Darden foundation

Darden's Restaurant Community Grants program is a local grants initiative that helps support nonprofit organizations in the hundreds of communities Darden and its restaurant brands serve.

In partnership with the Darden Foundation, every restaurant in the Darden family — Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52 — had the opportunity to help award a $1,000 grant to an exceptional nonprofit organization in its local community. In its second year, the program resulted in more than $1.9 million in grants to 855 exceptional nonprofits across the United States and Canada. These community grants will fund local projects across three focus areas: access to postsecondary education, preservation of natural resources and hunger.

As the economy continues to place an increasingly challenging strain on local charities, this program demonstrates how our restaurant teams extend our service philosophy beyond the walls of our restaurants and into the community. By funding exceptional, local nonprofit organizations, our restaurant teams are taking steps to invest in and enhance their communities. Every restaurant team had a hand in helping select a local organization to receive a grant and is encouraged to continue working with the nonprofit throughout the year. Many Darden restaurants are partnering and combining their grant dollars to make a deeper impact with local charities.