Issues We Support
The majority of research and studies on poverty conducted by the World Bank and other institutions indicate that the most crucial issues for poverty alleviation are lack of access to education and appropriate health services; lack of income-earning or asset-building opportunities; and cultural or institutional inequities.
As a corporate foundation with modest resources, the Levi Strauss Foundation has prioritized its funding areas after carefully considering these research findings and others, examining the gaps in funding by other foundations as well as governments, and looking at the legacy of philanthropic focus and leadership by the foundation and the company.
We have identified three specific program areas where we seek to have the most significant impact to alleviate poverty among women and youth. These are building assets; preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS by addressing stigma and discrimination and funding education and harm-reduction programs such as syringe access; and improving the working and living standards of garment workers through a global workers’ rights initiative.
We seek to collaborate with other institutions and to fund innovative programs that will foster positive, long-term social change. We believe that by addressing these issues in the communities where we have a business presence, we can provide people with important tools to help them break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.