Grants to support local, environmental and community projects, including COVID-19 relief efforts, in honor of 135th birthday of Coca-Cola

(Originally published on Coca-Cola’s website May 6, 2021)

The Coca-Cola Foundation today announced $35 million in new grants, including a $20 million fund to support nonprofit partners working to stop the spread of Covid-19 through vaccine distribution, personal protective equipment and public awareness efforts. The remaining $15 million will support local environmental and community organizations in the United States and Canada.

The grants honor the 135th birthday of Coca-Cola, which is May 8.

Stopping the Spread

The Coca-Cola Foundation will identify community initiatives that meet the requirements of the Foundation’s new Stop the Spread fund.

“We know the Covid-19 crisis is far from over,” said Bea Perez, president and chair, The Coca-Cola Foundation. “Last year, during the initial outbreak phase, we channeled over $56 million of relief funds to organizations positioned to mobilize quickly and provide aid and supplies to healthcare workers and populations. Now, as Covid-19 continues to impact communities around the world, this new fund will allow the Foundation to focus on supporting charities working to stop the spread of the virus.”

More than $6.6 million in grants have been awarded from the $20 million fund to stop the spread of Covid-19, including:

• $2 million for Project Last Mile to support vaccine rollouts in eight African countries: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania.
• $3.6 million for United Way of Mumbai to fund vaccine distribution initiatives and public awareness campaigns in 22 districts in India.
• $500,000 for COVAX, a program co-led by the World Health Organization to ensure equitable, global access to Covid-19 vaccines. The contribution was made in support of Global Citizen’s VAX LIVE: Concert to Reunite the World (airing and streaming on May 8), which calls for new commitments from governments, the private sector and philanthropists to equitably distribute Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatments to the world’s poorest countries.

Local, Environmental and Community Support

In the company’s hometown of Atlanta, as well as other communities across the United States and Canada, the Foundation awarded several grants totaling $15 million to local, environmental and community initiatives:

• Atlanta BeltLine Partnership to support green infrastructure planned for Westside Park and Enota Park.
• Trust for Public Land to support its showcase site on the Chattahoochee as part of the initial phase of the Chattahoochee RiverLands, a 100-mile trail from Buford Dam to Chattahoochee Bend State Park.
• Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center Inc. to support the annual corporate campaign. The Woodruff Arts Center serves more than 850,000 patrons annually, including hundreds of thousands of students from throughout the state of Georgia.
• National Park Foundation to support waste reduction, recycling, resilience and sustainability projects.
• Ducks Unlimited Canada to support efforts to protect and restore critical watersheds across Canada.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Canada and Puerto Rico to support academic success with a focus on afterschool homework programs.
• United Services Organization (USO) to support initiatives to connect service members and their families.
• United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta to support the Child Well-Being Impact Fund.

In an act of unprecedented generosity, The Coca-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company, has donated $750,000 USD to an emergency relief fund that will support Boys and Girls Clubs across Canada.

The donation is part of $13.5 million in grants awarded by the Foundation to five non-profit organizations that are working on the front lines of the U.S. and Canadian humanitarian response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are all concerned about the growing impact of coronavirus, especially on our youth,” said Helen Smith Price, president, The Coca-Cola Foundation. “Through a grant to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada, we will continue to support their efforts to serve our youth and provide relief, safety, and stability during this critical time.”

Boys and Girls Clubs most often operate in vulnerable communities, and in times of crisis, those vulnerable communities are most at risk. The emergency relief fund, created by Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, will help Clubs provide food and care packages for families, subsidize wages and recover lost revenue, run mental health and counselling services, and respond to other emergency needs.

“We are grateful to The Coca-Cola Canada Foundation for stepping up when we need it the most,” said Owen Charters, President & CEO, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. “Our Clubs are doing incredible, difficult work and making extraordinarily difficult decisions. We know the generosity of The Coca-Cola Foundation is the boost they need to get them through uncertain times.”

If you’d like to help, you can donate directly to your local Club or donate to our emergency relief fund, which directly supports Boys & Girls Clubs across the country.

The Coca-Cola Foundation has partnered with Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada since 2015 to support youth engagement and leadership, including our Keystone program, which helps youth develop the knowledge and leadership skills to make positive choices in their lives and make a difference in their Clubs and communities.

About the Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Foundation is the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company. Since its inception in 1984, The Foundation has awarded more than $1 Billion in grants to support sustainable community initiatives around the world, including protecting the environment; empowering women; and the overall well-being of communities through education, youth development, arts and culture and economic development.