In 2018, we established a charitable foundation whose annual proceeds will provide a consistent revenue stream for charitable giving, for generations to come, independent of the company’s yearly earnings. Charitable contributions are divided between the foundation and the traditional annual corporate budget process.
Community Relations
OUR COMMUNITIES SUSTAIN US
Our communities sustain us and as such we actively give back and invest in their well being. Stewardship is a bedrock of our culture, and both our company and our employees strongly believe in donating their time, talents, and treasure to enrich lives and leave a lasting legacy.
Giving by the Numbers
Our long history and deep roots in Louisville, Kentucky make our hometown city our main focus, although we make community investments across our global locations, especially where we have a production presence.
As a major local employer for more than a century, Louisville remains at the center of our philanthropic efforts. On a global scale, 20 of our production and regional offices have a Civic Engagement Committee that decides how to best allocate our budgets to community needs and our priority impact areas. We’re especially active in Lynchburg, Tennessee, where Jack Daniel’s whiskey is made, and in Amatitán, Mexico, where our Casa Herradura tequila distillery is located.
$7.4M total monetary contributions from the Corporation, and $2.5 million distributed from the newly established Brown-Forman Foundation
Our employees have strong connections to their communities, and we foster these close relationships. Through opportunities to volunteer and donate, our people receive greater fulfilment by supporting those in need.
800Employees volunteered approximately 15,000 hours
127Employees serving on
non-profit boards
non-profit boards
We are proud of our longstanding commitment to the vitality of our hometown, a contribution that extends beyond dollars and cents.
In order to better understand the scale and breadth of the difference Brown-Forman makes, in 2015 we commissioned University of Louisville Emeritus Professor of Economics Paul Coomes to conduct an economic impact analysis. The study focused on the annual impact of Brown-Forman jobs on the Louisville region and the business generated by our local operations. Dr. Coomes organized data by two types of Brown-Forman jobs — distillery (including headquarters operations) and cooperage (wood barrel manufacturing) employment — as each requires different skills and training and a unique set of goods and services.
The study concluded that Brown-Forman’s presence results in the following estimated annual benefits for the Louisville region:
4,800Jobs
$340MWages and salaries
$34MTax revenues to Kentucky state and local government* based on 2015 data
Our company also makes significant contributions to the local travel and hospitality industry, the report found. Each year, our employees and business partners book over 2,200 rooms at downtown hotels, and generate enough airline business for at least 10,000 flights through the Louisville airport. This activity, in turn, directly supports a wide variety of local businesses, including restaurants, entertainment venues, transportation companies, and retail businesses.
