Our vehicle for change, THE BIG PITCHER is our corporate giving platform designed to give back to the causes that mean the most to us. Our goal is to be intentional with every partnership, ensuring meaningful impact in the communities we serve. Here are our three main focus areas:
ENVIRONMENT
Protecting and Restoring Our Waters and Forests
WATER. We brew our beer using the largest fresh surface water system on earth – The Great Lakes – which provides 48 million people with fresh water. We believe restoring water is one of the greatest ways we can give back to our environment.
We’ve partnered with Freshwater Future to protect our Great Lakes and ensure access to clean and safe water. We value Freshwater Future’s approach by supporting the creation of the Flint Community Lab to provide Flint residents with trusted resources for free water testing of lead and other pollutants. Across the Great Lakes region, Freshwater Future provides a network for thousands of water advocates to connect, share and learn about drinking water from its source to the tap, building community structures that elevate local voices in the quest for clean, affordable and accessible water.
Our values align: Safe. Clean. Accessible.
Safe. Families can trust that their tap water, well water, and places of recreation are free of harmful contaminants and toxic chemicals.
Clean. Preserved wetland ecosystems and well-engineered infrastructure filter pollutants and keep wastewater out of waterways.
Accessible. Communities have abundant, well-maintained, and affordable public access to rivers, lakes and drinking water.
FORESTS.
To help reduce CO2, improve air quality and promote healthy communities, Founders has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 50,000 trees in 2022, restoring forests across the United States.
ARTS & CULTURE
Where Would We Be Without Our Local Communities?
We work with various groups to support the communities where we live, work and play. We have created a company culture where art, music and cultural dialogue are encouraged and fostered. We deliberately support and partner with diverse organizations to be a part of the growth that these can bring.
Grand Rapids Murals
Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
Artist Next Door Series on WDET Detroit NPR
Grand Rapids Asian Pacific Festival
Hispanic Center of West Michigan
ACCESSIBILITY
We support improving connections to outdoor spaces and reducing the costs associated with getting outside!
We value our natural resources and think everyone should have access to basic needs like water supply and food security, including healthy lifestyle options.
Farming is a source of our food supply. When the agriculture industry does well, fewer people go hungry. A key focus of ours will be land access – this is the number one issue facing farmers in our network. We’ve partnered with the National Young Farmers Coalition to ensure farmers have access to land, develop a more equitable farm system to uplift young and BIPOC farmers and provide resources to the next generation of working farmers.
GRASSROOTS
This is our non-profit application process. We will work with organizations that support our three focus areas above. This support will have partnership opportunities to further our community relationships and find ways to serve the community together and create awareness both internally and externally.