What Chocolonely Foundation does

Stichting de Chocolonely Foundation is a Dutch charitable foundation (Stichting) registered in Amsterdam, established in 2008 when Tony's Chocolonely chocolate bars first turned a profit. The foundation operates independently from Tony's Chocolonely with its own volunteer board making all funding decisions, and is primarily funded by a contractual dedication of 1% of Tony's Chocolonely's annual turnover. Its operational footprint is intentionally lean: two paid staff (a Manager whose salary is covered by Tony's Chocolonely, and a Coordinator) plus five volunteer board members. As of the most recent reporting period, the foundation had completed or was running 80 projects over 17 years of existence.

The foundation's mission is to support projects and organizations that contribute to prosperous cocoa-growing communities, facilitate systemic change, and challenge the status quo in the chocolate industry. It explicitly focuses on activities that fall outside Tony's direct cocoa supply chain. Its core product is grant capital and partnership facilitation, not a technology platform; there are no proprietary software systems, APIs, or commercial products. Funding flows to specialized partner organizations executing programs in three impact areas: strong and resilient cocoa communities (education, climate resilience, health, infrastructure), poverty and prosperity (seed funding for local Ghanaian and Ivorian organizations), and enabling environments (platform for youth and underrepresented voices).

Grantees and projects span cocoa-farming communities in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, with tactical extensions into Burkina Faso and global advocacy. Major disclosed commitments include the 100Weeks cash-transfer program (€1,109,000, 2017-2024), Ghana Food Movement (€350,000, 2022-2025), Child Learning & Education Facility / CLEF (€303,000, 2021-2026), Freedom United (€138,000), GRADE-FRB reintegration center (€130,110), Teaching at the Right Level via Jacobs Foundation/J-PAL (CHF 125,000), Edukans/AG Care (€86,707), West Africa Visual Journalism Fellowship (€48,410), and Wonder Foundation/Yarani training for women (€27,268). The foundation holds Dutch ANBI public-benefit status, declares compliance with the FIN Code of Good Governance, and is an environmental partner of 1% for the Planet.

Name

Chocolonely Foundation

Legal name

Stichting de Chocolonely Foundation

Website

https://chocolonelyfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Chocolonely Foundation is a Dutch charitable foundation, established in 2008 and based in Amsterdam, that grants funding to projects supporting cocoa-farming communities in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire; it is primarily funded by 1% of Tony's Chocolonely's annual turnover.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Grant-making foundation
• Cocoa community development
• Sustainable cocoa funding
• Social impact philanthropy
• Charitable project funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. 1% of Tony's Annual Turnover: The Foundation is primarily funded by a dedicated 1% of Tony's Chocolonely's annual turnover. This provides the primary funding source for all grant-making activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Chocolonely Foundation is an independent Dutch grant-making foundation that funds projects and organizations contributing to prosperous cocoa growing communities in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. It provides seed funding, facilitates collaborations between organizations, and supports innovative pilot projects addressing education, poverty alleviation, climate resilience, and child welfare outside the direct cocoa supply chain.

Product overview

Chocolonely Foundation is a charitable grant-making organization focused on funding social impact projects in cocoa-growing communities in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. The foundation does not offer a commercial product or technology platform; instead, it provides funding to third-party projects addressing education, poverty alleviation, child welfare, and community resilience. Projects funded include 100Weeks (cash transfer program), Teaching at the Right Level (education), Edukans (school quality improvement), Child Learning & Education Facility (CLEF - education infrastructure), Ghana Food Movement (food systems), and various other initiatives in West Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 100Weeks Program
• Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL)
• Child Learning & Education Facility (CLEF)
• Ghana Food Movement
• Reintegration Center in Burkina Faso
• Edukans Education Program in Ghana
• Freedom United Anti-Slavery Initiative
• West Africa Visual Journalism Fellowship
• Training in Confectionary, Cooking & Chocolate Making for Women

Quantifiable outcome

• 80 total projects completed or ongoing since foundation
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ghana Food MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022GFM is an empowering grassroots member network of innovative and sustainable food and agri stakeholders including farmers, chefs, scientists, and entrepreneurs. They are building a unique meeting & learning space to advance the food and hospitality industry in Ghana.
• CLEF (Child Learning & Education Facility)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021CLEF is an innovative public-private partnership bringing together the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, the cocoa and chocolate industry, and philanthropic organizations to scale investments to improve access to quality education and combat child labour.
• Wonder FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Wonder Foundation's mission is to empower women, girls, and their community through access to quality education and vocational training. They partner with locally led education partners and have supported over 2,000 young women since 2018.
• World Press Photo FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The West Africa Visual Journalism Fellowship is a World Press Photo Foundation education program in partnership with the Chocolonely Foundation, to support emerging talent and connect them to the international community.
• Jacobs FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018The Jacobs Foundation invests in the future of young people so that they become socially responsible and productive members of society. They lead a national initiative with the Ministry of Education to improve education in cocoa farming communities.
• J-Pal (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018J-Pal is a global research center headquartered at MIT that works to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. They conducted extensive research on the TaRL method in partnership with Pratham.
• YaranicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Yarani offers women and girls programmes including basic education, accredited training diplomas in hospitality, short courses and business skills leading to dignified work and sustainable income. Combined with Wonder Foundation, they have supported over 2,000 young women.
• Freedom UnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Freedom United is the largest online anti-slavery community in the world. They inspire people to take action against modern slavery by giving them tools that enable them to make an impact, aligned with the Foundation's mission.
• 100WeekscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017100Weeks is a revolutionary way of providing aid. Women in need are given a small amount of money for 100 weeks, helping them get out of extreme poverty for good. The Foundation has contributed EUR 1,109,000 to this program.
• GRADE-FRBcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015GRADE-FRB is an organisation in Burkina Faso that fights child trafficking, and rescues and reintegrates children who are victims of trafficking. They set up the reintegration center for young people who are victims of trafficking and exploitation.
• EdukanscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Edukans works in developing countries to provide education for children and young people. The Foundation partners with Edukans and AG Care to improve education in cocoa farming communities in Ghana through the Star School Model.
• AG Care GhanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014AG Care Ghana is an NGO with considerable experience in setting up and implementing projects supported by the local community. Partner in the education improvement initiative in Ghana.
• 1% for the PlanetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental partner of 1% for the Planet, part of a global network committed to channeling business resources toward environmental and social impact.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Freedom United: Largest online anti-slavery community; long-standing Chocolonely Foundation partner, focused on modern slavery awareness and advocacy including in cocoa supply chains.
• 100Weeks: Cash-transfer NGO providing 100-week stipends to women in extreme poverty; a direct Chocolonely Foundation grantee (€1.1M contribution), and operates in the same cocoa-community geographies.

Direct peers

• Jacobs Foundation: Swiss philanthropic foundation investing in youth and education; current Chocolonely Foundation co-funder on TaRL in Côte d'Ivoire; comparable size, structure, and child/youth education focus.
• Cocoa Horizons Foundation: The grantmaking arm of Barry Callebaut (the world's largest cocoa processor); operates as a corporate-affiliated foundation funding cocoa community projects in West Africa, mirroring the Chocolonely Foundation's structure and geographic focus.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Large international grantmaking foundation funding human rights, education, and economic justice; broader in scope but structurally analogous as an independently governed, endowment-funded foundation making systemic grants.
• Cocoa Life (Mondelēz International Foundation): Mondelēz's cocoa sustainability program operating as a foundation-style vehicle funding cocoa community projects in Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, and other origins; overlaps closely with Chocolonely Foundation's mission and geographies.
• Hershey Foundation / Cocoa Promise: U.S. confectionery major's philanthropic arm funding cocoa community development, education, and women's empowerment in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire; direct overlap with Chocolonely Foundation's geographies and themes.
• Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program: Premium chocolate maker's cocoa sourcing and community development program; analogous corporate-led foundation model targeting cocoa farmer livelihoods in West Africa.
• Mars Sustainable Cocoa Initiative / Mars Foundation: Mars, Inc.'s cocoa sustainability and community programs in West Africa; operates at much larger scale with similar systemic-change ambitions around cocoa farmer livelihoods.
• Nestlé Cocoa Plan: Nestlé's cocoa sustainability initiative funding community development, farmer income, and child protection in cocoa-origin countries; comparable in mission (cocoa community prosperity) but part of a much larger multinational.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Chocolonely Foundation