History

Health

The 1960s marked the beginning of the Pepsi-Cola Company's commitment to health and wellness when it became one of the first corporate organizations to house a fitness center in its headquarters. That commitment to healthy living is still alive and kicking today. Now, PepsiCo employees can enjoy exercising in state of the art facilities and walking along the path around the perimeter of headquarters.

In 1962, the Pepsi-Cola Company established a corporate foundation. Three years later in 1965, the Pepsi-Cola Company merged with Frito-Lay and officially changed the name of its corporate foundation to PepsiCo Foundation.

As early as the mid 1970's, PepsiCo Foundation began funding Dr. Kenneth Cooper's aerobics research.

In the 1980's, PepsiCo Foundation expanded its funding to support fitness education for youth, and in 1998, PepsiCo became the first corporation to become a Mission Sponsor of the YMCA of the USA.

Since then, PepsiCo and PepsiCo Foundation have funded numerous initiatives promoting more active lifestyles as well as educating consumers about making smarter dietary choices. The key principle behind all of these efforts has been, and still is, balancing both the nutritional side of the energy balance equation with the physical side.

In recent years, the Foundation has expanded its grant making to the global community and evolved its goals to best reflect the needs of underserved populations.

In 2007 alone, PepsiCo Foundation contributed $23.4 million towards charitable causes.