Communities

Costco's commitment is to be active in our local communities. We have a Charitable Contributions Committee that meets quarterly to determine which programs to support and how to best meet the needs within our communities. We budget 1% of pretax profits for selected charitable contributions focused on children, education, and health and human services. In fiscal year 2021, we contributed over $58 million to disaster relief and to hundreds of organizations through a variety of charitable programs and grants, including $1 million to the Vaccine Equity Initiative, which expanded vaccine access to hardest hit, underserved communities. Additional examples include United Way, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, Communities in Schools, Feeding America, American Red Cross, College Success Foundation, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, United Negro College Fund, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Visit the list of our top U.S. recipients for FY2021.

We provide financial assistance to underrepresented minorities, including scholarships and other educational opportunities to help fill the financial gap. We also offer access for many deserving students to enhance their education. For example:

• In the past 21 years, we’ve raised over $65 million through the Costco Scholarship Fund for scholarships for underrepresented minorities to attend the University of Washington or Seattle University; over 2,000 scholarships have been awarded;
• We’ve donated over $65.8 million to other schools and organizations for scholarships and educational opportunities for underrepresented minorities. In 2021 alone, we donated over $5.8 million for scholarships and other educational opportunities
• We’ve helped establish and have donated $10 million to the College Success Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting underserved, low-income students beginning in middle school and continuing through college.

More information about our charitable programs can be found on the Charitable Contributions page.

FOOD DONATIONS & FOOD SECURITY

During 2021, many food banks were affected by COVID-19. There were shortages in volunteers, donation pickup interruptions and an overall increase in need from communities all over the world. Our goal was to continue to donate as much as possible to the communities where we operate to support those in need.

In fiscal year 2021, we contributed $3.5M in cash grants and over 70 million pounds of food and other products from our U.S. warehouses and depots to Feeding America. All of our international locations also donate to local food banks.

Our food donation programs are part of our Waste Minimization Programs and we follow the Food Waste Hierarchy to prevent wasting food and to keep food out of landfills. More information about food donations can be found on the Waste Minimization page.

In addition, we make efforts in multiple ways that enhance food security for millions of people through our offerings of affordable and nutritious food. To learn more, review our Report on Food Security.

NON-FOOD DONATIONS

Costco continues to grow its program with World Vision to donate first-quality items that used to be destroyed, recycled or returned to the supplier. In fiscal year 2021, we donated to people in need in 32 countries. More information can be found in the Costco-World Vision Summary, which contains a list of the items donated and some stories that illustrate the impact of these donations.

In order to support a more inclusive economy, and to break down race and class barriers to opportunity and growth, Costco has committed to investing in the following programs:

• $25 million committed to the Black Economic Development Fund (BEDF) managed by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. The primary objective of the BEDF is to target Black-led or Black-owned financial institutions, developers, businesses, and anchor institutions with improved access to capital in order to incentivize economic activity and wealth building opportunities in Black communities across America.
• $1 million invested in the Fearless Fund, the first Venture Capital fund built by women of color, for women of color to address the disparity that exists in venture capital funding for businesses led by women of color.
• $10 million committed to the Entrepreneurs of Color Loan Fund (EOCLF) managed by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. EOCLF will partner with Community Development Financial Institutions to improve access to capital for minority entrepreneurs and also provide coaching and mentorship.

Costco Wholesale is committed to working with qualified minority- and women-owned suppliers in the communities where we do business. This is consistent with our overall commitment as a company to foster an inclusive environment, free from inequity and unlawful discrimination. More information can be found on the Supplier Diversity page.

More information about our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices can be found on our Employees page.

EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERING

Watch this video to learn more about how Costco employees engage with the community.

Costco Employee Volunteer Reading Program

Costco’s Volunteer Reading Program, which originally began in 1998, has grown to over 456 programs in the U.S., Canada and Australia. Over 70% of eligible locations participate with over 2,600 volunteers contributing their time to this successful program. Due to COVID-19, we paused this program and anticipate we will begin again in FY22.

Health Care

Products and Services

Costco provides low-cost, quality eye care through independent optometrists and our optical departments, hearing aid services and supplies in our hearing aid centers, and prescriptions and other health-related products in our pharmacies. Costco also provides flu shots and other immunizations, health screenings, and other health-related programs.

In FY20, we donated and/or provided at cost hospitals and government agencies with masks, hand sanitizers, surface wipes, gloves and personal care items to help them respond to COVID-19. In FY21, we continued to provide COVID-19 support by providing vaccines as referenced below.

Pharmacy Services

Besides being a low-cost source for prescription medications in 694 pharmacies worldwide, Costco continues to expand the following special prescriptions and services in the U.S.:

• Specialty drug customized pharmacy services that require patient-specific dosing and careful clinical management. More information can be found at Specialty Drug Programs.
• Access to naloxone without a prescription in 44 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico. Naloxone is a life-saving medication that reverses an opioid overdose, and is part of the national strategy to combat the opioid overdose epidemic.
• Prescriptions for contraceptives in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington, with the intent to roll out the program where allowed by law.
• Travel Medicine Services in California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, which includes a pre-travel consultation to determine any health risks based on your itinerary and activities, a review of your health history and immunization status, tips on how to stay healthy during your trip, and a list of the recommended immunizations and medications.
• Costco Pharmacies have given over 615,000 COVID vaccines to date, including partnering with local school districts and organizations.

Pharmacy Benefit Programs (PBM)

Costco Health Solutions offers an alternative prescription benefits program dedicated to delivering the best pharmacy care to employers and their members. This includes a full spectrum of cost-effective, high-quality clinical programs that provide members with the care they need to help meet their health and quality of life goals. Our PBM program guarantees that 100% of all discounts from manufacturers for prescriptions will be passed back to the client. Companies that participate in Costco’s prescription benefit program typically reduce costs by 10 to 25%. More information can be found here: PBM programs.

Optical Services

Besides being a low-cost source for eyewear in 767 optical departments worldwide, Costco also provides access to optical health services in the U.S., such as:

• Independent Doctors of Optometry located at or next to Costco Optical in most states.
• Licensed and/or Certified Opticians to answer eye care questions. Costco accepts most vision insurance plans.

Hearing Aid Services

Costco has 715 hearing aid centers worldwide, staffed by licensed hearing aid specialists. Besides providing hearing aid tests and low-cost, high quality hearing aid devices, Costco also helps to improve the education of Hearing Aid Specialists through the Hearing Aid Apprenticeship Program. As a result, Costco has helped over 1,015 people in the U.S. become hearing aid specialists since 2006.