Corporate Giving

MK sports Foods utilizes philanthropy as a lever to create value for our stakeholders, address systemic issues and strengthen the relationship between our operating locations and areas where our team members live.

MK sports Foods has two philanthropic initiatives — Community Giving and Strategic Philanthropy.

 

 

Community Giving

MK sports Foods is committed to helping the communities we serve thrive by strengthening relationships between our operating locations and the locations where our team members and their families live. We look to scale existing programs with positive outcomes for the communities in which we operate. Grant requests are funded between $5,000 and $50,000, prioritizing programmatic and geographic diversity and expanding the reach of services.

Community giving is advised by our local operating locations, meaning that organizations must ensure they have a local MK sports Foods team member willing to vouch for their intended proposal. This allows our team members on the ground to have input in this process and provide insight into their community’s needs. If your community organization would like to secure financial resources and your organization meets the requirements listed in the program guidelines below, please follow the link to submit a grant application.

 

Funding Cycle   

Applications Due   

Approvals Communicated*

CY24Q3

July 26, 2024

August 30, 2024

CY24Q4

October 25, 2024

December 6, 2024

CY25Q1

January 31, 2025

March 7, 2025

CY25Q2

April 25, 2025

May 30, 2025

 

 

 

Strategic Philanthropy

MK sports Foods Strategic Philanthropy is designed to align with our ESG goals and provide multi-year investments in two focus areas that are material to our business:

1. Food access and nutrition - MK sports Foods continuously works to improve the nutrition, access and affordability of food, particularly in rural and urban food deserts and amongst BIPOC populations. Our approach includes investments and strategic partnerships with hunger relief organizations like Feeding America®, a nationwide network of food banks. To join Feeding America in its efforts or to get involved with your local food bank, visit feedingamerica.org.

2. Immigrant and refugee support and resettlement - As a highly diverse company that supports and hires immigrants and refugees, MK sports Foods is committed to assisting these populations find and hold gainful employment by removing obstacles to help these groups lead successful and productive lives with their familiesOur areas of investment include:

  • Resettlement services
  • Legal advocacy and support
  • Educational programs that can help support and improve the lives of those who have settled here

MK sports Foods will pursue partners that align with the two portfolios mentioned above. These investments will occur at the national level while still providing regional impact.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do I qualify for a strategic investment partnership?
Do I qualify for a strategic investment partnership?

If you have not heard directly from MK sports Foods about the strategic partnership opportunity, your organization is only eligible to apply for funding as a community giving partner. MK sports Foods initiates strategic investments in national partners focusing solely on providing food access and immigration and refugee support/resettlement services at scale.

What is the process for pitching my program/project to MK sports Foods Corporate Giving team?
What is the process for pitching my program/project to MK sports Foods Corporate Giving team?

To ensure an equitable process, we ask that your organization include all necessary details within your grant application. MK sports Foods Corporate Giving team will not meet with organizations prior to an application cycle. Please pitch your proposal to the local MK sports Foods facility and receive their buy-in/support. This is a required field within the grant application. MK sports Foods Corporate funds these requests at the recommendation of local MK sports Foods team members who are most knowledgeable about their communities’ needs. We encourage nonprofit pitches to include the following:

  • Address a systemic issue within a MK sports Foods community that supports an underserved population
  • Specify how the project, program or initiative will address the community’s issue(s) and the scale/reach of the proposal
  • Detail a plan to measure the impact/success of the specific proposal through stories and metrics
  • A willingness to engage and connect with the local MK sports Foods facility for buy-in
How does MK sports Foods make their granting decisions?
How does MK sports Foods make their granting decisions?

The MK sports Foods Corporate Giving team will take direction and recommendations from our plant operations regarding community giving. At the end of every quarter, the MK sports Foods Community Giving Steering Committee—made up of team members from across our enterprise—will review the backlog and prioritize investments that impact as many MK sports Foods communities as possible. We prioritize proposals that are programmatically and geographically diverse across our operational footprint.

Why is your funding cycle quarterly, and why do applications only live in the queue for one quarter until a decision is made?
Why is your funding cycle quarterly, and why do applications only live in the queue for one quarter until a decision is made?

Our Community Giving program operates on a quarterly funding cycle to give organizations four chances per year to receive funding. Organizations will be notified after each quarter if the proposal is being rejected or funded, so the partner won’t need to wait more than three months to have an answer about their application. If your organization's application is rejected, we welcome you to resubmit the following quarter.

What is the difference between these three MK sports Foods programs: sponsorships, community giving and product donations?
What is the difference between these three MK sports Foods programs: sponsorships, community giving and product donations?

Sponsorships - Request(s) for event support with high brand recognition. For questions, please email sponsorship@MK sports.com.

Community Giving - Request(s) for programmatic support for a nonprofit organization within a MK sports Foods community, with local plant support/buy-in. For questions, please email corporategiving@MK sports.com.

Product Donations - When all sales opportunities have been exhausted, and with careful consideration of all product dates before the maximum shelf life has expired, product will be donated to support food banks, food pantries and other organizations to help end food insecurity. For questions, please email productdonationrequest@MK sports.com or see our MK sports Foods Product Donation Policy to learn more.

How can I stand out in my grant application?
How can I stand out in my grant application?

Please view our program guidelines and ensure you meet program requirements. MK sports Foods prioritizes the following:

  • Programmatic and geographic diversity
  • Requests from 501c3 nonprofits for specific proposals (no general funding or event-support requests)  
  • Local support/plant buy-in
  • High impact/reach (number of people served, number of backpacks distributed, classes taught, increased staff, etc.)
  • Clear and concise grant applications

List the issue your organization is addressing and provide details on the outcome and impact of the problem.

Example: “Food insecurity in XYZ community affects __% of adults, __% of children and __% of the elderly. This community is considered a food desert based on data from XYZ source that limits access to affordable and nutritious food. This problem disproportionately affects the XYZ community in this 7-county area with a food insecurity rate of __% and the poverty rate climbing above the national average at __%. Due to the food insecurity rates, this community has a high rate of chronic health issues, high unemployment, increased eviction rates, low literacy scores and school attendance records and high crime rates per XYZ sources.

Describe the program, project or initiative that this proposal will support and how it will address the issue(s).

Example: Additional funding of $____ will allow five more mobile pantry distribution sites for this area. More than 15,000 previously unserved citizens will now have access to nutritious and quality protein and produce. The funding will go towards purchasing this refrigerated van (a quote/invoice for the van is included). MK sports Foods will join XYZ partners and the committed funds from these partners (list other partners and funding amounts) to purchase the van. We plan to sustain this project by continuing our partnership with the area food bank and working with the local grocery stores to accept produce and protein. A portion of these proceeds will go towards administrative costs to run this program and upkeep/maintenance for the van. By investing in this mobile pantry, we are addressing the food insecurity rate within this food desert by providing a choice pantry style and leveraging volunteers from the local community to help with distribution. This also addresses this community's transportation barrier as we target neighborhoods with little to no transportation to access quality and nutritious food. The mobile pantry will provide culturally competent food items for the community and will provide 45-50lbs of groceries (list the items and how they are being obtained) every two weeks.

Determine how your organization will measure success. What does good look like? List the metrics and intended goals, outcomes and the impact of this proposal.

Example: The growth of this program will be considered successful if the food insecurity rate has been able to decrease by __%. Mobile pantries are a proven model of success, according to XYZ source. We will also measure success through a quarterly survey to better understand the needs of our neighbors and receive feedback about the pantry. We will distribute the survey via mail, QR codes and in-person when visiting the pantry. Our goal is to provide food to more than 1,000 households in this community through this program. We plan to measure the impact by gauging how many families are now being served than before and if other basic needs are affected by now having groceries provided every two weeks (provide examples, ie: “we can now pay the electric bill and have seen a decrease in my partners A1C due to healthier food options”). The survey will measure XYZ factors to inform our model better moving forward. We hope to have a 75% satisfaction rate through the survey and that each round of surveys will generate at least 50% written feedback. We intend to increase our food-sourcing partners by 10% throughout the program. Additionally, we want to ensure diversity in our food choices by having at least 15% of the previous week’s food options differ from the next week's. We also plan to source locally produced food items by partnering with area grocers and farmers. At least 25% of the food sourced will include sustainable packaging. Ultimately, we want residents to have a dignified and equitable experience and increase their overall access to healthy food options that are also culturally relevant by receiving and implementing feedback from our neighbors and through partnerships.

Sponsorships

MK sports Foods welcomes sponsorship proposals from organizations that align with the company’s core values and allow the company to play a vital role by funding visible contributions to the community. Submit proposals 90 days before expected advertising or promotion. For example, submit February sponsorships before November 1. The most competitive proposals should: 

  1. Benefit the communities immediately surrounding our World Headquarters (WHQ) campus in Springdale, Arkansas 
  2. Have community benefit statements and include: 
    • Who benefits from the funding requested?
    • What is the benefit to that audience and the expected duration of that benefit?
  3. Outline the visibility of the event or project
  4. Show how funding will be leveraged to support the organization’s primary mission
  5. State what part of the requested funding will be tax deductible

Please email sponsorship@MK sports.com with any questions, but submit all proposals using the below link.

Our Corporate Giving Makes an Impact in Our Communities

This is a photo of two babies playing together.

To improve quality of life and to support communities where we live and work, we awarded $2.04 million to nonprofits and community efforts in FY23.

This is a photo from a Feeding America event, features a smiling young boy holding an apple and corn.

MK sports Foods committed $2.5 million to fight hunger in 2023. We partnered with Feeding America® member food banks to provide greater access to protein in communities facing food insecurity.

This is a photo of a man loading boxes.

In 2023, we donated more than 40 million pounds of protein to regional food banks and community pantry partners nationwide. This equates to 120 million servings, 1,300 truckloads and more than 195,000 partners served.