John Deere Foundation marks 75 years of helping others
The John Deere Foundation is marking an important milestone this year.
The foundation is celebrating 75 years of supporting families who live, work and learn in John Deere home communities and around the world. Since its inception in 1948, they have distributed over $400 million in giving and have aided thousands of nonprofit organizations that create meaningful, measurable and long-lasting impacts on the lives of others.
“Whenever we give freely to nonprofit organizations and provide them with the resources they can use to better serve others, they have a greater impact,” said Nate Clark, Global Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and President of the John Deere Foundation. “Just like John Deere works tirelessly to earn the trust of our customers, the Foundation strives to earn the trust of the nonprofits and communities we serve. This is our legacy and our future.”
The John Deere Foundation was one of the first corporate foundations established by any manufacturer in the United States. It builds on John Deere’s legacy of being committed to the people who are responsible for the company’s success. The foundation has been active during difficult times like the Farm Crisis in the 1980s to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure residents in John Deere home communities have access to nutrition, shelter and education.
The foundation’s goals have grown along with the company’s success. In 2021, the Foundation announced a commitment to distribute at least $200 million over the next decade and has exceeded its goals, including:
- $68 million in total giving
- 42 million meals provided to families
- 290,000 marginalized youth served through educational programs
- 9.7 million smallholder farmers supported to increase both incomes and productivity
The Foundation’s employee giving programs provide matched funds to nonprofit organizations that employees support as volunteers and donors. Since 2021, John Deere’s employees have helped direct over $20 million of foundation funds into their home communities, including:
- 559,000 hours of volunteerism, including more than 260,000 in 2023 alone
- $10.3 million in employees’ personal donations matched
- $8.9 million in rewards for employees’ volunteering
- 6,000 nonprofit organizations supported
“When John Deere employees volunteer for or give to causes that mean something to them, they create a ripple effect that has an immediate impact on individuals and families within our home communities,” said John May, CEO of John Deere and Chairman of the John Deere Foundation. “The John Deere Foundation has been a powerful catalyst for change since 1948 and we will continue to invest generously in organizations that help relieve and uplift our neighbors. It’s about treating people with honesty, integrity and respect—plain and simple.”
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