Levi Strauss Foundation to give $1 million in grants to fight discrimination

By

Rebecca Taras

Published
May 18, 2017

Created in 1952, the Levi Strauss Foundation—the philanthropic arm of parent company Levi Strauss & Co—just announced that it is giving $1 million in grants to organizations in the U.S. and overseas for the protection of groups that include all types of populations: religious minorities and immigrants (like Levi Strauss himself) to refugees and the transgender community.

While no doubt a strategic move given the current social climate, the Levi Strauss Foundation has already been supporting these groups for years. Since these communities are growing around the world, the foundation decided to step up its support.

The $1-million-dollar donation will go towards legal support, advocacy, education and mobilization, benefiting organizations such as Define American, Live Free, the Transgender Law Center, United We Dream and the Council on American-Islamic Relations San Francisco. “Discrimination and stigma are anathemas to our core values,” said Daniel Lee, executive director of the Levi Strauss Foundation.

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The Levi Strauss Foundation has a reputation for supporting issues that are both urgent and controversial. It was one of the first advocates in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.