There are thousands of charities which rely almost exclusively on donations from the public to survive and perform their valuable civic duties; charities which would almost certainly fall if not for some of the most charitable companies in America. Despite the generosity of millions of Americans who donate some of their hard-earned money to their favorite causes, many of these charities simply wouldn’t survive without the overwhelming support they receive from wealthy corporations, who donate millions of dollars annually in cash and products to worthy causes.
This perhaps comes as a surprise to some, as the US is often seen as the epitome of a greedy, capitalistic society, whose corporations are only interested in amassing as many zeroes as possible on their bottom lines. Yet a quick glance at our previous list on The 10 Most Charitable Countries in the World reveals that the US is indeed one of the top ten most giving nations on Earth, and the most charitable companies in America play a big role in those results. Just where did they place? Who, if anyone, eclipsed their giving nature? Check out the list to find out.
Our upcoming list details both the cash and product donations of each company, though the list is based solely on the amount of cash donated. This actually leaves our second place finisher slightly behind the top cash donator, though they were the only company to donate over $1 billion in both cash and products combined (and no one else even came close).
Are you curious to see now which companies are the most charitable companies in America? Read on to find out just how friendly your neighborhood corporations really are.
No: 10. Google
Amount Donated: $144,606,000 (cash), $1,000,000,000 (products)
Our countdown begins with one of the wealthiest companies in the world, none other than Google. Empowering the community through their resources is their primary concern. The company stands up against child and sexual abuse online by enabling reporting on sites, protects wildlife and poaching through tagging and analytical software, provides women and minorities with coding programs, and provides relief from natural disasters.
No: 9. Target Corporation
Amount Donated: $147,038,722 (cash), $76,554,400 (products)
Target Corporation is one of those companies that constantly aims to give something back to the community. Last year they had a million of their employees work on projects of their choice with the objective of increasing their services by 1 million hours. By 2015, Target plans to spend about a million dollars on education in addition to their well provided community service.
No: 8. Kroger
Amount Donated: $161,500,000 (cash)
The company donated 10.9 percent of their profit to charity in 2010, and a total of 200 million meals towards hunger relief. Kroger worked to reduce their carbon footprint by 5 percent, raised about $8.4 million to fund USO programs, recycled 32 million pounds of plastic, and donated $21 million for breast cancer treatment.
No: 7. JPMorgan Chase & Company
Amount Donated: $183,471,434 (cash)
JPMorgan Chase & Company makes it to No.7 of our list thanks to their outstanding contributions to hunger relief and education programs.
No: 6. Bank of America
Amount Donated: $186,815,007 (cash), $36,047,361 (products)
The Bank of America stresses community development, women’s empowerment, social and environmental awareness, and the military, which is why the bank invested about $106 billion dollars towards the development of low income housing, and has contributed $570 billion dollars since 2009.
No: 5. Exxon Mobil Corporation
Amount Donated: $213,374,183 (cash), $2,433,200 (products)
At number five we have The ExxonMobil Corporation, which took a step toward prevention efforts with the ExxonMobil Malaria Initiative. Since 2000, death rates caused by malaria have dropped by more than 25%. The company has also invested and contributed to education programs, teacher training programs, and women’s education in 90 countries.
No: 4. Goldman Sachs Group
Amount Donated: $241,278,912 (cash)
The investment firm has created quite an impressive network of non-profit and educational partners. In 2011, they donated nearly 4% of their profits. They have taken initiatives through several programs to provide education in business, and mentorships for women.
No: 3. Chevron Corporation
Amount Donated: $262,430,000 (cash)
This company, in partnership with Global Funds contributed $5 million to fighting against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis in Nigeria. The corporation’s mass contribution of $55 million saved nearly 9 million lives.
No: 2. Walmart
Amount Donated: $311,607,280 (cash) $755,868,381 (products)
Walmart’s primary concerns are hunger relief and healthy eating. Last year, the company gave nearly $1.3 billion globally and about $2 billion in the United States to fight hunger. The company also provided food relief for children suffering from malnutrition in Mexico.
No: 1. Wells Fargo & Company
Amount Donated: $315,845,766 (cash)
In addition to donating staggering amounts to different charities, Wells Fargo & Company contributes about 1.3% of their profits to benefiting low income communities suffering from financial challenges, which ultimately landed them in the top spot on our list.
