Grantmaking Guidelines

To apply for funding, first determine your organization’s and project’s eligibility based on the following criteria:

• Organizations requesting grants must be designated as tax-exempt by the Internal Revenue Service under Section 501c3. 
• Projects under consideration must address poverty reduction, hunger alleviation, waste reduction, and the promotion of responsible energy use in communities we touch through our purchases, manufacturing and distribution operations, or sales.
• Grant requests should be for $500 or more.
• Budget limitations and company policies prevent Green Mountain Coffee Roasters from providing financial support to the following*:
  • Organizations that are not tax-exempt under section 501c3 of the IRS tax code
  • Political, sectarian, fraternal or religious organizations, if the project does not benefit the general public.
  • Sponsorships of sporting events, athletic teams or individual athletes
  • Advertising
  • Individual youth clubs, troops, class projects, or school trips
  • Mass-market film or television productions
  • Discretionary or emergency requests
  • Units of government
  • Trips, tours, and/or travel expenses
  • Fees for participation in competitive programs
  • Lobbying organizations or activities
  • For-profit ventures
  • Academic research
  • Organizations that discriminate on basis of race, color, sex, religion, political opinion, nationality, social origin, or other legally-protected classification.

*This list is provided as a guideline, and is not all-inclusive.

If you determine that your organization and project are eligible for funding, please send us a Letter of Intent.  The Letter of Intent should include, at a minimum, the following elements:

• A description of your organization’s:
  • Mission,
  • Scope,
  • Goals, and
  • Recent accomplishments
• An outline of the project including:
  • How the project will address our core focus areas of poverty reduction, hunger alleviation, waste reduction, and the promotion of responsible energy use;
  • A statement describing how you will measure the success of your project;
  • Who the beneficiaries of this project will be;
  • The amount of request and how the grant funds will be used
  • Confirmation of the organization’s 501-(c) – 3 non-profit status
  • A plan for post-grant/project evaluation
  • Contact information for the grant applicant