Nestlé Cares for Communities
Nestlé Cares for Communities supports those organizations which make our communities good places to live.
At Nestlé, we unlock the power of food to enhance the quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come. Our approach to community giving reflects the integration of both our business strengths and commitment to addressing societal needs.
Why we care for communities
Our founder Henri Nestlé understood the power of giving to the community where he found success - the place he called home and loved. He believed that when your neighbor does well, you do well. We are determined to continue this legacy through Nestlé Cares for Communities, which helps amplify the impact of our partners’ work in the communities that made us who we are today. We put these communities at the heart of our giving strategy, focusing on the regions where our employees live and work.
Communities at the heart of our giving strategy
We strive to be a good neighbor and a trusted partner in the community by listening to the needs of the organizations we support. We respond to these needs with product donations, financial grants, sponsorships, in-kind donations, and employee giving initiatives. Nestlé Cares for Communities focuses on four pillars which link back to communities’ needs and our purpose and values. We aim to:
- Respond to communities in crisis through disaster relief efforts.
- Tackle food insecurity by providing access to healthier foods.
- Enhance the quality of life by fostering vibrant community life.
- Empower our employees to deliver meaningful local impact.
CHF
120
million
+
100
projects
CHF
161,317,000
Learn more in the Social Disclosures section of our 2025 Non-Financial Statement (pdf, 18Mb).
How we care for communities
The Nestlé Cares for Communities initiative is built around four pillars that address community needs while reflecting our mission and values.
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Disaster relief We help our communities when disasters strike, and accompany them in the recovery phase, through dedicated front-line support and assistance via global or local partners. Our main partners include the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and World Central Kitchen (WCK).
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Food access We tackle food insecurity and food waste by helping people in need have access to healthier foods and work to make them part of the community through shared meals and services. The Nestlé Food Bank Alliance supports local food banking efforts on the ground, collaborating on food waste reduction initiatives, and enhancing employee giving opportunities.
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Community life We foster a vibrant, joyful and dynamic community life through support of events and platforms that make our communities a good place to live. We focus on activities that nurture young talents in sports and culture.
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Employee giving We empower employees to deliver meaningful local impact by providing opportunities to volunteer, donate goods and fundraise through our community partners.
How to submit a support request
Nestlé maintains many valued, long-standing partnerships both internationally and locally, which we prioritize to ensure the greatest impact. In exceptional cases, we may be able to support additional programs that align with our global framework.
For project support within a single country (including Switzerland), please direct your request to the local Nestlé entity. You can find the relevant contact information in our global contact directory.
If your request is for a global program, please submit it to [email protected].
If you are seeking support for a project in our HQ community of Canton de Vaud which brings positive value to community life, you can learn more about our grant application criteria and process here.
We strive to be the neighbor of choice for our communities through purposeful giving, engaging with a number of partners at an international and local level.
Discover our partners
Nestlé works closely with a wide range of international and local partners to improve the well-being of communities around the world. Through these collaborations, we aim to make a lasting, positive impact by addressing key challenges.
Learn more about our partners.
Nestlé works closely with a wide range of international and local partners to improve the well-being of communities around the world. Through these collaborations, we aim to make a lasting, positive impact by addressing key challenges.
Meet the partners we support globally
Nestlé Cares for Communities in action
We put communities at the heart of our giving activities. Nestlé engages with numerous partners at an international and local level to contribute to the well-being of the community.
At a global level, we proactively support our global partners, The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and World Central Kitchen , and The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) to facilitate help on the ground for people in need. By focusing on our combined strengths, we work together towards mutual giving aims.
In 2025, three quarters of Nestlé giving, valued at CHF 161.3 million, was made up of product donations mainly to foodbanks or disaster relief agencies. Our support of global partners through both financial and product donations includes:
- helping the IFRC to support over 2 million people in 2025 suffering from acute food insecurity across 15 African countries through their Zero Hunger Initiative.
- contributing to the IFRC's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) targeting 14.5 million people in 2025 with CHF 77.4 million allocated to 170 disaster operations.
- aiding WCK's response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises with more than 130 million meals distributed in 2025 to individuals and families affected by disasters.
- Launching The Nestlé Foodbank Alliance, uniting Nestlé's long-standing partnerships with The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN), Feeding America® (FA), and the European Food Banks Federation (FEBA). The global initiative is designed to expand access to food and reduce food waste around the world, donating 9.2 million kilos in 2024 through partner networks across more than 100 food banks.
And in Switzerland, where our founder’s journey began
At the Montreux Jazz Festival, one of the world's most iconic music events attracting 250,000 spectators annually, we welcome visitors to our dedicated Nestlé Terrace. Our ongoing involvement with the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation promotes young Swiss talent and nurtures the next generation of Montreux Jazz headliners.
As the main sponsor of the Septembre Musical Montreux-Vevey, we proudly support this historic classical music festival, the longest-running in Switzerland. In 2022, we launched Septembre Musical Jeunesse to inspire young musicians and enhance youth access to the region's vibrant music scene.
Nestlé proudly serves as the naming partner of the Montreux Nestlé Open WTA 125, the largest women's tennis tournament in Switzerland, showcasing our commitment to promoting women's sports and fostering community engagement.
We support the Fondation Images Vevey and its internationally renowned biennial photography festival. In collaboration with Images Vevey, we created the Nestlé Images Art Prize to recognize exceptional talent and celebrate artistic excellence.
Nestlé is the Youth Partner for the Béjart Ballet, having established a robust plan with various activities aimed at bringing youth together around culture, particularly in dance.
Nestlé sponsors a concert evening, inviting a multitude of Swiss, German, and international stakeholders.
We have dedicated volunteer activities. Additionally, we developed a new initiative to support the development of Anabase, an online queue management system for food distribution, provided free to local organizations.
We maintain a long-term partnership supporting the program and the mediation project. Nestlé has also become the main sponsor of the newly created theatre, le Petit Reflet, for children and youth.
We support CA-RL through regular product donations and volunteer efforts, providing essential assistance to over 10,000 individuals and families each week.
We have established a youth partnership with the Museum for their mediation program, which also provides space for the winners of the Nestlé Art Prize to showcase their work.
The partnership fosters residencies offered to key community partners, creating a robust creative ecosystem. Artists at both local and international levels benefit from these residencies, nurturing their development.
We are committed to nurturing the tennis stars of tomorrow. Through the 'Road to Montreux by Nestlé' circuit, we encourage young players from the Vaud region to compete, fostering their passion for the game and strengthening community ties.
Nestlé organises summer camps for youth, including the Meeting du Lac Nestlé, which gathers over 500 swimmers for a full weekend. We also provide a fund to support families of young swimmers who face difficulties affording membership.
Our partnership is centered on promoting youth development and ensuring that basketball is accessible to all young athletes in the community. We do so through grants that cover membership fees and support for essential equipment as well as summer camps, offering young players the opportunity to enhance their skills.
The Nestlé Academy has been established focusing on coach development, summer camps, and year-round training for youth. In 2025, we will host the first Nestlé Cup, a football tournament for local teams.
The partnership includes support for the residency program, bringing dancers to the region and enhancing its visibility. The second aspect involves the MIRKIDS project, a mediation activity welcoming children into the world of dance.
In partnership with the Bonmont Masters, Nestlé offers young players an exclusive opportunity to meet tennis personalities participating in the tournament.
Together with Paint a Smile and the Ville de Vevey, we established a partnership to support the renovation of schoolyards in identified schools in Vevey.
