Brown-Forman Corporation Today Announced a Donation of $1 Million to COVID-19 Response Funds

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brown-Forman Corporation today announced a donation of $1 million to COVID-19 response funds. The donation announced today supports multiple locations and agencies as Brown-Forman assesses community and industry needs and identifies the best ways to support those impacted by COVID-19.

“As COVID-19 has spread throughout the world, we want to provide assistance to our communities in this time of great need,” said Lawson Whiting, Chief Executive Officer, Brown-Forman Corporation. “We are announcing today donations totaling $1 million that will enable us to give back to the people and communities that mean so much to our company.”

Initial contributions included in the $1 million dollar gift:

We have partnered with the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation to support their COVID-19 Crisis Relief Fund. As part of this partnership, we are encouraging people to make a donation to the foundation and we will match dollar-for-dollar donations (up to $100,000). Please visit https://bit.ly/RWCFReliefFund to make a donation to help our colleagues and friends.

• Hospitality Industry: Our friends in the hospitality and service industry are facing difficult times as they wrestle with the financial challenges of being out of work for an unknown period of time. These individuals, including bartenders and restaurant workers, are the face and voice of our brands to so many consumers around the world.
  
  We are joining our colleagues in the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and making a donation to the United States Bartenders' Guild (USBG) Foundation Emergency Assistance Program to help them during this time of need.
  
  
• One Louisville: Brown-Forman made a donation to the One Louisville: COVID-19 Response Fund. The fund will rapidly deploy resources and financial assistance to households, businesses, and community-based organizations working at the frontlines of the outbreak in the city we call home and where we were founded 150 years ago.

• Expanding Our Reach: Brown-Forman is actively exploring additional ways to expand our reach and our donations internationally. As a global company, we have employees in more than 170 countries. These donations will be made by the country team and directed by our site-based leaders.

About Brown-Forman

For 150 years, Brown-Forman Corporation has enriched the experience of life by responsibly building fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s Family of Brands, Finlandia, Korbel, el Jimador, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, Coopers’ Craft, Canadian Mist, Herradura, New Mix, Sonoma-Cutrer, Early Times, Chambord, BenRiach, GlenDronach, Slane, and Fords Gin. Brown-Forman’s brands are supported by approximately 4,700 employees and sold in more than 170 countries worldwide. For more information about the company, please visit http://www.brown-forman.com/.

About Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation

Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation (RWCF) is an advocacy and action nonprofit created by and for restaurant workers. It was founded in 2018 to advocate for gender equality, racial justice, fair wages, and healthy work environments in the restaurant industry. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, RWCF’s full focus is supporting workers, small business owners, and an industry in crisis, through its Emergency Relief Fund. www.RestaurantWorkersCF.org

About the USBG

Our Mission: Uniting the hospitality community to advance professional bartending. We believe tending & owning bars is an honorable career choice. Our goal is to empower bartenders to take charge of their careers. We accomplish this through working with our committed partners to enrich the career advancement of our members through peer-to-peer learning, expert instruction, service projects, and competition. https://www.usbg.org/home

About One Louisville COVID-19 Response Fund

The Fund will rapidly deploy resources to individuals disproportionately impacted by this outbreak and community-based organizations working at the frontlines across the Louisville-region. Funds will be managed by the Community Foundation of Louisville, with distribution to households managed by Louisville Metro Government’s Office of Resilience & Community Services. Funding to community groups will be directed by the Community Foundation of Louisville, in partnership with the One Louisville Advisory Committee consisting of funding partners, and representatives of local government and community organizations. https://www.cflouisville.org/one-louisville/