A Look at the Altria Companies Employee Community Fund’s Philanthropic Approach in Virginia

It goes without saying that the tobacco industry in America is controversial, even as U.S. tobacco production has decreased significantly in recent decades. Tobacco companies are still spending a fortune marketing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, while some manufacturers are shifting gears toward electronic products that can give users a false sense of safety. Yet that hasn’t stopped some tobacco companies from diversifying their portfolios and venturing into the world of corporate philanthropy.

One example is the Altria Group, which works through wholly-owned subsidiaries and strategic investments to hold diversified positions in tobacco, alcohol and cannabis. Altria’s vision is to “responsibly lead the transition of adult smokers to a smoke-free future,” and part of its social responsibility campaign extends to awarding grants in the places where company employees live and work.

Here’s a look at the Altria Companies Employee Community Fund (ACECF) and how it supports communities in its home state of Virginia and beyond.

Focus areas

Altria pursues initiatives that promote the long-term welfare of the company, its stakeholders, society and the environment. Altria believes the most critical issues to drive this progress relate to environmental, social and governance matters.

These are Altria’s overarching responsibility focus areas:

Protect the environment
Drive responsibility through a value chain
Reduce harm of tobacco products
Prevent underage use
Support people and communities
Engage and lead responsibly

Grantmaking interests of ACECF

In recent years, these have been the top grantmaking interests of ACECF:

Hunger relief
Homelessness
Services to seniors
Youth development
Youth with disabilities
Emergency services
Homelessness
Domestic violence

However, Altria has defined new goals to benefit its people and communities by 2025. Some of these goals are internal, such as increasing the diversity of its leadership team and helping its employees thrive in uncertain environments. But another big goal is to advance racial, social and economic equity in Altria communities, which will likely impact the company’s grantmaking in the years ahead. Altria’s environmental goals — reducing the company’s environmental impact and addressing climate change — may also impact how the corporate philanthropy awards grants to conserve natural resources in local communities.

How ACECF Works

ACECF is a company-sponsored fund that lets employees working for the subsidiaries of Altria Group, plus other interested donors, make contributions to support local nonprofits. These nonprofits operate in communities where Altria-affiliated employees live and work. The fund is based in Richmond, Virginia, so much of its grantmaking is centered there. Besides Virginia, other states in focus for ACEF are Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington, DC.

Overall, ACECF is an employee-driven workplace giving program in which employee committees manage fundraising campaigns, the grantmaking selection process and marketing. This fund has been around since 2000 and stands out for how employee-driven it is. Altria employees really do control where grant dollars go and what topics the fund supports.

Therefore, this is not the most accessible or transparent funder for first-time or unaffiliated grantseekers. It does not provide a straightforward way for nonprofits to get in touch or apply for grants. However, ACECF has awarded over $2.5 million in annual grants recently, so it may be worth a phone call to inquire whether any opportunities currently exist.

Learn more about grantmakers that focus on Virginia and West Virginia in this IP funding guide.

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