Bud Light Pledges $200k to Support LGBTQ+ Business Owners of Color

Bud Light and the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce announced on Tuesday that they have will expand their existing partnership with Bud Light donating $200,000 to the chamber’s Communities of Color Initiative.

“Bud Light was brewed to be an ‘Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy’ beer for everyone 21+ and that still holds true today,” said Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, said in a release. “We look forward to extending our work with the NGLCC to continue making a positive impact on the LGBTQ+ businesses that play a critical role in bringing people everywhere, together.”

The Communities of Color Initiative support LGBTQ+ business owners from diverse backgrounds through developing certificates, scholarships, and business development opportunities.

The funds will go toward the LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s first-ever CoCi Biz Pitch. The competition will allow the winning minority LGBTQ+ business owner to receive $5,000 and a chance to compete at the LGBT Biz Pitch competition at the chamber’s 2023 conference. The winner of that competition will receive $50,000 in cash and prizes.

“We’re honored to continue our partnership with Bud Light in support of LGBTQ+ businesses,” said the NGLCC. “We appreciate the brand’s ongoing efforts to bolster our Communities of Color Initiative that empowers and supports both minority LGBTQ+ business owners and entrepreneurs, as well as the vital roles they play in communities across the United States.”

The NGLCC is the largest advocacy group working to expand economic opportunities for LGBTQ+ people, the organization said. It is also the group that certifies businesses as LGBT-owned.

Anheuser-Busch’s announcement comes weeks after the company was caught up in controversy after conservative commentators attacked the company for a brand partnership with influencer and model Dylan Mulvaney, who is transgender. LGBTQ+ rights groups also called the company out after it seemingly caved to right-wing pressure and released a statement about not wanting to offend anyone.

The Human Rights Campaign earlier this month suspected Anheuser-Busch’s perfect Corporate Equality Index score, which measures a company’s policies for LGBTQ+ workers.