[January 17, 2013]

Ben Cohen and StandUp Provide $200,000 in Anti-Bullying Support

The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation today announced nearly $200,000 in support provided to anti-bullying efforts since launching less than two years ago, in April 2011. Of the $198,900 in support, $58,200 was given in direct grants to 18 anti-bullying groups across the US, UK and Ireland. Another $140,700 went to support StandUp's international anti-bullying awareness and education campaign.

"Our mission is simple but will take time to fulfill. We are off to a strong start," said Ben Cohen, MBE, chairman. "We exist to raise awareness of the long-term damaging effects of bullying, and to fund those doing real-world work to stop it."

More than $50,000 of the anti-bullying support came from Cohen's social-commercial StandUp brand, which was launched to create a sustainable funding model beyond traditional non-profit fundraising. "More than 15 percent of every dollar we took in for the StandUp brand went to support Foundation work," said Patrick T. Davis, chief exective officer of Ben Cohen Worldwide, which licenses StandUp. "We are not talking about a small share of profit at the end, but funds off the top. Every purchase helps advance our anti-bullying message and work." The $51,500 of support from the StandUp brand made the commercial enterprise the single largest corporate supporter of the Foundation to date.

Total revenue across the StandUp social-commercial model topped $838,500 at the completion of the first full year in operation. Since launch, the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation has grown to include a complementary operation in the UK, and the StandUp product line has expanded to more than 150 products that shipped to 53 countries. StandUp Magazine launched in November, 2012 to promote stories of other athletes who are true role models.

"To have such an exceptionally strong leader in Ben and such a sustainable model of funding gives us real confidence about how much more we can do," said Alison Doerfler, executive director of the Foundation. "With grants that we are preparing to announce next week, our total support to-date will approach $250,000."

Ben Cohen, one of the world's greatest athletes, is a rugby World Cup champion and second in all time scoring for England. He is the first sports superstar to dedicate his philanthropic efforts to anti-bullying. He founded the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation in memory of his father, Peter Cohen, who was beaten to death when he stood up for an employee who was being attacked.

To learn more about the Foundation and to read the 2011-2012 Report of Progress, please visit www.standupfoundation.com.

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