Our Community Promise: Contribute positively

Since the beginning, Starbucks has been about more than coffee. We are a people company, driven by our belief in the limitless power of human connection. That’s why we have made a promise to contribute positively to every community we serve. 

Our new mission to nurture human connection recognizes that connecting with each other is a fundamental human need. Study after study indicates high rates of loneliness as a public health concern, and there’s a desperate need for togetherness. This promise comes to life in our communities through our partners who know their neighborhoods best, and our customers who bring their knowledge and ideas as community members.

We support every partner to take action as a champion in their communities, from serving and giving to learning and advocating – recognizing that our partners are local community leaders who contribute positively and meaningfully to thousands of communities around the world. We remain committed to addressing food insecurity and hunger. We build purpose-defined stores that reflect the communities we serve and help uplift communities through unique programming and in-store features. We support small businesses by increasing access to capital and working with diverse suppliers across our supply chain. And we invest in The Starbucks Foundation to drive impact around the world. 

In this section:

Our Stores in the Community

Community Stores sit at the heart of our mission to nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection. These stores are purpose-defined to better support our partners, our customers and our communities in ways that meaningfully drive lasting connection. As part of our goal to enhance the well-being of all who connect within our stores, we will reach 1,000 Starbucks Community Stores globally by 2030. 

Community Stores are inclusive of several store models around the world from providing economic opportunity in underserved communities, to empowering farmers, youth and women and creating relevant programming for the community.

Community Stores provide economic opportunity, empower farmers, youth and women as well as create relevant community programming.

For example, our Military Family Stores aim to uplift the everyday for active military personnel, Veterans, their families and surrounding communities. These stores are located on or near major military bases and help provide a sense of connection and support for military families who are often far from their loved ones.  

In Starbucks Signing Stores, we work to ensure that our efforts to uplift the everyday and the Starbucks Experience are inclusive for our partners and customers. These stores are run by store partners who are proficient in sign language and provide a space for the Deaf and hard of hearing community to connect and celebrate Deaf culture through sign language.

Community Champions & Giving Match 

Our partners are Community Champions who bring our Community Promise to life in and around our stores. Through civic engagement, volunteerism, community events, donations and more, Starbucks partners work in big and small ways to make a positive impact for people and the planet. The Starbucks Community Champion courses on the Starbucks Global Academy help anyone interested in making a difference in their communities develop an action plan for good.  

We aim to multiply the positive contributions our partners make in their communities.

One way we do this is through the Starbucks Giving Match program in the U.S. and Canada, which amplifies eligible financial donations and volunteer time partners make to community organizations. All active Starbucks full- and part-time partners can request up to $1,000 in matching funds per fiscal year, using any combination of volunteer hours and financial donations to qualified nonprofit organizations.

Food Waste Reduction & Hunger Relief

Starbucks FoodShare food donation program was launched in the U.S. in 2016 and Canada in 2019, in partnership with Feeding America®, Second Harvest Canada and other hunger-relief organizations. As part of our promises to give more than we take and contribute positively to the communities we serve, we divert food from waste streams and donate it to help alleviate hunger. We also work around the world to support innovations in food waste reduction and scalable sustainable solutions that increase equitable access to nutritious food in high need and underserved communities. 

Starbucks is committed to reducing food waste within its operations and supporting hunger relief in communities.

Economic Opportunity

We are working to advance economic opportunity in our communities by working with a diverse range of suppliers across our business, increasing access to capital for small business owners and elevating public-private partnerships that address economic disparities.  

Since 1998, Starbucks has created an environment where diverse suppliers have equal opportunity to compete for our business.

Our sourcing teams engage with a diverse set of suppliers who share our commitment to advancing ethical sourcing and social and environmental standards. The Starbucks Supplier Diversity and Inclusion program drives inclusion of qualified businesses with a focus on suppliers of all sizes and categories, including small businesses. 

In 2021, Starbucks invested $100 million to launch the Community Resilience Fund to advance racial equity and environmental resilience in neighborhoods with historically limited access to capital. As of FY23, we have contributed over $40 million to the fund. We are working with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and other mission-driven financial institutions because of their deep experience serving underserved communities. The Fund provides access to long-term loans intended to support small businesses and neighborhood projects, including those addressing the inequitable impacts of climate change. 

In 2022, Starbucks continued to leverage the power of public-private partnerships and joined the Economic Opportunity Coalition to address economic disparities and accelerate economic opportunity in historically marginalized communities by developing and collaborating on new services, programs and products that will support deploying resources where they are most needed.  

The Starbucks Foundation

The Starbucks Foundation’s mission is to strengthen humanity by transforming lives across the world, with a focus on enabling community resiliency and prosperity, and uplifting communities affected by disaster. Through this work, the Foundation supports domestic and international nonprofit organizations that impact coffee growing regions to Starbucks local hometown of Seattle to neighborhoods around the world where Starbucks partners live and work.

Established in 1997, The Starbucks Foundation is a distinct Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization under U.S. law and receives funding primarily from Starbucks Corporation.

In coffee-, tea- and cocoa-growing communities, Foundation grants address critical needs such as access to water, sanitation and hygiene and economic opportunities. 

The Neighborhood Grants and Global Community Impact Grants programs accelerate hyper-local impact by inviting Starbucks partners across North America and Starbucks international business partners to nominate locally-relevant charities for grants, while inspiring additional support through local connections, volunteerism and co-investment. Youth grants support underrecognized youth by investing in programs focused on diversity, equity and inclusion; mentorship and career readiness opportunities; and addressing the current state of social and emotional health in young people. And when disaster strikes, from the earthquake in Türkiye to wildfires in Maui, The Starbucks Foundation supports immediate relief and longer-term recovery needs while also investing in resiliency efforts to ensure communities are prepared in advance of the next storm. Learn more about The Starbucks Foundation’s work.