SmartWool Corporation announced the latest round of grant recipients from the SmartWool Advocacy Program, which includes the SmartWool Advocacy Fund and the SmartWool Breast Cancer Fund. This round of grants is our largest so far with $113,000 distributed between the following organizations.

  • Appalachian Mountain Club of Boston, MA
  • City Kids Wilderness Project of Washington, DC
  • Eco-Cycle of Boulder, CO
  • Educo of Boulder, CO
  • Grand Futures of Steamboat Springs, CO
  • James P. Beckwourth Mountain Club of Denver, CO
  • Montana Wilderness Association of Helena, MT
  • Partners in Routt County of Steamboat Springs, CO
  • SCORES of Denver, Denver, CO
  • The Elizabeth Stone House of Roxbury, MA
  • Wilderness Science Education, Inc. of McCall, ID
  • Winter Kids of Portland, ME
  • Winter Wildlands Alliance of Boise, ID
  • Big City Mountaineers of Golden, CO
  • Hospice of Metro Denver, Denver, CO
  • Pink Ribbon Club Foundation of Irvine, CA
  • Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, Boulder, CO
  • The Conservation Alliance, Kent, WA

This latest round of granting brings SmartWool's total giving in 2006 at $147,200! Since its inception in April 2005, the SmartWool Advocacy and Breast Cancer Funds has awarded more than $200,000 to industry, outdoor, youth and breast cancer non-profit organizations! With the continued success of SmartWool's online business, the company anticipates significantly increasing corporate giving in 2007. The next deadline for grant applications is March 1, 2007.

Awarded semi-annually, the SmartWool Advocacy Program was born of a desire to efficiently give back to the communities in which SmartWool's customers and employees live, play and work. It is comprised of two separate funds using different funding mechanisms: The SmartWool Advocacy Fund is funded by 10% of net revenues of online sales from SmartWool's e-commerce website at http://www.SmartWool.com and the SmartWool Breast Cancer Fund is financed by 2% of sales of women's specific socks marked with a pink ribbon.

Administration and execution of the SmartWool Advocacy Program is undertaken by a board comprised solely of SmartWool employees elected by their peers. Additionally, all SmartWool employees are awarded a benefit, enabling each to volunteer as many as 40 paid hours per year to help local non-profit organizations. This allows SmartWool and its employees to supply not only monetary awards, but to contribute much needed labor as well.