Dr. Bronner’s Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: Dr. Bronner’s Family Foundation supports human rights, and immigrants and refugees, human rights, agriculture, animals and wildlife, and public health in places all over the world.
IP TAKE: Bronner’s expansive view of the “root causes” of immigration and displacement makes this an especially attractive funder for grantseekers. Applicants who can tie their project to the current refugee crisis will do well here.
The foundation does tend to support the same groups year after year, but its acceptance of unsolicited LOIs make this an approachable funder for new grantseekers. Its website is relatively easy to navigate; however, grantseekers should be aware that its program page is as wordy as the label on a bottle of Bronner’s soap, so be sure to read carefully.
PROFILE: Established in 2003, Dr. Bronner’s Family Foundation is an independent grantmaking organization that carries on the legacy of Emanuel Bronner’s activism and community service. Bronner was a third-generation soap-maker from a German-Jewish family who founded a top-selling natural soap brand in the U.S. He was also an activist who wanted to unite all people and promote the spirit of service. Today, the foundation is run by a family member/executive director and a board of family/company executives. The funder created a program to address the issues of refugees and migrants in 2019. It also collaborates with the company’s corporate giving program to facilitate grantmaking. Major giving interests include human rights, agriculture, animals and wildlife, public health, and immigrants and refugees.
Dr. Bronner’s Family Foundation is a separate entity from the Dr. Bronner’s company; however, much of the foundation’s grantmaking overlaps with the company’s corporate giving, and company executives sit on the foundation’s Board of Directors.
Grants for Human Rights, Immigrants and Refugees
While Bronner’s giving touches on a variety of causes, it currently only has one focused grantmaking program, The Migration Justice Initiative (MJI), which was created to address human rights challenges faced by immigrants and refugees.
While ostensibly, MJI’s purview would appear to be limited to supporting projects and programs focused on immigrants and refugees, the programs reach is broader than this and seeks to “address the root causes of suffering, intolerance, and injustice faced by migrants and refugees around the world in order to advance systemic change.” Bronner defines “root causes” broadly here and includes issues such as the persecution of ethnic minorities, racism, nationalist exclusionism, and displacement. Climate change is also housed under this umbrella, as are “inequities in […] existing social systems and legacies of colonialism, slavery, and genocide.”
Realistically, any group focused on a natural disaster, political upheaval, or other human rights catastrophe that results in a mass movement of people is eligible for funding under this program.
For more ideas about how to address issues faced by immigrants and refugees, including arts and media projects designed to shift the narrative, visit the Our Approach page. Grantseekers can view a list of previous grantees at the bottom of this page.
Grants for Food and Agriculture, Animals and Wildlife, Public Health
While the MJI program is Bronner’s only active program, the foundation does make grants in other areas, especially those that are tangentially related to immigrants, refugees, and human rights. Organizations it has supported that focus on food and agriculture include HarvestNet in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Food & Water Watch in Washington, DC. Other past grantees are Friends of the Earth, which supports climate action in addition to food and agriculture, and US Right to Know.
The Dr. Bronner’s company echoes the foundation’s support of food and agriculture groups through its Animal Advocacy program, which supports organizations working “to expose and reduce the suffering of animals and combat climate change, while advocating for healthier and more sustainable food systems—especially through the lens of an animal rights analysis.”
Grants for Public Health
The foundation does not have a public health program, but tax filings show an interest in funding this area. Past grantees include San Diego Brain Tumor Foundation, Gift of Water, and Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation.
Additionally, David Bronner and the Dr. Bronner company donated $5 million to Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies to support its interest in the therapeutic uses of MDMA for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Important Grant Details:
The Dr. Bronner’s Family Foundation accepts unsolicited Letters of Inquiry (LOI); however, it will only contact nonprofit organizations with projects that closely align with its current funding priorities. The majority of grant awards range from $2,500 to $50,000.
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