Serving and Strengthening Communities

The guests and communities we serve are integral to our success. Target Forward’s vision to co-create an equitable and regenerative future reinforces the importance of our approach to proactive community engagement and collaboration with nonprofit partners.

a cartoon of a group of people

Across Target, we continue to work to advance solutions that address community needs and drive meaningful and positive impact for people and planetThis builds on our long history of community support including a philanthropic commitment to giving 5% of our profits to communities in cash, products, and through Target Foundation, an industry-leading track record of team member engagement and volunteerism, and a commitment to use our size, scale and business to positively impact communities. 

Explore Serving and Strengthening Communities

Disaster Preparedness & Response

Visit page

Volunteerism

Visit page

Grants & Corporate Giving

Visit page

Anchored to Target’s purpose, Target’s community impact, engagement and philanthropy show up in three ways and work together to support our Target Forward vision to co-create an equitable and regenerative future with our guests, partners and communities.

Corporate citizenship

Our corporate citizenship efforts are those fundamental initiatives that fulfill the role we play as a responsible corporate citizen. We support communities in moments of need, and that generates brand love among our guests and team. 

Target Foundation

At Target Foundation we envision a world where all families and communities have the resources they need to determine and realize their own joy in life. It’s a reality that is out of reach for far too many families as they struggle for access to economic opportunity, financial stability and the kind of empowerment that lifts up their communities. We believe we have a responsibility to work to remove barriers and to help create that access, resulting in a world where all families can thrive.   

Community impact

Our community impact primarily focuses on three areas: 

  • Economic opportunity: Supporting wealth-building opportunities, including entrepreneurship, workforce development and asset-building. 
  • Community development: Fostering a community-based approach anchored in listening. 
  • Environmental sustainability: Focusing on the intersection of people and planet, including supporting place-based circularity advancements.

Have a question about community impact at Target? Email us at CommunityImpact@target.com

If you are inquiring about a charitable contribution, please note that your organization must be a federally tax-exempt section 501(c)(3) charitable organization, an accredited school, or a public agency located in the United States of America or one of its protectorates. Please see our grants FAQs for more information.

Examples of our impact across each of our focus areas

Economic opportunity

In the spring of 2022, we expanded the services available through the Target Scholars Program by funding Emergency Student Aid (ESA) grants. Executed by UNCF, ESA grants are intended to support Target Scholars who are encountering just-in-time financial hardships related to academic retention, health-related issues (physical or mental), food insecurity, housing insecurity, technology, travel/transportation or natural disaster. Each Target Scholar is eligible to receive up to $500 in ESA grant funds. 

Community development

We provided funding to the Minnesota Homeownership Center, whose mission is to promote and advance successful, sustained homeownership in Minnesota, with a focus on serving the needs of low- and moderate-income families and communities of colorAs a retailer committed to the development of thriving and vital local communities, Target has partnered with organizations such as the Center for Justice Innovation in New York City. Building on a successful grassroots partnership between our local team members and the Center, we invested in their Community First program. Together we are helping them foster a safer Times Square neighborhood for residents, workers and tourists by addressing upstream solutions to the unhoused population in the community. 

Environmental sustainability

In service of advancing our investments in environmental sustainability, Target has partnered with the Latino Community Foundation (LCF), a California-based nonprofit piloting a model to reimagine a just recovery for communities affected by wildfires and to strengthen frontline grassroot leaders serving at the intersections of climate resiliency, economic justice and racial equity. 

Company milestones

1946
The Dayton Company establishes giving 5% of pretax profit to communities
2013
Target team members first achieve 1 million volunteer hours
2016
Car seat trade-in program launches
2019
Target launches Target Circle guest-directed giving nationwide
2021

Target Forward is launched to co-create an equitable and regenerative future 

2024

Target celebrates 25-year anniversary of St. Jude Target House 

Our physical presence in local communities 

Enhancing existing and new stores with site and building design amenities inspired by the local community, we will also grow responsibly as we expand our store portfolio. 

Site and building design amenities may include some or all of the following features depending on the location and conditions of each unique store site: 

  • New or restorative native landscaping, safe, well-lit parking lots, easy auto, bike and pedestrian access, connections to mass transit, EV charging stalls, storm water management, natural daylighting, using locally sourced materials, and local nature inspired exterior and interior biophilic design. 
  • As we build more stores in convenient locations for guests, especially in suburban, dense suburban and urban areas, we’ll continue to focus on responsible growth and re-purposing old buildings where guests live and work, and near mass transit.