look into what your favorite business or brand is doing philanthropically and then join in to help create a better world for the next generation.