With thousands of associates across the country and hundreds of stores in local communities, Anthropologie is on a mission to use its retail footprint as a vehicle to bring people together.
The retailer has expanded its philanthropic program, AnthroImpact, with the addition of four new regional nonprofit partners, each representing a core U.S. region: North Central, East, South and West. These new partners join three others from the retailer’s corporate home of Philadelphia that were announced in February.
“This expansion builds on the momentum we started with our Philadelphia partnerships earlier this year and reflects our belief that stores are not just places of business but deeply connected community spaces,” said Kate Haldy, Head of PR, Communications and Impact at Anthropologie Group in comments shared with Retail TouchPoints. “By activating our retail footprint in this way, we’re scaling our impact authentically, community by community, region by region.”
The four new partners were nominated by Anthropologie store teams nationwide and were selected for their alignment with Anthropologie’s impact pillars: arts education, women’s empowerment and sustainability. They are:
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- Arts Midwest, which advances creativity across the Midwest by supporting artists, funding arts organizations and strengthening communities through cultural initiatives;
- Mid Atlantic Arts, which connects people and communities through diverse artistic expression, as well as providing funding and programs that support artists and broaden access to the arts throughout the Mid-Atlantic region;
- Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium, a collective of Black women leaders funding and uplifting organizations that empower Black girls and women across the Southern U.S.; and
- The Surfrider Foundation, an environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network.
“Through this initiative, we’re deepening our commitment to sustainability and social impact in a way that’s locally resonant and aligned with our core values,” said Haldy. “By empowering store teams to nominate regional nonprofit partners rooted in our pillars of arts education, women’s empowerment and sustainability, we’re ensuring that our efforts are shaped by the people who know their communities best.”
Each organization will receive an annual $10,000 donation, along with continued support through employee volunteerism and community engagement opportunities.
The partnerships will be promoted through a mix of national storytelling and local engagement, said Haldy. Nationally, each nonprofit will be spotlighted on social and digital channels to raise the profile of the work they are doing and share ways for Anthropologie customers to get involved.
At the local level, the company plans to create “hands-on opportunities for our teams to get involved, like supporting community artists through wish list fulfillment or organizing local beach cleanups or employee engagement activations so associates can see their impact in real-time,” Haldy added.
“We want every employee, whether they work in a store or at home office, to feel ownership in the work we’re doing,” she said. “Ultimately, we hope these partnerships not only create lasting change at the local level, but also strengthen the connection between our brand, our people and the communities we call home.”
