Altria Celebrates America by Investing in Our Growers, Communities, Employees and Iconic Brands
RICHMOND, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Altria Group, Inc. (Altria) (NYSE:MO) – Altria’s companies have strong American roots and relationships with farmers that date back more than 200 years. We have a long history of investing in high-quality U.S. jobs and manufacturing, supporting thriving communities and delivering billions of dollars in annual economic value. Today, we are building on that tradition, celebrating America’s 250th birthday with incremental investments in American tobacco growers, our communities, our employees and our iconic brands.
“In a time when many feel divided, America’s 250th birthday is a moment to come together and truly show up for one another in the communities we call home,” said Jennifer Hunter, Senior Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and Chief Sustainability Officer, Altria Client Services. “Altria and its family of companies have a long tradition of giving back to our communities. Together, we’re honoring this milestone by supporting American tobacco growers and creating new ways to serve the communities where we live and work.”
Over the next three years, ALCS, with funding from Philip Morris USA, will provide more than $8 million in philanthropic support to strengthen agricultural education, invest in tobacco-growing communities and continue to engage employees nationwide through service and civic participation. We plan to:
- Establish endowments at the University of Kentucky Martin‑Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) and the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
- Provide donor-advised funds in tobacco‑growing regions to support local community needs and future disaster‑relief efforts.
- Engage nearly 6,000 employees nationwide through volunteerism, charitable giving, and civic learning—creating shared stories of meaningful community impact.
About the University of Kentucky and Virginia Tech Endowments
Altria has built a strong relationship with both the University of Kentucky and Virginia Tech over the last several decades. Each university will receive a total of $2 million across the next three years to support endowed faculty chair positions to strengthen academic and extension capacity in these tobacco-growing communities.
“PM USA has a long history of working with growers and universities to support the long-term sustainability and vibrancy of tobacco farming,” said Jon Moore, President and CEO of PM USA. “These investments complement PM USA’s ongoing commercial purchases of U.S.-grown tobacco and our long-standing business relationships with American tobacco farmers.We know these universities play a vital role in advancing agriculture in the region, and as an American company based in Virginia, this is personal to us.”
“As new uses are established and tobacco markets shift, this generous gift will allow the college to continue to focus on emerging areas of innovation,” said Laura Stephenson, Vice President for Land-grant Engagement and dean of Martin-Gatton CAFE. “Tobacco is still an important part of Kentucky’s agricultural economy. Continuing to serve our growers, students and industry through research and education will help us address evolving challenges and strengthen the long-term sustainability of tobacco production.”
Our investment continues a decades-long relationship with Martin-Gatton CAFE and reflects our sustained commitment to supporting growers, research and agricultural leadership. Over the years, Altria and our subsidiaries, including PM USA, have funded burley and dark-fire tobacco research and Extension programs. Growing experts and advocates are equally important, and we’ve continued to make significant contributions to UK scholarships, graduate fellowships, faculty research support and the Kentucky Agricultural Leadership Program.
“Tobacco has played a defining role in Kentucky’s agricultural heritage for generations,” said Commissioner Jonathan Shell at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. “While the industry continues to evolve, thousands of Kentucky farmers still rely on tobacco as an important part of their operations. This investment will help ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation, supporting growers with the research and tools they need to stay competitive and sustainable. I encourage others across the industry to join in supporting these efforts to secure a strong future for tobacco in Kentucky.”
We have a long-standing relationship with Virginia Tech, supporting research and Extension efforts within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences that directly benefit producers. This endowment will provide long-term support for tobacco agronomy at the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center (AREC), sustaining research, field trials and grower engagement across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“This investment helps ensure Virginia Tech can continue delivering the research and Extension support that tobacco producers rely on every growing season,” said Mario Ferruzzi, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “By establishing long-term support for tobacco agronomy, we are strengthening our ability to serve the industry today while preparing the next generation of agricultural leaders.”
“Everything we do is focused on helping growers make better decisions in real time,” said David Reed, tobacco agronomist at Virginia Tech’s Southern Piedmont AREC. “This kind of support allows us to stay in the field, work directly with producers, and keep improving the systems they depend on.”
Investing in the Community
We are working to establish new donor-advised funds totaling $4.1 million to support local community needs and future disaster-relief efforts in PM USA’s key tobacco-growing communities in Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky.
“We know firsthand the challenges that farmers, as well as entire farm communities face,” said Michael Manson, Vice President of Brand Management, PM USA. “Tragic natural disasters have hit the regions during recent years – including tornadoes and flooding that have destroyed family farms and entire communities. In addition to supporting local community needs, this fund can assist in supporting those impacted by future natural disasters.”
Altria’s 2026 Volunteer and Employee Contributions
To keep America’s 250th birthday celebration going, throughout the year we will engage our nearly 6,000 employees around what connects us most: service to others. Through an enterprise program that builds momentum from National Volunteer Month in April, we are creating multiple ways for employees across the country to participate in meaningful, local action that strengthens the places where we live and work. Altria aims to reach 25,000 volunteer hours annually by 2030.
The initiative will expand opportunities for employees to volunteer, donate and learn through accessible challenges and campaigns powered by the Altria Contributing Together platform. Employees will be encouraged to support causes they care about by participating in group volunteering, completing a civic learning challenge and donating funds through an enhanced matching gifts campaign. We will also celebrate in partnership with many of our national and local nonprofit and community partners.
Altria’s Profile
We have a leading portfolio of nicotine products for U.S. nicotine consumers age 21+. We are Moving Beyond Smoking® by responsibly transitioning adult smokers to a smoke-free future, competing vigorously for existing smoke-free adult nicotine consumers (ANC) and exploring new growth opportunities — beyond the U.S. and beyond nicotine (Vision). To achieve our Vision, we will pursue initiatives designed to promote the long-term welfare of our company, our stakeholders, society at large and the environment.
Our wholly owned subsidiaries include leading manufacturers of both combustible and smoke-free products. In combustibles, we own Philip Morris USA Inc. (PM USA), the most profitable U.S. cigarette manufacturer, and John Middleton Co. (Middleton), a leading U.S. cigar manufacturer. Our smoke-free portfolio includes ownership of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC (USSTC), the leading global moist smokeless tobacco (MST) manufacturer, Helix Innovations LLC (Helix), a leading manufacturer of oral nicotine pouches, and NJOY, LLC (NJOY), an e-vapor manufacturer with products covered by marketing granted orders from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Additionally, we have a majority-owned joint venture, Horizon Innovations LLC (Horizon), for the U.S. marketing and commercialization of heated tobacco stick products.
Our equity investments include Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (ABI), the world’s largest brewer, and Cronos Group Inc. (Cronos), a leading Canadian cannabinoid company.
The brand portfolios of our operating companies include Marlboro®, Black & Mild®, Copenhagen®, Skoal®, on!® and NJOY®. Trademarks related to Altria referenced in this release are the property of Altria or our subsidiaries or are used with permission.
Learn more about Altria at www.altria.com and follow us on X, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Source: Altria Group, Inc.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260427960042/en/
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KEYWORDS: Kentucky Virginia United States North America
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Tobacco Philanthropy Training Fund Raising University Agriculture Other Philanthropy Retail Natural Resources Education
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