The Starbucks Foundation awards grants to 17 nonprofit organizations in support of youth empowerment, hunger relief, diversity and inclusion across Asia Pacific

The Global Community Impact Grants are part of The Starbucks Foundation’s commitment to invest US$30 million by 2030 to drive locally relevant impact where Starbucks operates around the world.

The Starbucks Foundation today announced that it will award grants to 17 local nonprofits, in nine markets across Asia Pacific, focusing on youth, hunger relief, and diversity and inclusion, as part of the inaugural round of Global Community Impact Grants.

Announced in March 2022, The Starbucks Foundation’s Global Community Impact Grants  will fund programs that create meaningful local impact, expanding on the company’s people positive ambition to enhance the well-being of all who connect with Starbucks.

With more than 50 grants awarded across more than 30 markets, the program expands and builds on other initiatives of The Starbucks Foundation – including Neighborhood Grants, Origin Grants, and Disaster Response Grants – which focus on enabling community resiliency and prosperity and uplifting communities affected by disaster.

In Asia Pacific, The Starbucks Foundation aims to invest in youth, amongst other focus areas, by creating opportunities, building connections to critical resources like mental health, and expanding access to learning and skills development. The grants will further build on existing long-term local efforts and help create new partnerships to uplift those in need and they include:

• Hong Kong: A grant to The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the city’s largest youth service organization, will support the Career Starter program, which aims to provide 60 youth with basic digital skills, internships and core skills for work readiness. To further support participants’ development of skills to succeed in the workplace, the nonprofit will invite local Starbucks partners to serve as guest mock interviewers to help youth build confidence and experience.
  
  
• Indonesia: As part of Starbucks Indonesia’s partnership with Prestasi Junior Indonesia (PJI), a grant will support a creative youth entrepreneurship program for 150 vocational students, teaching them the business skills to build their own micro-enterprises over the coming school year. This complements the positive momentum that Starbucks Indonesia and PJI have achieved since 2019, teaching youth about entrepreneurship through experiential learning. In 2021, more than 450 Starbucks volunteers were mobilized to conduct experiences with 1,250 students in six cities. 
  
  
• Singapore: A grant to the Autism Resource Center will support 20 adults with training in sewing skills, social integration and employment opportunities. Starbucks Singapore has collaborated with the Autism Resource Center since 2005 through various programs, including providing barista training and providing employment opportunities for autistic partners.
  
  
• Thailand: To promote sustainable livelihoods and create economic opportunities for Thailand’s coffee farming communities, a grant will support the Integrated Tribal Development Foundation (ITDP)’s Livelihood Training Program in providing training and access to educational and economic resources. Starbucks Thailand has a long-standing partnership with ITDP – its first Community Store in Asia, located in Bangkok, directs a portion of handcrafted beverage sales to the organization to support community development programs.
  
  
• The Philippines: A grant will support Gawad Kalinga’s efforts to nourish 600 youth, while engaging 60 parents in nutrition education and by helping them build and maintain community vegetable gardens – aligning with Starbucks commitment to support hunger relief. Starbucks partners also plan to volunteer in preparing and distributing food to the communities.
  
  
• South Korea: With over seven years of partnership with Junior Achievement Korea, a grant will focus on continuing to help young people access economic opportunities through the Build Success Skills program. To date, more than 1,400 Starbucks partners have helped provide skills training to over 17,700 vocational school students, empowering them to advance their professional goals and achieve their full potential.

“Since the beginning, Starbucks has been about more than coffee. We are a people company, driven by our Mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit of all who touch Starbucks,” said Michael Conway, group president, International and Channel Development at Starbucks and board member of The Starbucks Foundation. “Our partners know their communities best, and we’re proud to work alongside our licensed business partners around the world to deepen our collective impact and invest in meaningful ways that will help people and communities thrive.”

Learn more about the Global Community Impact Grants program and full list of grantees at Starbucks Stories.