Mars Impact Fund awards $2M to Elucid to expand access to affordable healthcare for cocoa-farming families in Côte d'Ivoire

• Mars Impact Fund has committed $2.07M over three years to support a partnership with Elucid in Côte d'Ivoire, a social enterprise implementing health programs in agricultural supply chains
• The partnership aims to help up to 12,750 households access affordable healthcare through national health insurance enrollment and co-pay support
• The work with Elucid aligns with the Mars Impact Fund's pillar of strengthening sourcing community resilience

MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars, Incorporated has awarded a $2.07M grant to Elucid, a social enterprise implementing health programs in agricultural supply chains, through the Mars Impact Fund. The grant will support Elucid Santé Côte d'Ivoire, Elucid's local implementation entity, dedicated to improving the physical and economic wellbeing of farming communities.     

As a global business that relies on cocoa as an ingredient in many of its iconic confectionery brands, helping positively impact cocoa-growing communities across the cocoa supply chain is a priority for Mars. The partnership with Elucid directly advances the Mars Impact Fund's pillar of strengthening sourcing community resilience by helping cocoa-growing households better withstand health-related shocks, protect their livelihoods and improve long-term community wellbeing.

Phased over three years between 2026-2029, the "Better Lives, Outcome and Opportunities through Medical Access" (BLOOM) program aims to help up to 12,750 households access national health insurance. The program aims to improve access to high-quality, affordable healthcare for these communities by removing upfront costs and administrative barriers.

"This partnership reflects a growing recognition that farmer health is fundamental to sustainable sourcing," said Amos Kouassi, Country Director, Côte d'Ivoire at Elucid. "By embedding healthcare into agricultural supply chains, we can reduce vulnerability to health shocks, strengthen household resilience, and generate measurable outcomes that benefit farming families, businesses and public health systems alike."

The investment will also help to strengthen rural health infrastructure and expand vaccination coverage via an approximate $2 million in matching funds from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The funds are planned to upgrade rural health facilities across the country, extending access to vaccination campaigns, mobile clinics and preventive healthcare services for more than 200,000 people, including 150,000 children.

"At Mars, we know that the resilience of the cocoa supply chain depends on the health and wellbeing of the people and communities where cocoa is sourced," said Michelle Grogg, Executive Director of the Mars Impact Fund. "Through our partnership with Elucid, we aim to improve access to quality health services, helping cocoa-growing communities get the care they need while avoiding additional financial shocks." 

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. Based on combined Mars and Kellanova 2025 net sales, we are a $65bn+ family-owned business with 170,000 Associates, our diverse portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services serve pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delights millions of people every day. We produce some of the world's best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, EXTRA®, Pringles®, Cheez-It®, and BEN'S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ deliver high quality veterinary care and ANTECH ™ offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.  

About Mars Impact Fund

The Mars Impact Fund is the enterprise-level philanthropic entity of Mars, Incorporated, a global leader in snacking, pet care and food. Launched in February of 2026, the Mars Impact Fund was designed to accelerate meaningful and lasting impact in the communities where Mars operates. The Fund focuses on three key priorities: boosting sourcing community resilience, growing and diversifying the pipeline of scientists and improving companion animal wellbeing. For more information about the Mars Impact Fund, its priorities and active grant partnerships, please visit www.mars.com/mars-impact-fund.

About Elucid

Elucid is a social enterprise embedding healthcare into global agricultural supply chains. Working with companies, cooperatives, governments, and healthcare providers, Elucid designs and implements programs that improve access to affordable healthcare for farmers, workers, their families, and surrounding communities while strengthening the resilience of agricultural supply chains.

Its model combines health financing, digital infrastructure, local implementation, and real-time data systems to enroll farming households in healthcare, coordinate service delivery, and measure health, social, and business outcomes. By reducing preventable illness and protecting families from catastrophic healthcare costs, Elucid helps businesses strengthen responsible sourcing, advance human rights due diligence, and build more resilient farming communities.

Elucid is active across six countries and five agricultural supply chains.

For more information about Elucid, please visit www.elucid.social. Join us on LinkedIn.