Inside a Cereal Maker’s Local Commitment to Minnesota
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If you open the cupboard in nearly any American household, you’ll likely find General Mills products inside. The General Mills company began with Gold Medal flour back in 1880 and is now known for having over 100 brands under its belt, including Cheerios, Häagen-Dazs, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury and Green Giant. In addition to pulling in billions of dollars in retail sales worldwide, General Mills is also engaged in corporate philanthropy. This is an especially good company to know in Minneapolis—where the General Mills world headquarters is located.
Three main focus areas
General Mills has been giving back to the communities where it operates for more than 150 years. More recently, the company has refined its giving through the General Mills Foundation’s grantmaking program to three main focus areas.
One focus is increasing food security, which it pursues through strategic grants, initiatives and food donations. Advancing regenerative agriculture is another foundation interest, addressing the need to regenerate natural resources and ecosystems through healthy soil, water availability, farmer resilience, climate change resistance and biodiversity. Strengthening hometown communities is a third priority for the General Mills Foundation, a commitment that extends to employee volunteerism and giving to charities near company operations all over the world.
A dedication to Minnesota
Even though General Mills has a presence in over 100 countries and on six continents, most of its giving stays right in Minnesota. Around 4,000 of the company’s employees live and work in the Minneapolis metropolitan area, and so General Mills looks to leverage its financial donations with local employee involvement. About 83% of the employees in this region volunteer, at hundreds of local Minnesota organizations.
General Mills has taken a bold racial equity stance in Minnesota, specifically looking to support communities of color and low-income families through its grantmaking in the state. Equitable food access and equity in K-12 education are the top local priorities, and the foundation has forged a partnership with the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity. It provides general operating support and funding for specific programs and projects. However, it does not accept capital requests at this time.
Beyond Minnesota, the company encourages its employees to nominate charities for grants in the other places where it operates, within 50 miles from a General Mills facility. A list of locations can be found here.
Getting a grant
At this time, the General Mills Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests and reaches out to prospective grantee organizations and community groups on its own. This is true for both its Minnesota grant program and its hometown giving program in other parts of the U.S., as well as internationally. These grant programs are available by invitation only, but local groups may benefit from making connections with General Mills employees to get a recommendation.
Also, the foundation does not donate food directly to nonprofits. However, it does partner with Feeding America, one of the largest hunger relief organizations in the U.S. Nonprofits can request donations through the Feeding America Food Bank locator.
Learn more about this funder and the Minnesota organizations that have received General Mills grants in our full foundation profile in our Upper Midwest & Plains funding guide.
