What is Community Action?Community Action is the name we give to all that General Mills, its employees and retirees do to nourish communities. Elements of Community Action include the General Mills Foundation, Brand Partnerships, Employee and Retiree Gift Matching, International Giving, Volunteerism, Product Donations to Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest) and Disaster Relief. At General Mills Community Action, we work to nourish lives in our communities with breakthrough ideas, championship people and financial resources. Our focus is to support innovative nonprofit organizations and programs that improve our headquarters and manufacturing communities, with a concentration on youth nutrition and fitness, education, arts and culture & social services. What are the focus areas for Foundation grant-making?The General Mills Foundation makes grants to nonprofit organizations that serve people in need and improve the quality of life in General Mills communities. The primary areas of focus are youth nutrition and fitness, social services, education, and arts and culture.
What organizations or requests fall outside of the General Mills Foundation Funding Guidelines?The General Mills Foundation receives many more requests for funding than it can support. A decision to decline a funding request does not imply that the applicant’s program is not needed or valued, but simply that it does not fall within our giving guidelines or priorities, or that funds are not available. As a standard practice, the General Mills Foundation does not fund:
The General Mills Foundation does not support the above mentioned areas because supporting these would significantly reduce the resources we have available to focus grant-making on operating and programmatic support, which are our priorities as a Foundation. Where does the Foundation focus its grant-making?The Foundation’s grant-making is geographically focused in our headquarters and manufacturing facility communities in the United States. Our headquarters community encompasses the Twin Cities Seven-County Metro Area in Minnesota. Internationally, we focus our grant-making in Malawi & Tanzania Africa and in communities where we have General Mills business operations and employees. General Mills operates plants and mills in communities nationwide. At these locations, our employees serve on Community Action Councils. The work of Council members encompasses three main objectives: to understand community needs; to encourage employees to volunteer their time and expertise; and to review requests from local nonprofit organizations for resources. Our Community Action Councils help to review requests from nonprofit organizations in and around (within a 50 mile radius) the following communities:
When does the Foundation accept grant applications?General Mills Foundation Grants:Celebrating Communities of Color Grants ProgramOnline applications for the Celebrating Communities of Color program will be posted online by April 15 and are due July 15. This program is available to nonprofits that are located in the Twin Cities Seven-County Metro Area and serve diverse communities. Champions for Healthy Kids ProgramOnline applications for the Champions for Healthy Kids program will be posted by November 14 are due January 15. The Champions for Healthy Kids program is a national grants program open to nonprofits throughout the United States. Community Action Council GrantsApplications from nonprofits located in communities with General Mills manufacturing and mill facilities should submit applications directly to their local Community Action Council between June 1 and February of each year. Twin Cities GrantsGeneral Mills Foundation grant applications from applicants serving the Twin Cities Metro Area in Minnesota are accepted on an on-going basis. Why does the Foundation direct so much support to the Twin Cities?The General Mills Foundation is based in Minneapolis at the General Mills World Headquarters. About 5,000 General Mills employees live and work here, and we are able to leverage our financial contributions with the personal involvement of our employees, 82 percent of who volunteer in hundreds of local organizations. The Foundation also provides support to nonprofits in our manufacturing communities through recommendations from local Community Action Councils. Will the Foundation donate food/snacks to my local school/church/nonprofit for their event?No. The Foundation does not maintain product inventory for donation requests. Nonprofit organizations looking to request product can go directly to their local Feeding America Food Bank. General Mills directs product donations to our donor partner, Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization. The Feeding America network is made up of more than 200 food banks that support over 50,000 agencies across the United States. General Mills has had a strong partnership with this organization for nearly 30 years. The 501(c)(3) status is pending for my organization; am I eligible for a foundation grant?No. The General Mills Foundation does not fund organizations with a pending 501(c)(3) status. Only organizations that are verified with a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status are eligible to receive foundation grants. Where can I get a grant application?Twin Cities ApplicantsThe Foundation grant application moved to an online grant application process in 2009. To apply for a Twin Cities Grant please click here. The Foundation will no longer accept paper applications from grant applicants serving the Twin Cities Metro Area. Please review the eligibility requirements, giving priorities and geographic focus areas prior to applying for a Foundation grant. How can I contact the General Mills Foundation?If you have additional questions after reviewing our web site please contact us at: E-mail: Community.ActionQA@genmills.com Please include the name of your request in the subject line of the e-mail. Phone: 763-764-2211 Fax: 763-764-4114 |
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