Key facts
- The Ben & Jerry's Foundation may suspend operations at year-end.
- Magnum Ice Cream cut the foundation's funding in April 2025.
- The foundation was ordered to vacate its offices by July 15, 2026.
- A Unilever-backed audit in December 2025 cited deficiencies in financial controls and governance.
- The foundation disputes the audit findings and is pursuing a legal challenge.
- Magnum Ice Cream was valued at approximately 7.8 billion euros upon its spin-off from Unilever.
The Ben & Jerry's Foundation is facing a potential suspension of its operations at the end of the year, following a significant cut in funding from Magnum Ice Cream and an eviction notice from its offices. The foundation stated that it will cease operations unless it secures a favorable ruling in its ongoing legal challenge.
Magnum Ice Cream, which recently spun off from Unilever with a valuation of approximately 7.8 billion euros, cut the foundation's funding in April 2025. Subsequently, the foundation was instructed to vacate its offices by July 15, 2026. The foundation disputes the findings of a Unilever-backed audit conducted in December 2025, which cited deficiencies in financial controls and governance. The foundation asserts that previous audits had not identified similar concerns and is contesting the findings.
The dispute has escalated, with Unilever's head of ice cream business, Peter ter Kulve, citing the foundation's alleged resistance to basic oversight and cooperation with auditors. The probe into the foundation reportedly began partly due to its donations to pro-Palestinian organizations. The foundation, which has distributed millions of dollars annually to progressive organizations since 2000, views itself as a force for good advancing Ben & Jerry's social mission.
A legal challenge concerning the funding and eviction is currently pending in a New York federal court and is expected to continue into the following year. The handling of the situation by Magnum has drawn criticism from investors.