Mary Anne Welch

“Corporate sponsorships are back. Well, they never left; in Minnesota, most major corporations still have some form of sponsorship program. But, now, corporations are using sponsorships for several creative purposes with several types of organizations. Our research team of Laura Wilson, Mary Anne Welch, and Jana Simmons looked a few local sponsors. See below for profiles of 12 top corporate sponsorship programs.

ALSo NOTE: there’s this new group, Zipsprout.com, that provides lists of hyper-local (love that word) sponsors. You can search by zip code for sponsors. Here’s the thing, though. Most of the sponsors Zipsprout has found are NOT business corporations, but nonprofits and government agencies who need to reach out to your constituents, such as US Post Office, Rotary Clubs, and Turkey Day 5K.

The 12 top corporate sponsorship programs:

— Cargill
— Medtronic Communities
— Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
— General Mills
— Andersen Corporate
— Wells Fargo
— CHS
— Ecolab
— 3M
— Land O’Lakes
— Toro
— Target

General Information

— Sponsorship information is generally found on the corporation’s website under “Corporate Responsibility,” and is separate from the corporation’s foundation
— There’s likely to be less information available about corporate sponsorships than about corporate foundations
— Many sponsorships are by invitation only (with many corporations, they’re vaguely blended with foundation grants). This means that to get invited to a corporate sponsorship you either have to:

— Have insider information to make the right contact
— Really make your organization well-known in the community, have a sizable impact, and then reach out to a corporate VIP
— Be doing something unique enough to be featured in the news media, and that the corporation can use as public relations

— Many corporations refer to sponsorships as “partnerships”
— Overall, the sponsorships process is far more ambiguous than applying for grants
— The person who handles corporate sponsorship is often separate from the foundation
— MOST IMPORTANTLY – DO NOT RELY ON THIS INFORMATION ALONE. Connect with the corporation’s representatives to verify the process and specific details.

Cargill

Sponsor?

— Yes
— Focus areas are mainly sustainable agriculture, food scarcity, and food access, but they also fund general wellness and education programs

Process?

— Applications sent by invitation only
— No useful contact info

Resources

— General: https://www.cargill.com/about/community/corporate-giving
— Current partners: https://www.cargill.com/about/community/community-partners

Medtronic Communities

Sponsor?

— Yes
— Focus areas consist of medical advancement, education, and physician and surgeon training

Process?

— Online application – same one for grants and sponsorships? (This is unclear. The foundation has a separate website but no grant application is published there, but the information on the application on the main website is grant-focused)
— Organizations seeking support for conferences also need to go through the Conference Vetting System

Resources

— General: https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/about/corporate-governance/medtronic-charitable-donations.html
— Donation records include sponsorships and grants: https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/about/corporate-governance/medtronic-charitable-donations/donations-registry.html

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

Sponsor?

— Yes
— Primarily through the Center for Prevention (CFP) arm
— Some opportunities are directly through Blue Cross itself, though these are very limited
— Focus areas are generally wellness-related (community gardens, bike rental programs, walks for diseases, etc.)

Process?

— For the Center for Prevention: “For further questions about funding, please contact us via email at [email protected] or call toll-free at 1-800-760-0052.”
— Also for CFP Christian Knights, Strategic Communications Manager, Center for Prevention, 651-662-4058, [email protected]

Resources

— General, current partners in Blue Cross: https://www.bluecrossmn.com/about-us/corporate-social-responsibility
— Current initiatives for CFP: https://www.centerforpreventionmn.com/initiatives/
— Giving FAQs for CFP (types of giving, projects that receive funding, etc.): https://www.centerforpreventionmn.com/who-we-are/frequently-asked-questions/
— Contact people in Blue Cross: https://www.bluecrossmn.com/about-us/newsroom/media-contacts

General Mills

Sponsor?

— Yes
— Focus areas: increasing food security, regenerative agriculture, and environmentalism as it relates to food growth (improving soil, etc.)

Process?

— By invitation only? No published process. Grants from the foundation are invitation only.
— No useful contact information on their website

Resources

— General giving profile and current partnerships: https://www.generalmills.com/en/Responsibility/Community
— Some more featured partnerships: https://www.generalmills.com/en/Responsibility/Community/programs-and-partnerships
— Minneapolis grant program: https://www.generalmills.com/en/Responsibility/general-mills-foundation/Minneapolis-Grants

Andersen Corporate

Sponsor?

— Yes (partners with organizations and donates product)
— Focus areas: housing, education, and basic needs in places connected to the company

Process?

— Invitation only.
— General email: [email protected]

Resources

— Giving profile (corporation and foundation): https://www.andersenwindows.com/about/community/

Wells Fargo

Sponsor?

— Yes
— Very limited and few approvals for fundraising sponsorships
— Focus areas: financial health, housing affordability, small business growth, sustainability, and environmental justice

Process?

— Invitation only (need code to access online application)
— “To be considered, please apply online at least 90 days prior to the event. Priority is given to organizations that support our major focus areas.”
— To obtain invitation, contact local or national contact from list
— MN: Patty Pannkuk, [email protected]
— National (by focus area):

— [email protected]
— [email protected]
— [email protected]
— [email protected]

Resources

— Contacts: https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/corporate-responsibility/community-giving/local/
— Focus areas and national contacts: https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/corporate-responsibility/community-giving/national/
— General guidelines: https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/corporate-responsibility/community-giving/
— Specific grant process: https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/corporate-responsibility/community-giving/grant-process/
— Giving FAQs (info on sponsorships): https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/corporate-responsibility/community-giving/giving-faqs/

CHS

Sponsor?</>

— Yes
— Focus areas: agriculture (cooperative, or industry-related)

Process?

— Online application on giving guidelines page
— General email: [email protected]

Resources

— Giving Guidelines and applications: https://www.chsinc.com/stewardship/giving-guidelines
— General: https://www.chsinc.com/stewardship

Ecolab

Sponsor?

— Yes (suggested that their partnerships are funded through the foundation)
— Focus areas: youth education, civic and community development, arts and culture, environment, and conservation
— Sponsorships mainly in conservation (specifically, water, food, and sustainability)

Process?

— Online application
— No useful contact information

Resources

— Applications and information: https://www.ecolab.com/corporate-responsibility/social/community-involvement
— Current water partnerships: https://www.ecolab.com/corporate-responsibility/environment/water-stewardship
— Sustainability partnerships: https://www.ecolab.com/corporate-responsibility/environment/global-sustainability-partnerships
— Climate partnerships (includes food, health, and general climate): https://www.ecolab.com/expertise-and-innovation/climate

3M

Sponsor?

— Yes (termed as “partners”)
— Focus areas: education (boost equitable student achievement in STEM) and environment (conservation, air, and water quality, and student conservation learning)

Process?

— Invitation only
— No useful contact information

Resources

— General: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/gives-us/corporate-giving/
— Guidelines: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/gives-us/corporate-giving/grant-guidelines/
— Environmental initiatives: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/gives-us/environment/
— Education initiatives: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/gives-us/education/

Land O’Lakes

Sponsor?

— Yes
— Focus areas: hunger relief, education (high school and college, relating to agriculture and food security), and community

Process?

— Invitation only, or driven by employees
— General email for NGOs proposing volunteer opportunities for their employees: [email protected]

Resources

— Grant guidelines: https://foundation.landolakesinc.com/Home#GRANT-DONATION-GUIDELINES
— General info: https://foundation.landolakesinc.com/Home

Toro

Sponsor?

— Yes
— Focus areas: environment (water, parks, turfgrass research, and golf sustainability), education (turf management and agricultural education support), access (student access to sports)

Process?

— Possible online application, not updated since 2019, primarily for Greenspace Initiative, but also implied it is for use in partnerships
— General contact email: [email protected]

Resources

— Focus areas and current partners: https://www.toro.com/en/about/corporate-responsibility/community/industry-support
— Greenspace Initiative: https://www.toro.com/en/about/corporate-responsibility/community/land-water-thrive/our-communities
— Contact info: https://www.thetorocompany.com/contact-us

Target

Sponsor?

— Yes
— Focus areas: hometown, national, and global. Current partnerships include: military, hunger, sustainability, and general local non-profits

Process?

— Invitation only
— General email: [email protected]

Resources

— General corporate giving: https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/philanthropy/corporate-giving

Corporate giving FAQs: https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/philanthropy/grants-faqs

Research and writing by Laura Wilson, AP Researcher“