News

Dunkin’ Brands partners with NAACP to increase franchising opportunities for people of color

July 23, 2014

Dunkin' Brands has announced a partnership with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to increase African-American participation in the franchise industry and provide more business opportunities for people of color.  

The partnership was launched today at the NAACP's annual convention in Las Vegas. According to a news release, the Diversity in Franchising initiative will provide franchising education and training and networking opportunities, and will facilitate access to capital to help qualified candidates get into franchising.

"Franchising can be a powerful economic tool that further enables the African-American community and others to realize the American dream of business ownership," NAACP CEO Cornell William Brooks said in the release. "We are excited to announce this unique partnership with Dunkin’ Brands and to improve opportunities for people of color in the franchising sector because of the substantial impact these agreements have on empowering and employing people of color."

This initiative is a part of Dunkin’ Brands’ efforts to provide resources to help qualified franchisee candidates overcome barriers associated with financing, including providing guidance on business plan development, facilitating access to capital, and forging relationships with local community lenders, the release said.

 "Working together, our goal is to increase African American participation in the franchise industry, not just with Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, but across a wide spectrum of franchising concepts available in the marketplace," said Grant Benson, CFE, vice president of global franchising and business development, Dunkin’ Brands. "Additionally, we believe this partnership will enable Dunkin’ Brands to build a larger, more diverse pool of franchise candidates, accelerate our expansion in new and existing markets, and continue to build customer loyalty for our two brands across the country."