OVERVIEW: The Mars Wrigley Foundation funds efforts to support the environment, animals and wildlife, oral health and well-being, sustainability, food security, and human services.
IP TAKE: This is not an accessible foundation, and it’s not particularly approachable. The Mars Wrigley Foundation routinely gives to the same large, well-established foundations year after year. New and smaller to mid-sized grantseekers will need to do something exceptionally eye-catching to get on this funder’s radar.
It prioritizes grants for geographic areas where its parent company has a presence. Currently 16 markets have active programs, including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.
It does not conduct grantmaking for children overseas who are forced into processing cocoa. Its human rights grantmaking overlooks the company’s contribution to child labor.
PROFILE: The Mars Wrigley Foundation is the philanthropic entity of Mars, Inc., a global manufacturer of confections, pet food, drinks and other food products. It seeks to create “better communities and happier, healthier smiles by giving people opportunities to flourish.” While mostly known for candy such as M&Ms, Mars is still a family-owned business. Its heirs are Jacqueline B. Mars, Forrest E. Mars, Jr. and John F. Mars, who are Frank Mars’ grandchildren. The foundation has scaled up its efforts in recent years. According to the foundation, it “works to provide oral health education and care, improve lives in […] mint and cocoa growing regions, prevent litter and waste, and create vibrant communities.”
Grants for the Environment and Climate Change
Mars conducts its climate-change and conservation related funding through its climate change program, which oversees climate action, water stewardship, and land use. The program invests in “energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that allow [Mars] to tackle emissions at scale.” In order to be Sustainable in a Generation, Mars examined the latest science, concluding that its corporate sister Mars Inc. must reduce the total GHG emissions across its “value chain by 27% by 2025 and 67% by 2050 (from 2015 levels) in order to do [its] part to keep the planet from warming beyond two degrees.” As its corporate sister has scaled up efforts, one can assume its foundation has followed.
The foundation also supports litter reduction efforts worldwide. It partners with the Foundation for Environmental Education to fund local cleanup efforts and educate students in 35 countries about reducing litter in their communities. Created in 2011, the Litter Less campaign is the longest-running school campaign addressing issues of litter and waste, according to Mars. Other past grantees include the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Student Conservation Association, Eco Health Alliance in New York, and the Environmental Defense Fund. Smaller grants have supported the Nature Conservancy, Galapagos Foundation, Potomac Conservancy, and Rocky Mountain Natural Research Center.
Grants for Global Health
Mars Wrigley’s Health and Well-being funding centers on oral health worldwide. According to Mars, “24 programs in 15 markets have touched 2,200,000 children and adults in need of oral care education and treatment.” It partners with Save the Children to promote “oral health so people can enjoy happier, healthier smiles.” Other health grantees include American Red Cross, Chicago Dental Society Foundation, Irish Dental Association, Kenya Red Cross, and King Baudouin Foundation United States.
Grants for Global Development, Sustainable Agriculture and Human Rights
Mars funds Global Development initiatives that work to improve “lives in mint- and cocoa-growing communities and the local communities in which Mars Wrigley operates.” It seeks to accomplish this by “engaging a network of partners from NGOs to governments” and prioritizing support for three areas: increasing income, respecting human rights, and unlocking opportunities for women.
In order to further initiatives to increase farmer income, Mars Wrigley “invest[s] in activities that have a tangible impact on the ground.” It created the Farmer Income Lab in 2018 to find “practical insights needed to help eradicate smallholder poverty.” It also co-founded the Livelihoods Fund for Family Farming, whose mission is to “secure the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and the sustainable sourcing of pioneering brands thanks to timely investment into regenerative agriculture practices, the empowerment of a new generation of farmers and the restoration of key natural resources.” According to Mars, it works to “benefit 200,000 farms through the Livelihoods Fund, while developing sustainable supply chains to source high-quality raw materials.”
Its human rights initiatives revolve around treating “everyone touched by [its] business […] with fairness, dignity and respect.” Many of these efforts are centered around self-regulation, but some include reevaluating many of Mars’ partnerships with others, including supply partners, governments, and NGOs. While it is unclear exactly how much funding opportunity there is here for nonprofits, the overall implication is that Mars will at least consider supporting local and international organizations to achieve its human rights goals.
Mars supports Pratham USA, an organization which works to provide education to children in Mumbai slums, and according to Mars, almost a million children “in 1,700 mint-farming villages in India have been provided greater opportunities for future success.” Additional global development grantees include Give2Asia, King Baudouin Foundation, and the Save the Children Federation.
Grants for Women and Girls
Support for women and girls includes the #HereToBeHeard campaign, which solicits feedback from women worldwide with ideas for creating opportunities and “helping women reach their full potential.” Mars also partners with CARE International to support its Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) initiative, which “can help households accumulate savings, provide loans, and provide access to local finance institutions so women can build their own businesses and increase their economic security.” Mars contributed an additional $10 million to VSLA in 2020.
Grants for Disaster Relief and COVID-19
Much of the foundation’s recent Disaster Response grants have been going to support COVID-19 relief and recovery initiatives. It has committed $3 million to “provide emergency grants to local NGOs meeting the basic needs of local site communities around the world,” and looks to “support the most vulnerable populations and most critical needs.” It prioritizes response grants for local organizations to increase the impact on local communities. Mars Wrigley gave an emergency grant to the Hubei Red Cross Foundation in partnership with Give2Asia for protective gear for frontline healthcare workers in Wuhan, China.
Grants for Animal Welfare and Wildlife
While support for animals is not a stated funding priority, the Mars Foundation has made a number of grants in this area. In past years, animal and wildlife organizations that have received money from the foundation include the World Wildlife Fund and Defenders of Wildlife. The foundation has also supported Canine Companions for Independence, and the Wildlife Center of Virginia, as well as other organizations.
Important Grantmaking Details:
Mars’ grants vary widely in size, ranging from just a few thousand up to over a million. It does not provide a clear way to get in touch with the foundation directly, but grantseekers can contact the Mars company here.
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