Vodafone operating companies have a history of engaging in charitable giving in a number of countries. The Vodafone Group Foundation was set up as a registered charity and acts as an umbrella organisation to make social investments that help the people of the world lead fuller lives.
The Vodafone Group Foundation (VGF) was launched in June 2002 to support this commitment in a co-ordinated effort to harness the individual power of country initiatives and maximise our efforts to be a responsible global citizen and member of society.
We allocate our funds in line with the Mission Statement and the Vodafone Group Social Investment Policy (PDF document). These guidelines help us to make our charitable giving as effective as possible so that the programmes we support have a measurable and long-lasting impact.
We have now invested over £100 million in projects since 2002 and this year (2007-8) will invest £24 million. Two-thirds of this goes to local Foundations, that are often supported with additional funding from the local operating company.
The remaining third goes towards our two global themes; disaster relief and preparedness, and sport and music projects which benefit some of the most disadvantaged young people and their communities.
Some of our current partners include Common Purpose, MapAction, Oxfam, Telecoms sans Frontieres and the United Nations Foundation.