At the annual Heritage Chocolate Society Gala Dinner in Washington, D.C. this week, Mars and its American Heritage Chocolate brand awarded six grants totaling $52,800 to support research and educational programming at historic sites, museums, and educational institutions across the country.

This year's grant recipients include Peoria Public Schools and Western Illinois University (Peoria and Macomb, IL), Levine Museum of the New South (Charlotte, NC), National WWI Museum and Memorial (Kansas City, MO), Fort Ticonderoga Association (Ticonderoga, NY), The Montpelier Foundation (Orange, VA), and Historic Alexandria (Alexandria, VA).

Since the grant program's inception in 2013, Mars has funded and supported historic discovery and storytelling through the lens of chocolate, aiming to enable thousands of individuals to experience the impact chocolate has had on our nation's history and culture. Nearly $700,000 has been awarded to support 69 grant projects from 36 organizations across North America.

250 years of history

"As we celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary, we are reminded of the importance of the institutions that share our history," says Gail Broadright, senior director, premium brand and properties for Mars Snacking. "For 250 years, chocolate has played a constant and diverse role in American life, with its unique story woven through the pages of our nation's history."

In early America, chocolate was found in households and taverns as a nourishing drink, and was an important, morale-boosting feature of military provisions. Over the years, it was used as medicine and even as a method of payment. What started out as a spiced drink has evolved into a beloved indulgence in many forms, Mars says.

Rooted in the Heritage Chocolate Society

The Heritage Chocolate Society is an annual gathering established over two decades ago, in 2003, by American History advocate Forrest E. Mars, Jr. The meeting convenes leaders from our nation's most revered historic sites and museums to collaborate and exchange ideas, Mars notes. The Society also serves as an incubator for many innovative and groundbreaking projects and products that have helped share the history of chocolate, including:

• Products: American Heritage Chocolate, an 18th-century-inspired chocolate brand in 2006.
• Grants: The Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Chocolate History Grant in 2013.
• Publications: Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage in 2009 and Great Moments in Chocolate History in 2015.
• Educator's Guide: "Global Stories Where Chocolate Sparked Discovery, Innovation, and Imagination," in 2018 with National Geographic.
• Youth Coalition: Made By Us, created to inspire youth civic engagement, in 2019.

The American Heritage Chocolate brand was developed in 2006 by Mars Snacking to help educate consumers about the history of the U.S. through the engaging story of chocolate. With a flavor profile drawn directly from the archives of chocolate's historic past, American Heritage Chocolate provides an artisanal, versatile way to eat, bake, or drink a sweet taste of history, Mars says. Rainforest Alliance Certified and made with no preservatives, the chocolate currently comes in four formats: Tasting Squares, Tablet Bars, Grated Chocolate for baking/drinking, and Gourmet Hot Cocoa.

Mars is on the current Candy Industry “Global Top 100 Candy Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Global Top 100” rankings.