The John Deere Foundation, the corporate citizenship wing of the nation’s largest agricultural manufacturer, plans to invest $200 million into a variety of initiatives over the next 10 years, including a large stake that impacts Deere’s closest communities.
As part of its pledge, the foundation announced in a news release that it will distribute the money this way:
- $100 million in the families and youth who live, work, and learn in John Deere’s home communities to ensure their inclusive and equitable access to resources and educational opportunities critical for human dignity and self-sufficiency. Annual investments of $2 million in food banks will provide the equivalent of 100 million meals over the next decade, and investments in youth education will reach at least one million underserved and underrepresented youth.
- $50 million in farmers throughout the world to bolster their capacity to make a living, feed a growing global population, reduce inequality, and protect the world around us. Through its work with a range of global partners that serve smallholder and resource-constrained family farmers, the Foundation will help 15 million farmers unlock their enormous potential.
- $50 million in John Deere’s workforce to further mobilize and build on their enormous volunteer talents and generosity to strengthen their communities and improve lives around the world.
The foundation’s 10-year commitment aligns to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and the foundation will track and report investments against relevant targets and indicators, said Nate Clark, president of the John Deere Foundation.
In the coming months, the Foundation will announce several key grants that will illustrate how this commitment is being put into action, Clark said.
“The urgency of running today with the vision of a better tomorrow is John Deere at our core,” said John May, chairman and CEO of Deere & Company and chairman of the John Deere Foundation. “The Foundation’s financial commitment holds true to this purpose by investing deeply in the people we serve to overcome the challenges they face today and create for themselves paths to a more prosperous tomorrow.”
