This is just one example of how the company strives to live up to one of its common taglines – that it supports the “human element” in everything it does, through cash donations and the volunteer efforts of its many employees. The company provided funds, volunteers and in-kind donations to popular causes such as the Easter Seals, Special Olympics, Muscular Dystrophy Association, and prostate and breast cancer initiatives.īased in Michigan, Dow Chemical Corporation sells products and services to almost every country in the world, and the company uses some of the returns to invest in environmental sustainability and mutually beneficial relationships with the communities that it works in. In addition to the many charitable promotions that Safeway administers at the checkout line in its 1,694 stores in the U.S., the company was one of the most generous corporations in 2010, with donations equivalent to 7.5% of 2009’s profits.

By funding more than 1,200 grants to organizations in the communities where the giant retailer operates, Macy’s made itself seem a bit smaller to the local population, and its overall efforts made it the second-most generous corporation of 2010. Part of the retailer’s more than $41 million in 2010 giving went to a new initiative that took its stores’ national efforts to the local level. Having long ago made a name for itself around the holidays by sponsoring New York’s Thankgiving Day Parade and making kids believe in Santa Claus again, Macy’s has also used the holiday shopping season to promote its various philanthropic efforts. While its charitable giving efforts target the communities in which its stores operate through volunteering and donations, the Kroger Foundation supports national initiatives that go far beyond the company’s home base of Cincinnati.Īt $64 million, the company’s significant giving in 2010 shows no signs of slowing down this year, as it has been an active participant in the Food 4 Less program to feed the hungry, and has also raised $1.5 million for military families and welcomed Salvation Army donation kettles into its stores this holiday season. Kroger, the largest grocery store chain in America, was the only corporation to give more that 10% of its previous year’s profits to charity in 2010. Read on to see if your favorite brand made the cut. We then round up the five biggest donors – those corporations that gave the absolute most money to philanthropic causes last year. To get down to the best of the best, MainStreet looks first at the five most generous corporations – those that gave more than 5% of their 2009 profits to charity in 2010. The magazine’s 2011 Survey of Corporate Giving includes data on 2010 donations for 180 of those top companies.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a magazine that monitors the charitable giving industry, tracks donations from the largest corporations in the United States from the annual Fortune 500 list. But a look at the numbers tells more of a nuanced story. Of the many chants and slogans that have defined the frustrations of the past months’ Occupy Wall Street protests, one recurring theme has focused on the idea that greedy corporations do whatever they can to avoid sharing the wealth.

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