Food & Beverage

DoorDash launches $200M Main Street Strong initiative

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November 13, 2020

DoorDash is launching a five-year, $200 million Main Street Strong pledge designed to empower local communities. The company said, in a news release that it is immediately going into action with the initiatives, which DoorDash will direct in consultation with its Dasher Community Council, Voices from Dashers of Color Council, Restaurant Advisory Council and other community partners.

In total, the pledge is designed to put money and action into the following goals:

• Enable Dashers to achieve greater financial and professional empowerment.
• Empower merchants and enable more equality of access in local economies.
• Strengthen the communities where DoorDash operates.

The first set of initiatives under the Main Street Strong Pledge are:

• Dasher financial success enablement by lowering barriers to incoming-earning, particularly in the hardest-hit communities through multi-year partnership with the National Urban League to reimagine the 21st century economy by creating a program designed for Dashers of color to help them attain new job skills and entrepreneurial success, and build generational wealth via financial literacy training, educational funding and job programs. Additionally, later in the quarter DoorDash will announce a $12 million Dasher rewards program that will run though May 2021 to recognize Dashers globally.
• Local merchant empowerment through the October announcement of a $2 million cold weather grant program to help restaurants in six markets prepare for the winter months, as well as another $10 million expansion into more markets and Canada.
• Community strengthening through Project DASH, working with nonprofits and governments to serve communities through last-mile delivery by deepening a partnership with United Way in 2021 through a two-year, 2 million-delivery goal to support those most in need.