Our clothing isn't just meant for good times. It also supports meaningful causes.
We're members of 1% for the Planet, committed to donating at least 1% of our revenue to approved environmental causes.
We've also made our own ‘$1 for the People’ commitment to donate $1+ of every order to causes that help humanity.
You can learn more about all of our charitable initiatives below.
In 2023, Tombolo teamed up with Billion Oyster Project and created a capsule in support of their efforts to naturally improve the water quality around NYC through oyster restoration.
With your help, Tombolo raised over $100k to support Billion Oyster Project's work reintroducing oysters to New York Harbor.
From July 2023 onwards, 15% of all proceeds from this capsule have and will continue to support their initiatives.
In 2022 we launched a collaborative capsule with the DSNY, donating a percentage of those sales to the Sanitation Foundation and to NYC & Company. We also supported Edible Schoolyard NYC, GlobalGiving's Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund and donated over $25,000 to the Arctic Ice Project.
Learn more about each cause below.
Keeping New York City Clean
In April 2022, Tombolo launched a clothing collaboration with the Department of Sanitation of New York.
10% of all proceeds support the Sanitation Foundation, an organization devoted to celebrating and supporting the essential Sanitation workforce and advancing the Department’s ambitious zero-waste agenda.
Another 10% of all proceeds support the City of New York via NYC & Company, an organization founded to maximize travel and tourism opportunities throughout NYC and build economic prosperity.
Shirt for the Arctic
In March 2022, Tombolo launched a spicy, icy shirt.
We donated 100% of launch month sales to Arctic Ice Project (and 15% thereafter) raising $25,000 to help this wonderful organization protect Arctic ice and combat climate change. Learn more here:
Shirt for Ukraine
In March 2022, Tombolo launched a made-to-order charity shirt with 100% of proceeds going to GlobalGiving's Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund.
In total, this campaign raised more than $20,000 for Ukraine. Learn more about GlobalGiving's Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund here.
Supporting Food Education in NYC Schools
In keeping with annual tradition, we dedicated 100% of our 2022 Christmas Day sales drive to Edible Schoolyard NYC who work to address inequities by providing public schools with integrated food education and food support.
We kicked off 2021 with our Earth Day promotion, which helped us raise more than $33,000 for causes that support the world's oceans and rainforests. We also supported Riverkeeper, City Harvest, and One Fair Wage.
Each cause is detailed below.
Feeding Local New Yorkers
We ran a Christmas Day 2021 sales drive, donating 100% of revenue to City Harvest, NYC's first and largest food rescue organization, helping to feed New Yorkers who are struggling to put meals on their tables.
Thanks to your support, we were able to donate enough to rescue and deliver more than 45,000 pounds of fresh food-- enough to feed 130 New Yorkers for a year.
Protecting the Hudson River
As part of our November 2021 artist collaboration with Rachel Sard, we purchased and auctioned off one of her works for charity. We sent the $4000 of proceeds from the painting along with an additional donation of our own to Riverkeeper, New York's clean water advocate since 1966, protecting and restoring the Hudson from source to sea.
Learn more about the Rachel Sard x Tombolo collaboration here.
Our Earth Day Promotion
In March and April 2021, 100% of sales of Earth Cabana (Blue) went to Oceanic Global to help safeguard the oceans. And 100% of sales of Earth Cabana (Green) were split between RainforestTrust and AmazonWatch to protect our rainforests.
We continued to pledge 15% of all sales of those shirts thereafter. To date, we have donated more than $33,000.
Our Earth capsule was based on William Morris designs from the late 1800s. In addition to his remarkable talents as a designer and poet, William Morris was also an early environmental crusader, which made him ideal for these two shirts.
Read about this initiative in the Robb Report or learn more about the three charitable recipients below.
All Profits from Mask Sales Donated
In early 2021, we donated all profit from every mask Tombolo ever sold to One Fair Wage, an organization that seeks to end all sub minimum wages in the United States and increase the sustainability of wages and working conditions in the service sector.
2020 was our first full year with our commitments to '1% for the Planet' and '$1 for the People.' 2019 saw our first charitable initiatives.
Each cause is detailed below.
Save the Children x Tombolo
We designed a limited edition shirt in collaboration with Save the Children, replete with their brand colors and a custom interior label. For the launch month of May 2020, 100% of sales of the shirt went to Save the Children's COVID-19 relief fund. (And 15% of sales thereafter). We continued to sell the shirt into early 2021 when it was retired and entered our Gone Fishing collection of shirts that are for sale no longer.
All told, we raised over $11,000 for this great cause.
Blake Griffin sported the shirt on his Instagram here, paired with dangerously short denim shorts. Esquire also wrote up his fit.
Legal Defense for Low-Income People in Our Native New York
In June 2020, we donated $5,000 to Bronx Defenders, a public defender nonprofit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the justice system and, in doing so, is transforming the system itself.
Each year, they defend 27,000 low-income Bronx residents in criminal, civil, child welfare, and immigration cases, and they reach thousands more through their community intake and outreach programs.
Fighting for Racial Justice Nationwide
In June 2020, we also donated $5,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, America's premier legal organization fighting for racial justice.
Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans.
Helping Women to Celebration Women's Day
As part of our first-ever artist collaboration, Amber Vittoria x Tombolo, we launched our collaboration shirt on International Women's Day 2019 and donated 100% of the shirt's profits for the month of March to the National Women's Law Center.
Amber inspired not just the shirt but the cause too, choosing a wonderful organization that resonates with her work. The NWLC has focused on helping women from a legal and policy perspective for over 40 years.
You can read more about that collaboration and our early days in Vogue.