John Deere Foundation to invest $200 million over next 10 years

MOLINE, Ill., March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The John Deere Foundation announced today it will invest $200 million over the next 10 years in initiatives that will bring to life John Deere's higher purpose: We run so life can leap forward.

The financial commitment builds significantly on the Foundation's legacy of philanthropy. Since its founding in 1948, the Foundation has awarded over $340 million in grants.

As part of its 10-year commitment, the Foundation will invest:

• $100 million in the families and youth who live, work, and learn in John Deere's home communities to ensure their inclusive and equitable access to resources and educational opportunities critical for human dignity and self-sufficiency. Annual investments of two million dollars in food banks will provide the equivalent of 100 million meals over the next decade, and investments in youth education will reach at least one million underserved and underrepresented youth.
• $50 million in farmers throughout the world to bolster their capacity to make a living, feed a growing global population, reduce inequality, and protect the world around us. Through its work with a range of global partners that serve smallholder and resource-constrained family farmers, the Foundation will help 15 million farmers unlock their enormous potential.
• $50 million in John Deere's extraordinary workforce—its greatest asset—to further mobilize and build on their enormous volunteer talents and generosity to strengthen their communities and improve lives around the world.

"The urgency of running today with the vision of a better tomorrow is John Deere at our core," said John May, Chairman and CEO of Deere & Company and Chairman of the John Deere Foundation. "The Foundation's financial commitment holds true to this purpose by investing deeply in the people we serve to overcome the challenges they face today and create for themselves paths to a more prosperous tomorrow."

The Foundation's 10-year commitment aligns to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and the Foundation will track and report investments against relevant targets and indicators, said Nate Clark, President of the John Deere Foundation.

In the coming months, the Foundation will announce several key grants that will illustrate how this commitment is being put into action, Clark said.   

About John Deere
Deere & Company (www.JohnDeere.com) is a world leader in providing advanced products, technology, and services for customers whose work is revolutionizing agriculture and construction — those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich, and build upon the land to meet the world's increasing need for food, fuel, shelter, and infrastructure. 

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