Overview

• Unilever has threatened to halt the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation’s $5 million annual funding unless it agrees to an expedited audit of its donations.
• The audit, tied to the planned spin-off of Unilever’s ice cream division into a new company called Magnum, will influence future funding decisions.
• Unilever’s scrutiny centers on grants to progressive and pro-Palestinian organizations, including the Oakland Institute, which has ties to Foundation trustees.
• Tensions have escalated since 2021, when Ben & Jerry’s boycotted sales in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, leading to lawsuits over the brand’s social mission autonomy.
• Ben & Jerry’s founders have explored a potential buyback of the company as legal and financial pressures mount between the ice cream maker and its parent company.