Gifts In Kind International Receives $2.75 Million Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Fund Global Expansion of Product Philanthropy

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia -- Gifts In Kind International, a nonprofit organization providing charitable organizations access to product and service donations, has been awarded a grant of $2.75 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a global partnership to expand its operations worldwide. Gifts In Kind will build a global delivery system allowing manufacturers and retailers to make product contributions to nonprofit organizations addressing health and human services needs around the world.

In cooperation with Partners of the Americas and United Way International, Gifts In Kind will launch local Gifts In Kind programs in six sites around the world this year, including cities in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. Current plans call for 30 Gifts In Kind-affiliated organizations to be developed over the next 10 years.

"Gifts In Kind's global partners were chosen because of their capacity in related sectors of the world, as well as their experience and expertise in health and human services," said Susan Corrigan, Gifts In Kind's President and Chief Executive Officer. Corrigan added that Gifts In Kind is working with other partners to continue its global expansion.

"This global delivery system will follow the Gifts In Kind model that has been so successful in North America," said Corrigan. "Product philanthropy is growing nationally and globally, especially as companies expand their markets abroad. With this additional capacity, Gifts In Kind will be able to encourage companies to increase product contributions worldwide and reach nonprofits around the world with the products they need to help people."

"Gifts in Kind improves access to important products such as clothing, building materials, office supplies and educational materials," William H. Gates Sr., Co-Chair & CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said. "We are pleased to support such an organization, which will improve people's lives around the world by bringing vital supplies closer to those in need."

Gifts In Kind is seeking matching grants to fund activities involved with its global expansion. "We are delighted that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given us the seed money we need to begin this important new initiative," Corrigan said.

Gifts In Kind International partners with businesses and charities to provide quality products and services that improve lives in communities around the world. As the world's leading charity in the field of product philanthropy, Gifts in Kind provides charities access to more than $350 million annually in product and service donations. Manufacturers and retailers, including 30 percent of the Fortune 500 companies, rely on Gifts In Kind's free services to design and manage the donation process.

Partners of the Americas is a network of permanent linkages among professionals, institutions and communities across the hemisphere. Partners of the Americas pairs 45 U.S. states and the District of Columbia with 31 Latin American and Caribbean countries to form 60 partnerships.

United Way International helps build community capacity for a better quality of life worldwide through voluntary giving and action. United Way International's extensive worldwide network includes more than 3,000 affiliates in 35 countries and territories on six continents.