General Mills plays a leadership role in supporting education and arts and cultural organizations by matching employee and retiree contributions dollar-for-dollar. The Foundation matched contributions exceeding $1.8 million to eligible accredited educational institutions and employee-supported arts and cultural organizations in fiscal 2008.

Nonprofit organizations that are eligible for this program include:

Education

Elementary, secondary, vocational and technical schools, two- or four-year degree-granting public or private colleges or universities, graduate or professional schools that meet these requirements:

• Schools whose contributions are qualifying and deductible under the IRS Code;
• Accredited by the appropriate regional, state or professional accrediting body;
• Located in the United States or Canada

Arts & Culture

Public broadcasting stations, museums, libraries, historical societies, theaters, symphony orchestras, opera and dance companies, zoos, arboretums, planetariums and cultural preservation societies that are recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.

The General Mills Foundation will be making the following changes to the Gift-Matching Program effective January 1, 2009:

Payment Processing

The Gift-Matching program will shift from an on-going match process to a scheduled match process, with the Foundation matching your gifts to nonprofits three times per calendar year. The payment schedule will be as follows:

Gift-Matching Forms Received by Foundation	Foundation Match to Nonprofits
Aug. 1 - Dec. 31	January
Jan. 1 - Mar. 31	April
Apr. 1 - Jul. 31	August

Cut-Off Dates

The period during which Gift-Matching forms will be accepted will be limited to 12 months after the date of the donor gift. Forms received in the Foundation office after this date will not be eligible for the Foundation match.

In addition to the matching program for Education and Arts and Culture, the General Mills Foundation also matches employee and retiree contributions to the United Way through the Company’s annual United Way Campaign.