Mosaic Foundation
/OVERVIEW: Mosaic awards grants to global development and marine conservation organizations operating in areas of the world where the company has an operational presence.
IP TAKE: This is a funder that has become significantly more opaque in recent years. It is no longer accessible to new grant seekers who may very find themselves shut out of any significant funding here. Contact this funder to learn about how their funding is evolving behind doors and if this policy may change.
PROFILE: Established in Plymouth, Minnesota around 2009, the Mosaic Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the crop nutrition company Mosaic. The Mosaic Company was created through a merger between IMC Global and Cargill Inc.’s crop nutrition division. Mosaic then agreed to repurchase over 43 million Class A shares held by the Margaret Cargill Foundation. The proceeds from the repurchase funded the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, which includes three organizations: Margaret Cargill Foundation, Akaloa Resource Foundation, and the Anne Ray Charitable Trust. The Mosaic Company Foundation’s main objective is “help grow the food the world needs,” and focuses its grantmaking on supporting hunger relief, food insecurity, global agricultural development programs focusing on smallholder farmers, agricultural research and water conservation.
Grantseekers should note that while disaster response and relief is not a major focus area, Mosaic occasionally supports emergency response efforts.
Grants for Global Development
Mosaic emphasizes food security and smallholder farmers. It awards grants to organizations that address international agriculture development programs geared toward smallholder farmers in developing countries; agricultural research programs that focus on sustainably increasing the capacity for farmers; and food system development. In the food systems development space, Mosaic limits its grantmaking to organizations that work in the communities in which the Mosaic company operates.
In 2021, Mosaic partnered with the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee and Feeding Tampa Bay to support its Forever 55 program, and “with the support of Mosaic, Feeding Tampa Bay was able to pack and deliver 1,800 family meal bags to area schools in need as an extension of the Feeding America Backpack Program.”
Grants for Marine Conservation
Its water stewardship program predominantly focuses on conservation, ecosystem management, and watershed restoration. Mosaic, the company, is in the business of mining potash and phosphate for fertilizer, which is water intensive. With the world’s freshwater resources declining, the foundation directs grants toward conserving habitats and watersheds where the company operates.
Past marine conservation grantees include the Nutrient Stewardship Council, which focuses its work on improving water quality and Ducks Unlimited, which conserves and manages wetlands associated with waterfowl.
Important Grant Details:
Grants from the Mosaic Foundation tend to range from $50,000 to $100,000, although they can occasionally reach much higher. It supports programs in Brazil, Canada, and the United States. Mosaic no longer accepts unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding. Grantseekers are encouraged to check the foundation’s website to stay abreast of changes.
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