Snacking, food, and pet care products provider Mars announced the launch of its new Mars Impact Fund, aimed at investing philanthropic capital targeting key themes including community resilience, scientific opportunity, and animal wellbeing.
The company said that it is launching the new fund with an initial $85 million allocation between 2025 and 2027, with annual funding of at least $50 million from 2028 onwards.
Mars added that the new fund is designed to complement the company’s existing sustainability efforts and foundation activities with strategic, long-term investments, enabling “meaningful and lasting impact in the communities where Mars operates.”
Andy Pharoah, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, said:
“The Mars Impact Fund builds on decades of partnership and investment in the communities where we operate, strengthening and scaling the work already underway. It is designed to complement our broader impact agenda to benefit people, pets and the planet and help us deepen relationships with organizations working to create lasting impact.”
According to Mars, the new impact fund will focus on three priorities, namely “Boost Sourcing Community Resiliency,” targeting support for families and communities to improve livelihoods, wellbeing, and resilience; “Grow and Diversify the Pipeline of Scientists,” with a focus on expanding opportunities for scientists, in areas such as food, agriculture, and pet care, and; “Improve Companion Animal Wellbeing,” with investments to increase access to veterinary care and support for pets in under-resourced homes and communities. Additionally, the fund will lead Mars’ response to large-scale disasters affecting its businesses, associates, and communities, to enable swift and effective aid.
Alongside the launch, Mars announced that it has selected Save the Children and Humane World for Animals as initial grant recipients for the impact fund. The new grants include $3 million to Save the Children to help expand Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and strengthen community resilience programs in cocoa-growing areas of Indonesia, and $726,000 to Humane World for Animals to support projects in India and Mexico that expand equitable access to high-quality veterinary care, including preventive services, vaccinations, spay/neuter, and building of professional capacity in select communities.
Michelle Grogg, Executive Director, Mars Impact Fund, said:
“Change starts with listening, learning and working alongside the communities we serve. Through the Mars Impact Fund, we’re partnering with organizations that bring deep expertise and local insight so that, together, we can expand opportunity, strengthen resilience, and improve lives for people and pets around the world.”
