Corporate Responsibility

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Corporate Responsibility

Community Contributions

Major Contributions by World Area by Monsanto Fund

Pledge Award Winners

We believe in strengthening the communities in which we operate. Through charitable giving, employee volunteer efforts, and collaboration with local organizations, Monsanto people take action to help others in need.

Helping in Our Communities through Philanthropy
Monsanto's philanthropic efforts are spearheaded by the Monsanto Fund, which supports organizations and programs as varied as the places around the globe where we do business. The Monsanto Fund's goal is to improve the lives of people by bridging the gap between their needs and their resources. We provide support in four areas:

  1. Science education, with grants to communities near Monsanto facilities for programs that support science literacy.
  2. Helping families learn more about sustainable agriculture and ways to improve nutrition, including research about alleviating vitamin deficiency and reducing the impact of pests on subsistence crops.
  3. Work that benefits the environment, including programs that promote environmental education and awareness, improve water quality, protect wildlife habitats, and encourage conservation.
  4. Community efforts, including arts and cultural events, local school projects, human needs programs, and community services projects.

The Monsanto Fund's total contributions for 2005 were $12.6 million. The amount given to organizations outside the United States during that period was $4.9 million. More information on charitable contributions is available in the 2004-05 Monsanto Fund Global Contributions Report or at www.monsantofund.org.

After Katrina, Employees Help Restore Plant, Community, and Each Other's Lives
Hurricane Katrina, one of the largest natural disasters ever to strike the United States, affected the lives of millions of people in the Gulf Coast region. More than 204,000 homes sustained damage from the August 2005 storm.1 Monsanto's Roundup agricultural herbicide manufacturing plant in Luling, Louisiana, is located just 25 miles upriver from New Orleans, and its operations and employees were affected. Our teams took quick action to prepare for and respond to the storm, which helped to limit its effect on the plant's operations, our employees, and the Luling community. After the storm passed, our employees looked for other ways to help coworkers, their families, and other New Orleans community members.

As the storm approached, the Luling team activated its hurricane plan and began shutting down production. The plant was safely shut down and secured within 24 hours. Damage to the plant from the hurricane was moderate. However, restarting the plant was an unprecedented challenge. The plant was affected by the loss of electricity across the region, limited generator power, a lack of transportation and fuel in the region, and no communications. To address these challenges, a Hurricane Katrina Crisis Team was formed. Through its efforts, the plant was back to full operation four days after power was restored.

Just as important, however, was the well-being of our employees. Immediately following the storm, a team began locating employees who had scattered throughout the country. Employee contacts were facilitated through our Internet site. An extensive network of employee-to-employee contacts emerged. All 659 employees were located within one week. Some employees even helped with the overall rescue of New Orleans residents.

Eighty-two Luling employees and their families could not live in their homes because of extensive damage. Our teams worked to provide housing assistance to those who were displaced. The Monsanto Fund pledged $1 million to regional relief efforts and set up an employee-to-employee donation program. Through this program, Monsanto employees and retirees gave $95,000 to aid their colleagues. Luling employees have also been helping each other. The Luling Plant Volunteer Corps, a team of more than 75 employees and family members, have been helping others with demolition, cleanup, and repair of homes damaged by the hurricane.

It may be many years before the New Orleans area fully heals, but the efforts of our employees in Luling and around the world showed that we pull together in a crisis. Because of this teamwork, Monsanto's Roundup business, our employees' families, and the Luling community were better able to weather the storm.

  1. Thomasson, D. (2006, August 29). One year forward: Gulf Coast revival will take longer than expected. Evansville Courier and Press.