In 2005, as part of its ongoing commitment to social responsiblity and in recognition of China's rich tradition of placing an importance on education, Starbucks Coffee company established the Starbucks China Education Project, a US $5 million (approximately RMB 40 million) commitment to support educational programs in China at Give2Asia, a U.S. non-profit organization founded by The Asia Foundation to promote philanthropy in Asia.
Major partnerships of the Starbucks China Education Project include:
Rural Teacher Training Program
In 2006 a partnership was established with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF) to train teachers in rural areas. Many of these teachers have  little or no formal training, yet they teach students of vastly different grade and aptitude levels. The program will receive a total of $1 million, and is expected to directly help roughly 3,000 teachers in 1,000 primary and middle schools.
The Student Assistance Scholarship
Also working with CSCLF, scholarships are expected to reach 1,000 teaching college students with a total grant of $500,000. It will offer financial assistance to poor students pursuing teaching careers. In 2007 the scholarships supported 300 teaching students in 15 universities. Each received an award toward tuition, fees and education expenses. Recipients were chosen based on financial need and academic performance.
Water Education
The Starbucks Foundation pledged $600,000 over two years to the All China Women’s Development Foundation. This project trains women in 14 regions of five provinces, focusing on water safety, sanitation, conservation and public education. It also funds baseline research on local health, sanitation, purification and water-use habits.
Chengdu Education Foundation
Starbucks has committed 5 million RMB (approximately US $733,000) to partner with the Chengdu Education Foundation to sustain teachers and their students in areas deeply impacted byt the 2008 Sichuan earthquake by providing training and other support. The aim is to directly reach 1,600 teachers over 420,000 students over five years.
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