Incredible Coffee Non-Profits To Support On Giving Tuesday

2020 has been… well, it’s been a lot. Every last one of us has been tested in unexpected ways, but here we are, heading into the holiday season, and there is perhaps perchance cause for just a little bit of optimism ahead. One thing that this year has indubitably made clear is the power of charity and mutual aid, and that support so often comes from our own communities. Depending on where you live, such as America, you cannot expect the government to help you when times are tough, but you can look to community, and that means something.

When it came time to put together this year’s annual onslaught of seasonal coffee guides, a guide to charitable giving was at the very top of our non-denominational holiday list. We’ve picked more than a dozen organizations, mostly from within the field of coffee, whose work we find reputable, laudable, and worthy of your consideration for an end-of-year donation. Read on.

ACLU

Back in 2017, coffee companies large and small helped raise a stunning amount of money for the ACLU, to help lead the fight against the outgoing Trump Administration’s baffling, unconstitutional attempt at an immigrant ban. Today the ACLU’s important work continues, from court battles to civil rights protections and education to wide-ranging federal advocacy. We are proud to support the ongoing work of this important organization. Donate here.

Asylum Seekers Advocacy Project

In 2018 coffee companies across the United States helped raise more than $100,000 for ASAP (Asylum Seekers Advocacy Project), whose work supports asylum-seekers who come to the United States to escape persecution. ASAP’s broad range of programs includes community and legal resources, direct legal services, and systemic reform through “federal litigation, press, administrative and legislative advocacy,” per ASAP’s website. This is a remarkable project we are proud to support. Donate here.

Enveritas

“Enveritas is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2016 to overcome systemic barriers that prevent the application of proven solutions for ending poverty among smallholder coffee growers. Our mission is to end global poverty in the coffee sector by 2030.” Donate here.

Food 4 Farmers

“We partner with coffee-farming communities in Latin America to cultivate a food-secure future. Our partners represent 8,000 coffee-farming families working to put good, healthy food on the table every day.” Donate here.

 

Getchusomegear

Another remarkable new charity, Chris McAuley’s Getchusomegear is built around the mission of “hookin’ up marginalized coffee pros and business owners with free coffee gear” but has quickly become much more. They just recently announced an incredible slate of charitable grant recipients, and are actively working to make the coffee world a better and more equitable place in real, tangible ways. Read our 2020 profile of Chris McAuley here. Support Getchusomegear this giving season by donating directly to mutual aid organizations that support them, including FoodNotBombs919, DurhamFreeLunch, and GoFundBean. Getchu is also actively seeking coffee equipment donations, and in particular, is looking for coffee scales.

Glitter Cat

“Glitter Cat’s mission is to reimagine the coffee industry through inspiring marginalized coffee folx to take up space in coffee competitions, create our own spaces through the DiGiTiTiON, and challenge the status quo of hospitality and professionalism. We’re here to add glitter to everything.” Read about Glitter Cat’s recent online event winners on Sprudge, and learn more about their 2020 Giving Tuesday campaign. Donate here.

GoFundBean

What started as an online collection of digital tip jars has grown into one of the coffee industry’s foremost new charitable organizations. Adam JacksonBey and his team have built GoFundBean into a major distributor of grants and resources, including its recent Stay Grounded initiative focused on supporting free mental health services for hourly coffee workers. GFB follows the “80/20 rule“, in which 80% of all donations go directly to charitable programs. Donate here (click the “Donate” button).

Grounds For Health

“We are a mission-driven, international non-profit organization, born out of and with enduring ties to the coffee industry, and focused on increasing coverage of cervical cancer prevention services.” Donate here.

International Women’s Coffee Alliance 

“The mission of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) is to empower women in the international coffee community to achieve meaningful and sustainable lives; and to encourage and recognize the participation of women in all aspects of the coffee industry.” Donate here.

Pueblo a Pueblo 

“Pueblo a Pueblo is committed to improving access to health care, education, and sustainable livelihoods in coffee-growing communities through integrated school- and community-based programs.” Donate here.

Rebuilding Families 

We’ve already reported on the devastation that hurricanes Eta and Iota have wrought on the coffeelands in Honduras. The latest fundraising effort, led by esteemed Honduran producer Benjamin Paz and his family, seeks to raise $75,000 to rehome displaced coffee farmers in the Santa Barbara region. In conjunction with Beneficio San Vicente and local non-profit Serve HOPE International, donations you make in a friend’s name (or your own) will go towards building new homes for 25 affected families, at the estimated cost of $3,000 each—a real way to turn the act of giving into something that will directly improve people’s lives.

Southern Smoke

“Southern Smoke is a crisis relief organization for people in the food and beverage industry,” delivering direct grants and funds to restaurant and hospitality industry workers impacted by unprecedented events in 2020. Southern Smoke have distributed more than $5 million in funds since 2015, and are making available more than $200k a month on average in 2020. Donate here. 

Technoserve

“TechnoServe helps people lift themselves out of poverty by harnessing the power of the private sector. A leading nonprofit organization operating in almost 30 countries, we work with hard-working women and men in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. By linking people to information, capital, and markets, we have helped millions to create lasting prosperity for their families and communities.” Winner of the 2020 National Coffee Association Origin Charity award. Donate here.

The Coffee Trust 

“We help indigenous coffee farmers improve their agricultural practices, diversify their incomes, and raise healthy families. We believe and trust that the communities we work with know what they need based on their culture, values, and priorities. Our job is to provide them with the framework to discover, implement, and share their own solutions. We collaborate with participants to design projects that lead toward self-management—the ultimate goal is for the partner organization or community to take full responsibility for the project.” Donate here.

World Coffee Research