Beyond Meat Partners with NBA Player-Led Social Change Fund to Fight Racial Inequality

This week, vegan brand Beyond Meat announced its partnership with Social Change Fund (SCF), a nonprofit founded by NBA players Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony, along with Black industry executives, with the goal of fighting systemic racism through initiatives tied to social justice, education, and health equity. “We are honored to join in partnership with Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony in support of the Social Change Fund. Beyond Meat is dedicated to serving broader social goals, using what’s on the center of the plate as a critical starting point,” Beyond Meat Founder and CEO Ethan Brown said. “And we are excited to support and work with the Social Change Fund initiative to address racial inequalities in nutrition access and health outcomes in America.”

Through its partnership, Beyond Meat will support SCF’s efforts in helping organizations working to liberate Black people and advocating for indigenous people in areas of policy reform, narrative change, and community representation in order to fulfill the overarching goal of creating a fair and equitable society. “I’ve been a longtime supporter of Beyond Meat and am excited to welcome them as a founding partner into the Social Change Fund,” Paul, a Beyond Meat investor and celebrity ambassador, said. “Like the Social Change Fund, I know that Beyond Meat is committed to progress for our communities. I look forward to all the good that we can continue to do together.”

In addition to fighting to end systemic racism, Beyond Meat has been active in providing meals to those in need during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In April, Beyond Meat pledged to distribute one million vegan burgers under its Feed a Million+ campaign—with the help of its ambassadors, including NBA player Kyrie Irving, rapper Snoop Dogg, comedian Kevin Hart, and more—to frontline workers and communities in need. To date, the company surpassed its initial goal and has donated more than five million to food banks, hospitals, and hunger organizations nationwide.