Frontier Co-op Gives Near and Far

“Social giving is a major component of Frontier Co-op’s unique cooperative business model,” said Tony Bedard, CEO. “We believe that being a co-op obligates us to leverage our success in support of our members’ ideals—recognizing that our success is due in part to the fact that we so closely share those ideals. Our participation in all the communities affected by our co-op, from the smallest local opportunity to the world community, is a core value that drives our actions.”

The Frontier Co-op Foundation fund was established at the Community Foundation in 2000 as a philanthropic vehicle to support social, educational, and environmental causes. In 14 years, through the Community Foundation, Frontier has made more than 110 grants totaling more than $500,000 to a variety of nonprofit organizations. Additional gifts from the organization’s own charitable funds total nearly one million dollars, increasing their philanthropic impact.

“Frontier is an international company with a strong commitment to community,” said Karla Twedt-Ball, Senior Vice President at the Community Foundation. “We are pleased to be their philanthropic partner to support local initiatives, as well as help facilitate their national strategy to support work that aligns with their core values.”

As holders of donor-advised funds, Frontier is equally proud to partner with the Community Foundation to facilitate their grantmaking process.

“The Community Foundation is a great help to us to efficiently manage our grant request process,” said Bedard. “Working with them gives us the confidence to know that our funds will be managed and distributed to qualifying nonprofit organizations throughout the communities in which we work.”

“We have a social spending objective to support causes that are in alignment with our mission and values,” said Bedard. “And so our giving strategy concentrates on supporting organic research education and grower development. As a leading supplier of organic herbs and spices, we hold a leadership position, not only in the marketplace, but also in the effort to convert food producers to sustainable farming and production practices. Our work is driven by the belief that fostering environmental responsibility is crucial to our world’s future.”

Frontier also believes in supporting the communities where their employees live and championing their own charitable work. This has led to supporting many local organizations.   “Our employees are a critical part of our community giving,” added Bedard. “They not only champion local causes but they also combine their own time and resources with Frontier’s to support a wide array of worthy causes.”