DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Janus Henderson Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Janus Henderson Investors, this week awarded the winners of its seventh annual Janus Henderson Investors Charity Challenge.
The Charity Challenge is a competition where Janus Henderson employees pitch nonprofit organizations to their colleagues and a panel of finalist judges to win donations from the foundation. The annual event has become a favorite tradition among employees because it enables them to steer a portion of the donations made by the Janus Henderson Foundation. It is one of the foundation’s largest employee-led giving initiatives.
Donations of more than US$205,000 were awarded to charities in the U.S., UK, Australia and Europe after this year’s event. The first-place prize of $75,000 was awarded to Magic Breakfast, a charity focused on preventing childhood hunger for schoolchildren in England and Scotland.
The Janus Henderson Foundation typically supports education initiatives that improve the learning potential of youth, with a history of giving that started in 1994, but the annual event broadens the scope of the foundation’s impact by enabling employees to influence where donations go.
Tiphani Krueger, President of the Janus Henderson Foundation and Global Head of Human Resources for Janus Henderson Investors, said:
“With a seven-year track record of giving through the annual Charity Challenge, we know the event makes a lasting, positive impact by delivering resources to charities that do incredible work around the globe. Many of our employees are involved in charitable work and care about giving back to their communities and this event enables them to share their passion with colleagues. It’s a fun, friendly competition and it never fails to remind us of why it’s so important to maintain a giving spirit.”
The top prize winner, Magic Breakfast, has been providing breakfast to schoolchildren for more than 20 years. The organization provides services in 1,000 primary, secondary and ASL/special-education schools, offering breakfast to more than 200,000 children each school day.
Lindsey MacDonald, CEO of Magic Breakfast, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to Janus Henderson Foundation and all the employees who voted for Magic Breakfast. No child should start their day too hungry to learn but this is the reality facing more than 2.6 million schoolchildren in the UK. As more families fall into poverty and face impossible choices as the cost of living rises, this generous donation will help us meet growing demand and provide filling and nutritious breakfasts to schoolchildren, unlocking hours of learning and their potential.”
Runners-up include second place Murdered Abroad and third place SPECTRUM Social Activity Center Association, both based in the UK. The organizations received $40,000 and $35,000 respectively.
Seven charities made it to the final round and each received a donation of $5,000 for being a finalist. The three charities with the most votes in each of Janus Henderson Investors’ operating regions received $10,000 prizes.
Prize winners include:
- Magic Breakfast, $75,000 Grand Prize Winner
- Murdered Abroad, $40,000 1st Runner Up
- SPECTRUM Social Activity Center Association , $25,000 2nd Runner Up and $10,000 EMEA Regional Winner
- Colorectal Cancer Alliance, $10,000 North America Regional Winner
- Keys for Life, $10,000 APAC Regional Winner
- American Cancer Society – ResearcHERS, $5,000 Finalist
- Bright Spaces, $5,000 Finalist
- Sarcoma UK, $5,000 Finalist
This year’s judges were:
- Bruce DeBoskey, Founder and President of the DeBoskey Group
- Tiphani Krueger, Janus Henderson Foundation President and Global Head of Human Resources for Janus Henderson Investors
- Dave Landy, Chief Information Officer at Denver Public Schools
- Cory Rose, Anchor & Reporter at 9News KUSA-TV
- Angela Seymour-Jackson, Janus Henderson Board of Directors
This year’s contest included 27 charity nominations and 2,660 employee votes. Each of the nominated organizations automatically received a $100 donation. Since launching the annual challenge, the Janus Henderson Foundation has donated a total of $1,559,216 to approximately 312 charities across the globe. Learn more about the impact of last year’s Charity Challenge awards.
