Reynolds companies’ giving programs are led by the director of community engagement programs and the vice president of corporate sustainability of Reynolds American, Inc., who also serve as the executive director and president, respectively, of the Reynolds American Foundation. The American Snuff Charitable Trust and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company Foundation are independently managed by their individual boards of directors.

Reynolds is focused on facilitating opportunities for employees to engage in the community, with the goal of increasing the number of employees participating in matching grant programs and volunteerism. This requires understanding our employees’ interests and effectively communicating activities and opportunities.

"The most rewarding aspect of being involved in these volunteer efforts is getting to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Reynolds’ support of our volunteer efforts proves that they value employees and the community at the same time." - Keith Lonon, senior area manager and United Way Days of Caring past chair

As a community leader, Reynolds often contributes corporate funds for sponsorships in key community events and activities to support community engagement for education, arts, social and economic development, and other priority areas as defined by employee interests.

Reynolds has developed a multi-year strategic plan to improve employee engagement, through giving and volunteerism, in the communities in which they work and live.

Employee-directed giving

Reynolds encourages employees to contribute time, talent and funds to community and nonprofit organizations that matter most to them. Employees of Reynolds are able to direct foundation and corporate funds through a variety of programs:

• The Reynolds American Foundation matches employee gifts to any nonprofit organizations or institutions of higher learning of their choice, up to $7,000 per employee per year.
• Every employee contribution to the United Way is matched by the Reynolds American Foundation.
• Employees may award a $500 grant to a nonprofit organization when they present the Right Decisions Right Now: Be Tobacco Free (RDRN) program. Employees can present the program, thus awarding grants, to an unlimited number of eligible nonprofit organizations.

Employee volunteerism

Employees of Reynolds companies are known throughout the communities where they work and live for their contributions of time and talent. Often, nonprofit organizations call upon Reynolds when seeking to fill leadership and board of director positions. We encourage employees to give their time by participating annually with colleagues in the United Way Days of Caring.

Reynolds contributes to the needs of the communities in which we operate through three independent foundations. The foundations support hundreds of national and local organizations that benefit our communities.

Reynolds American Foundation

The Reynolds American Foundation focuses its contribution resources in communities where a significant number of Reynolds employees live and work. Grants are made for one year only; applicants must reapply for additional funding.

In addition, the Reynolds American Foundation encourages employees’ community support through the Foundation’s Matching Grants Program and utilization of the scholarship program for children of employees.

American Snuff Company Charitable Trust

American Snuff Company Charitable Trust The American Snuff Company (ASC) Charitable Trust spreads its financial support across a broad range of organizations that have a demonstrated ability to assist people in need in its operating regions. Each year, ASC rotates a large donation among their locations of Clarksville, Memphis and Winston-Salem to make a significant contribution, most often to an organization that addresses basic human needs such as food, clothing and shelter.

Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company Foundation

The Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company (SFNTC) Foundation is dedicated to helping preserve, promote and advance American Indian culture. Using dedicated funds from the sale of SFNTC tobacco products, the Foundation’s three primary objectives are:

• Development of Native American entrepreneurs;
• Facilitation of Native American education; and
• Preservation of Native American languages.

The Reynolds’ foundations, corporate and employee giving broadly center on three critical areas: education, economic and social development, and arts and culture. Even so, our companies and employees have interests that don’t always fit neatly into these three categories, so we do address other issues of need.

Education

Reynolds and its foundations support public school and community programs that prepare children to enter school ready to learn, as well as programs that focus on improving academic performance in impacted schools working to better the outcomes of students. Improving education helps our communities thrive and contributes to a high-quality future workforce for our companies. Our National Merit Scholarship Program rewards the hard-working children of our employees and by providing support for their collegiate education.

Over the years, our educational giving also included support for:

• Project Impact, supporting the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools;
• Forsyth Technical Community College; and
• Winston-Salem State University.

Corporate and foundation giving is also coordinated with our youth tobacco prevention efforts, including the We Card Program and RDRN, our free YTP program.

Economic & social development

Supporting economic and social development of the communities where employees live and work is the right thing to do for our communities and our businesses. Contributing to the overall well-being of our communities creates an attractive environment for recruiting and retaining a high-performing talent base to our companies. We do this through the work of our foundations, gifts of land, buildings and cash, and employee volunteerism.

In addition to monetary donations, the Reynolds remains committed to ensuring that our companies’ formerly used facilities continue to play a vital role in economic development. Our giving heritage began with Richard Joshua Reynolds and his family’s donations of land and buildings to organizations such as Wake Forest University. In later years, our donations of land and property have led to the redevelopment of portions of downtown Winston-Salem to what is the now-vibrant Innovation Quarter, as well as the development of the former Whitaker Park manufacturing site.

Arts & culture

Reynolds and its foundations support preserving and promoting arts and culture, as well as preserving the history of our communities. The arts are vital to the vibrancy of our communities, benefit our current and future employees, and contribute to our local economies.