Starbucks stores are intimately connected to the communities they serve. As good neighbors we get involved with local efforts to bring people together and create positive change whenever we can.
The Starbucks Foundation was created to take this commitment to community even further. We started in 1997 by funding literacy programs in the United States and Canada. Today we’re supporting communities around the globe in all kinds of ways:
Nurturing Young Leaders
With fresh eyes and willing hands, young people have a lot to contribute to their communities. Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ Youth Action Grants help give youth the opportunity to make a difference by supporting their efforts to make the world a better place.
Supporting Coffee-Producing Communities
Starbucks supports social development projects that help the communities that produce our coffee, tea and cocoa. Past projects have included improving access to education and agricultural training, microfinance and microcredit services, improving biodiversity conservation, and increasing levels of health, nutrition and water sanitation.
Helping Children Get Clean Water
Ethos™ Water started as a social venture startup with the goal of providing children in developing countries with access to clean water. For every bottle of Ethos™ Water sold in the United States, 5 cents is directed to the Ethos Water Fund to help finance sustainable water programs around the world. Thanks to our valued customers, we have raised more than $6 million to date.
Fostering Education in China
In 2005, the Starbucks Foundation pledged $5 million to establish the Starbucks China Education Project at Give2Asia, an organization that facilitates and encourages charitable giving to meet social needs in Asia.
Rebuilding the Gulf Coast
Starbucks and the Starbucks Foundation created the C.O.A.S.T. Fund to assist in the recovery and revitalization of Gulf Coast communities devastated by hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
Please know we are not seeking opportunities for national or local sponsorships, nor are we accepting product or in-kind requests at this time. We remain focused on helping communities through the Starbucks Foundation programs listed above and the efforts of Starbucks stores in their local communities.
To learn more about how Starbucks supports communities around the globe, please visit Starbucks™ Shared Planet™.
