Target's DEI rollback raises questions about the retail giant's philanthropic commitments
Target's DEI rollback raises questions about the retail giant's philanthropic commitments
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Target's rollback on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is raising questions about the retail giant's philanthropic commitment to fighting racial disparities and promoting progressive values in liberal Minneapolis, where it is based, and beyond.
Target and the Target Foundation have made six-figure donations in recent years to groups working on Black economic empowerment and LGBTQ+ acceptance. “Racial equity” is still listed as a cornerstone of the foundation's local grantmaking. But some fundraisers now wonder whether those types of gifts remain a primary concern for the brand, as Target joins other major American companies in curtailing internal DEI efforts attacked most prominently by President Donald Trump's administration.
“Billions of dollars are spent annually on DEI, but rather than reducing bias and promoting inclusion, DEI creates and then amplifies prejudicial hostility and exacerbates interpersonal conflict,” The White House said in a statement accompanying Trump's executive orders.
Corporations — including Walmart, Amazon and Meta — are retreating from policies intended to counter discrimination, many of which were implemented after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in 2020. Philanthropic advisors say the conservative backlash is also chilling support from some funders who fear that backing race-based nonprofit work could bring legal challenges like the one that successfully shuttered the Fearless Fund's grant contest for Black women business owners.
