The Levi Strauss Foundation is focused on making a difference on three issues, all of which are rooted in the values of Levi Strauss & Co.:

• HIV/AIDS
• Asset Building
• Worker Rights

HIV/AIDS

Changing the course of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic requires the courage to tackle challenging social issues, the commitment to sustain long-term investments and the determination to push the limits of existing responses. We view AIDS not simply as a health problem, but a product of — and exacerbated by — pervasive violations of human rights.  Because HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects the poor, least educated and most marginalized people, we have pioneered new approaches to eliminate the stigma of the disease and promote advocacy for those afflicted.

In 1982, the Levi Strauss Foundation became the first U.S. corporate foundation to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Since then, we have contributed approximately $45 million to HIV/AIDS service organizations in more than 40 countries. In 2010, we will dedicate roughly $2.1 million to this area.

Asset Building

We believe that low-income working people, when given the right incentives and support, will save for long-term goals. Building assets has profound effects on individuals and families and their ability to break the poverty cycle. It enables them to plan for the future, avoid risky behavior, and weather unexpected financial storms. Ultimately, it can make home ownership and entrepreneurial job creation a genuine possibility. As such, asset building represents a long-term, innovative anti-poverty strategy that pushes the limits on what is possible.

Our commitment to asset-building programs grew out of early support of the American Dream Demonstration in 1997, a pioneering pilot program that matched savings accounts for the working poor devoted to purchasing a home, paying for college or skills training or starting a small business. The findings of this five-year program have powerfully influenced policies and programs in the United States — and, more recently, abroad.

In 2010, we will devote approximately $1.6 million of grant funds to advance our goals in asset building in the U.S. and abroad.

Worker Rights

From our earliest days, our company has advanced the rights and well-being of workers in the apparel and textile industries. Today, the goal of our Foundation is to support programs that reach approximately 300,000 apparel and textile workers annually in 15 countries where our products are made. These programs range from asset building and financial literacy programs to address the impact of the expiration of the Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA) in Latin America to helping the significant female migrant labor force in China.

Our strategy to advance worker rights embraces four approaches:

1. Educate workers and factory management on labor rights and responsibilities.
2. Improve the health of workers (including hygiene, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS).
3. Provide asset-building opportunities for workers.
4. Enhance oversight of labor laws through support for factory-level dispute resolution mechanisms, legal aid and arbitration channels.

In 2010, we will devote more than $1.5 million of grant funds to advance our goals for supporting and enhancing worker rights.