05-12-2008

Poi Pet – Cambodia, Carpets for Communities is among 25 programs in 17 countries recently selected by Starbucks and the International Youth Foundation (IYF) to receive grants through the Starbucks Social Entrepreneurs Fund, a key component of the Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ commitment to communities.

The grantees were chosen through a competition that was established in early 2008 by IYF and the Starbucks Foundation in order to makes grants available to young leaders who have completed IYF’s YouthActionNet® Global Fellowship. The Fellowship is a program that seeks to develop a new generation of socially conscious global citizens who create positive change in their communities, their countries, and the world.

The size of grants awarded through the Fund range from US$5,000-$15,000. A committee comprised of IYF staff and Starbucks employees selected the final grant recipients. To learn more about the Starbucks Social Entrepreneurs Fund and planned activities of all 25 grant recipients, visit: www.youthactionnet.org.

About the International Youth Foundation (IYF)
The International Youth Foundation (IYF) invests in the extraordinary potential of young people. Founded in 1990, IYF builds and maintains a worldwide community of businesses, governments, and civil-society organizations committed to empowering youth to be healthy, productive, and engaged citizens. IYF programs are catalysts of change that help young people obtain a quality education, gain employability skills, make healthy choices, and improve their communities. To learn more, visit: www.iyfnet.org.

About the Starbucks Social Entrepreneurs Fund
The Starbucks Social Entrepreneurs Fund helps young people realize their natural potential to reinvent their local communities. The Fund is the primary vehicle through which the Starbucks Foundation invests in communities globally as part of the Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ commitment to communities where the company does business. Since launching the Fund in 2007, more than $1.5 million has been invested in programs around the world. The Fund is integral to the company achieving its goal by 2015 of engaging 50,000 young social entrepreneurs to innovate and take action and, in turn, to inspire 100,000 additional individuals to take action in their communities. For more information, please visit www.starbucksfoundation.com/sef.