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Donation Guidelines

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At Hormel Foods, we’re not just inspired to make great food. We’re inspired to make a difference. Our team of 20,000 inspired people are working together to build a distinctly different type of company, one that truly understands our position in the world and the difference we can make.

Since the beginning, we’ve believed that social responsibility is more than giving away a percentage of our profits at the end of the year. While we are committed to many worthy causes, it’s our core business – producing delicious food for the world’s growing population – that we’re most proud of. We believe in making good food available to everyone. This means ensuring access to affordable, safe, nutritious and delicious foods with recognizable ingredients.

We firmly believe that good business and good stewardship go hand in hand. This is at the heart of our global impact work and the organizations we choose to support. Given our role in helping to feed the world for more than 130 years, we know that building social value and creating economic value are not competing goals.

The Hormel Foods Charitable Trust was established to benefit various organizations and projects that create food security by expanding access to nutritious and affordable meals, support the communities where we have operations, and emphasize education. Since officially becoming a tax-exempt entity, the Charitable Trust has donated millions of dollars to support key areas of focus.

Guidelines for Donation Requests

We encourage qualified non-profit organizations to submit requests on the Hormel Foods website. Only U.S.-based organizations classified as 501(c)(3) are eligible for financial support.

To be considered, donation requests must align with one or more of the Giving Pillars detailed below. We strongly encourage 501(c)(3) organizations to request financial support for specific initiatives versus event sponsorships.

For product donations, the company follows a process based on product availability and ease of donation. Products may also be available to charitable organizations to purchase at a level below retail price.

Giving Pillars

The Hormel Foods Charitable Trust supports organizations and causes that align with the following Giving Pillars:

Food security

We are a food company, and that fact alone means we have a higher mission to ensure people have access to safe, nutritious and affordable food. We are focused on making a difference and supporting a more sustainable and food-secure world.

To be considered, requests must align with one or more of the following criteria. Alignment with the criteria does not guarantee that a donation request will be granted, but it does guarantee that your request will be reviewed and considered.

  • Work toward decreasing the food insecurity rate and/or
  • Provide immediate food resources and relief to residents and/or
  • Expand access to nutritious and affordable meals.

Community Support

Hormel Foods serves as a good corporate citizen and neighbor in the communities where we have operations.

To be considered, requests must align with one or more of the following criteria. Alignment with the criteria does not guarantee that a donation request will be granted, but it does guarantee that your request will be reviewed and considered.

  • Benefit/improve quality of life for residents and/or
  • Provide residents a sense of belonging and/or
  • Improve the health and wellbeing of residents.

On occasion, non-profit organizations may request product donations for fundraising purposes. These requests will be considered for “in-kind” product donations on an individual basis.

Impact Programming

At Hormel Foods, we firmly believe that being a successful company means more than just delivering exceptional products to consumers. It means understanding and embracing our global impact — the broader responsibility we have to the planet and society.

To be considered, requests must align with one or more of the following criteria. Alignment with the criteria does not guarantee that a donation request will be granted, but it does guarantee that your request will be reviewed and considered.

  • Support DE&I and/or
  • Protect the environment and/or
  • Support education or educational programming and/or
  • Provide assistance, services, or benefits that address various social issues.

Qualifications for Donations and Support

Program Guidelines:

  • In order to be considered for support, all interested organizations must start by completing an online application. We do not accept applications via email, fax, mail, or in-person at our local offices or global headquarters.
  • Any U.S. based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization may go through the application process. To be considered, donation requests must align with one or more of the Giving Pillars and criteria detailed above.
  • We take into account the reputation of any organization we choose to support and follow a strict vetting process that includes a review of Charity Navigator ratings, social media visibility, financial stability, operating principles, ethics and stated issues/positions.
  • We do not support political organizations and will not partner with any organization whose programs discriminate based on race/ethnicity, color, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marital/parental status, pregnancy, childbirth or related conditions, religion, age, disability, genetic information, military service/veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.