International Paper's Pensacola Mill Awards $70,000 in IP Foundation Grants to Community Organizations

Jan 27, 2021 12:35 PM ET
International Paper mascot Pinelope poses with a grant check. Company representatives typically present checks to each grant recipient, but it did not happen this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PENSACOLA, Fla., January 27, 2021 /3BL Media/ – International Paper’s Pensacola Mill awarded $70,000 in International Paper Foundation grants to 26 local organizations, demonstrating the company’s commitment to education, hunger, health and wellness, disaster relief and initiatives that improve our planet.

“We are pleased to support local organizations in their efforts to make a difference in education, hunger, health and wellness,” said Whitney Fike, International Paper Communications Manager. “Our company cannot succeed if our communities do not succeed, and these grants are an investment in our family, friends and neighbors.”  

Local community organizations and their projects awarded grants for 2020:

  • Autism Pensacola - Kids for Camp 2021

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida - Defending Potential 

  • Children’s Home Society – Community Partnership School: Closing the Digital Divide

  • Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE) – Be Ready Pensacola

  • Council on Aging of West Florida – Foster Grandparents

  • Ernest Ward Middle School – For the Love of Reading! 

  • Every Child a Reader in Escambia (ECARE) – Books for Break 

  • Feeding the Gulf Coast – Weekend Backpacks for Children

  • FoodRaising Friends – Food Giveaway Funding

  • Gulf Coast Kids House – PPE for Medical Professionals 

  • Institute for Human and Machine Cognition – Science Saturdays 

  • Jim Allen Elementary School – Ready to Read!

  • Junior Achievement of Northwest Florida – First Grade Jr. Achievement at McArthur Elementary School 

  • Keep Santa Rosa Beautiful – Learning about Butterflies 

  • Kingsfield Elementary – Ready to Read! 

  • Manna Food Pantries – COVID-19 Relief 

  • Miracle League of Northeast Pensacola – Keeping the ballfields green 

  • Pace Center for Girls – The EmpowHERment Project 

  • Pensacola Children’s Chorus – Preparatory Choir 

  • Pensacola MESS Hall – Audio visual for virtual programming 

  • Pensacola United Methodist Community Ministries – Hot, Healthy Meals

  • Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida – Hope for Hurting Families 

  • Studer Community Institute – Brian Bags 

  • The Arc Gateway – Improving Outcomes through Early Detection 

  • UF IFAS Extension Escambia County Master Gardener Volunteer Program – Garden to Table 

  • University of West Florida – Argo’s Edible Campus Expansion 

Grants were determined after careful committee review with local team members. Recommendations are subsequently reviewed by the International Paper Foundation’s grants committee, which then must be confirmed and ratified by the foundation’s board of trustees.

Grants are awarded once a year. Organizations are invited to take an eligibility assessment at www.ipgiving.com to see if their program is eligible to apply for funding. For more information on the grant process, contact Whitney Fike, communications manager at 850-968-3076 or whitney.fike@ipaper.com.        

About the International Paper Foundation

The International Paper Foundation is one of the ways International Paper strives to reach our vision to be among the most successful, sustainable and responsible companies in the world. Started in 1952, the foundation annually provides millions in grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to address critical needs in the communities where our employees live and work. Funding priority is given to programs related to our signature causes: education, hunger, health & wellness, disaster relief and initiatives that improve our planet. For more information, visit ipgiving.com.

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based packaging, pulp and paper products with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, Europe, North Africa and Russia. We produce corrugated packaging products that protect and promote goods and enable world-wide commerce; pulp for diapers, tissue, and other personal hygiene products that promote health and wellness; and papers that facilitate education and communication. We are headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., employ more than 50,000 colleagues and serve more than 25,000 customers in 150 countries. Net sales for 2019 were $22 billion. For more information about International Paper, our products and global citizenship efforts, please visit internationalpaper.com.