Dunkin Brands - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Dunkin Brands is Medium Risk.

Dunkin’ Brands is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company elevates merit, excellence, and integrity ahead of race and identity-based policies. The company occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Lower Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Medium Risk
Employment Protection	Medium Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	Medium Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	Lower Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

In December 2020, Dunkin Brands was acquired by Inspire Brands. Prior to the acquisition, Dunkin Brands had a history of divisive corporate policies and practices. It is unclear whether these causes or policies were retained, modified, or discontinued by Inspire Brands (1). The company has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (2).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Dunkin’ Brands’s employee matching guidelines require that organizations abide by its nondiscrimination policy, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, thereby excluding some religious charities (1).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Dunkin’ Brands does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Dunkin’ CEO, David Hoffmann, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace, strategize on DEI programs/initiatives with other signatories, and engage boards of directors when developing and evaluating DEI strategies (1)(2). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Dunkin’ Brands using its reputation to advance ideological causes or policies (3).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Dunkin’ created LGBTQ Pride Month gift cards that allow customers to donate to LGBTQ organizations when purchasing the Pride Month gift card and sold LGBTQ Pride Month merchandise (1). The company’s Foundation donated $30,000 to LGBTQ youth organizations, though the organizations are primarily focused on providing services such as food, education, and housing to at-risk youth (2). Dunkin’ sponsored the Lansing Pride Festival 2025 (3). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Dunkin’ using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (4).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Dunkin’ Brands has not used its PAC donations or lobbying for ideological purposes (1)(2)(3).