On Racial Equity

March 2023

During 2023, we are spotlighting and supporting those continuing to make history with another $1,000,000 donation commitment by amplifying Black community efforts and nonprofits creating change throughout February and beyond.

Here is a look at some nonprofits we're working with this year.

Afro Latin Jazz Alliance performs, educates about, and preserves the music of all the Americas, emanating from African and indigenous roots, through the entry point of jazz.

OCCUR is an organization that is committed to creating capacity building opportunities to support the well-being, economic development, and civic inclusion of marginalized communities.

Urban League of Greater Atlanta Young Professionals supports the National Urban League movement through volunteerism, philanthropy, membership development, and providing a forum for the development of young professionals.

The Black Academy of Arts and Letters is a multi-discipline arts institution whose mission is to create and enhance an awareness and understanding of artistic, cultural, and aesthetic differences utilizing the framework of African, African American, and Caribbean Arts and Letters.

African International House serves as a center that exposes and educates all peoples to the individual works and collective contributions of African cultures.

Dec. 2021

Our $1,000,000 commitment for 2021 has supported over 100 local community-oriented nonprofits across the country that work towards and promote social equity. Our team has helped amplify and further the missions of organizations that focus on mentorship, arts and culture, the food and beverage industry, and community building.

We will continue our support in 2022 with an additional $1,000,000 donation commitment and look forward to our continued work with local community-oriented nonprofits across the country that serve the Black community and focus on mentorship, arts and culture, the food and beverage industry, and community building.

May 2021

As we continue our support of social equity in 2021 with a $1,000,000 donation commitment to local community-oriented nonprofits across the country, we are working with many incredible nonprofits in the areas of mentorship, arts and culture, the food and beverage industry, and community building. Through our donations, we hope to help amplify their missions to support the Black community and create a positive impact for our neighbors.

Below are a handful of the nonprofits we are supporting so far this year to help make a difference in the communities around us:

African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, serving more than 800 active members, is dedicated to economically empowering and sustaining African American communities and businesses through direct outreach programs. We are helping to fund their Job Readiness Program focused on preparing individuals for the workplace.

Hot Bread Kitchen, located in New York City, supports women, immigrants, and people of color in the food industry by creating economic opportunity through careers in food. We are giving back to their Chefs Collective Program, which helps both small business recovery and food assistance for our New York neighbors during this critical time.

Community Music Center of Houston’s, founded in 1979, mission is the preservation, appreciation and performance of music that reflect Black music traditions. We are honored to help lift up the talented musicians of their Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra.

Chicago Urban League, established in 1916, works to achieve equity for Black families and communities through social and economic empowerment. We are supporting their IMPACT Leadership Program aimed at racial parity in leadership positions by developing and supporting emerging African American leaders.

Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative, established in 2017 in Sarasota, Florida, has a dual mission of advocating for greater exposure to African American Artists throughout the Suncoast Art Community, and to provide educational forums/symposia to expose students and arts patrons to the work of African American Artists. We are helping to amplify the mission by supporting their Educational Forums.

February 2021

We are continuing our support of social equity in 2021 with an additional $1,000,000 donation commitment to local community-oriented nonprofits across the country. We look forward to strengthening established relationships – and building new relationships – with nonprofits focused on mentorship, arts and culture, the food and beverage industry, and community building.

To kick off this year, in honor of Black History Month, here is a look at a few nonprofits, centered on arts and culture, we are honored to work with:

Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, located in our home state of Texas, this Center for African American Military History tells the powerful stories of African American military personnel by way of visual arts, educational programming, and exhibitions. The museum is devoted to lifting up the achievements of the nation’s African American soldiers to educate, preserve, and perpetuate their outstanding contributions.

Madam Walker Legacy Center, the last surviving iconic building on Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis, this National Historic Landmark pays homage to Madam C. J. Walker, the first female self-made millionaire. The venue is a catalyst for promoting social justice by celebrating and educating cultural diversity, displaying art from the African American perspective, and supporting entrepreneurship.

Apollo Theater, a music hall based in New York City, goes beyond its doors to amplify African American artists and project messages of social justice. Known as the largest theater devoted to the African American experience, the Apollo’s platform serves as a catalyst for new artists, audiences, and the creative workforce supporting Black joy and community action.

DuSable Museum, Museum of African American History located in Chicago, is dedicated to promoting and inspiring the achievements, contributions, and experiences of African Americans through exhibits, programs, and activities that illustrate African and African American history, culture, and art. The museum serves as an institution to further understanding and appreciation for African American communities.

New Orleans Jazz Museum commemorates the history of jazz, in the city where jazz was born, through dynamic interactive exhibits, multi-generational programming, research facilities, and engaging musical performances. Musicians and music lovers of all languages and nationalities are welcome in to explore America’s quintessential musical art form.

The Carr Center, located in Detroit, aims to inspire, entertain, challenge, and educate the community on African and African American cultural arts. The center is a place for artists of all disciplines and across all communities to come together and celebrate the essence of African American traditions.

Dec. 2020

We’ve distributed our $1,000,000 commitment to over 110 local community-oriented nonprofits across the country that support and promote social equity. Our team has built and strengthened relationships with organizations that focus on mentorship, arts and culture, the food and beverage industry, and community building. While some of these relationships are brand new and others have grown over the years, we’re helping to amplify the missions of all of these organizations and address immediate needs in the communities they serve. We’re looking forward to the long-term relationships and continued work into 2021 and beyond.

Sept. 2020

To date, we've already committed support to over 50 local community-oriented nonprofits across the country supporting mentorship, arts and culture, and community building.

For the last three months, our team has been identifying and building relationships with local nonprofit organizations across the US to guide our donations to causes and efforts supporting social equity.

We will continue to roll out donations over the coming months distributing our full $1,000,000 commitment by December. We look forward to sharing more updates on the ways our support is helping to amplify the important missions of these organizations and making a positive impact in the communities they serve, and hope to have relationships with them in the years to come.

June 06, 2020

Love is a simple ideal. Treat others with respect, dignity, equality and compassion. It is the ideal Tito’s Handmade Vodka was built on. An ideal we try to live by every day. It is also the ideal that we have seen absent in the racial injustices that have plagued the Black community in this country for so many years. We stand for love, we condemn racism, but the events we have been seeing in the last few weeks have made us pause, reflect and look at ourselves.

While we cannot begin to comprehend the pain our employees and friends in the Black community have faced for so long, we know we have the ability to support them. We are taking the time to look at how we can better ourselves as humans and affect the communities around us – and begin to learn, understand and determine how we are best positioned to make a difference in the fight against racial injustice.

We have always believed in the power of our actions over our words and in the power of community and people. We have always given to our local communities, because we believe that when we do, we work to address each community’s needs. So that is where we begin.

We are committing an additional $1,000,000 to support social equity and the fight against racism through local organizations around the country. Our employees across the US will work with local community leaders to guide this donation to causes and efforts to support our neighbors in this fight. Our hope is to give the power to our employees to build meaningful efforts and continue to work with these organizations in the years to come.

We are beginning a week of service for each and every employee to take time off to take action and support their city in the fight for equality.

We are matching all employee donations*.

We are working on ourselves and our own biases through internal programs that support meaningful learning, discussion and understanding.

This is the beginning. This is where love expands beyond what we know into where it has been forgotten. Black lives matter.

Love is a simple ideal. Tito’s will spread it even farther than before.

Love,
Tito’s

*Matching employee donations to eligible nonprofits, up to $5,000 per year, per employee.