Airbnb is launching a nonprofit to allow the hosts who rent out their properties on its platform to provide free and discounted stays to refugees, people affected by natural disasters, and frontline workers in the coronavirus pandemic. The new organization, called Airbnb.org, is the evolution of Airbnb’s Open Homes and Frontline stays programs.

Open Homes started in 2012, inspired by a host who opened her home to people affected by Hurricane Sandy. The company introduced the Frontline stays program earlier this year, as a way to provide first responders a place to stay — either to be closer to work or to quarantine away from their families while treating COVID-19 patients. The company says more than 100,000 hosts worldwide have provided accommodations under the programs. Now, both programs will be called Airbnb.org.

The company says Airbnb hosts who offer free stays or make recurring donations to Airbnb.org will get a special badge on their profiles “to recognize their generosity and commitment to communities in need.” Asked whether Airbnb would reimburse hosts for participating in the program, a company spokesperson said in an email to The Verge that “hosts can choose whether they can provide a free or discounted stay and those are considered in-kind donations” to Airbnb.org.

Airbnb hosts have struggled to book properties during the pandemic, and the company announced in March it would offer refunds to guests who canceled reservations. The company didn’t offer reimbursement to hosts under that new policy and is now facing a proposed class action lawsuit, brought by a Texas host who says the refund policy violated Airbnb’s contract with hosts.

The new nonprofit will partner with relief organizations like the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE). Airbnb also says it will commit $1 million over the next two years to help cover stays for IFRC volunteers and staff “fighting the spread of COVID-19” and $1 million to CORE to support essential workers at COVID-19 testing sites and at future vaccine distribution centers.

The company has committed 400,000 shares of Airbnb stock to support the new nonprofit, and company co-founders Joe Gebbia, Brian Chesky, and Nathan Blecharczyk will donate an additional $6 million, the company said.

Frontline workers will get

more support from Airbnb. Airbnb Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky today announced a new commitment to support charitable and philanthropic organizations that are fighting COVID-19. Chesky intends to personally donate $10 million to non-profit organizations that support frontline workers who are responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

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Today we are thrilled to share the news that Airbnb has scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2020 Corporate Equality Index, earning us the designation as a “Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality” alongside 391 other U.S. companies.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality, and their Corporate Equality Index is the national benchmarking tool which evaluates LGBT-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBT community. This year’s designation from the HRC reflects Airbnb’s true inclusion of the transgender workforce—from non-discrimination protections, to inclusive benefits and diversity practices, to respectful gender transition guidelines that allow employees to self-identify based on gender identity, and engaging the broader transgender community.

As part of our mission to create a world where all 7 billion of us can belong anywhere, we strive every day to create a workplace where employees of every age, race, culture, sexual orientation and gender identity feel welcome and supported. Every day, our community proves that as human beings, there is much more that unites us than divides us. We’ve seen through the kindness of our hosts and guests alike that bringing people of different backgrounds together can lead to a world where love is always welcome.

We’re honored to be listed among HRC’s Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality and we’re committed to building a future where all people feel welcomed and respected for who they are—in our workplace and all around the world. And until that day comes, we’ll keep working hard to prove that when you open doors, you can open minds too.

Airbnb strives to support LGBTQ employees and is proud of several of its unique policies in place. Last year, Airbnb adopted an official U.S. policy to support transgender employees in the workplace and managers of employees who are transitioning. The policy provides guidance for transitioning employees, protects trans employees from continued misgendering, and contains useful terminology and guidance for teammates and managers of trans employees. The company’s Anthem medical coverage for employees in the U.S. was also expanded to follow the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care. WPATH promotes evidence-based care, education, research, advocacy, public policy, and respect for transgender health.

AirPride, Airbnb’s global employee resource group, has more than 450 members globally. They meet regularly with the mission to make the company a great place to work for LGBTQ employees, and to support LGBTQ communities in need through partnerships with nonprofit organizations.

“The impact of the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index over its 18-year history is profound. In this time, the corporate community has worked with us to adopt LGBTQ-inclusive policies, practices and benefits, establishing the Corporate Equality Index as a primary driving force for LGBTQ workplace inclusion in America and across the globe,” said HRC President Alphonso David.

“If we are going to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, we need to make sure that belonging starts within Airbnb. In partnership with our Employee Resources Groups, AirPride and Trans@, executive sponsors and other allies, we continue to support our LGBTQ employees. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities should be treated respectfully and fairly, and it’s our responsibility to make sure Airbnb is an inclusive place where our employees can truly thrive. We’ll continue to champion LGBTQ equality by working with civil rights partners like the Human Rights Campaign, and supporting legislation like the Equality Act. We are honored to receive the Human Rights Campaign 100 percent ranking for a fifth year in a row,” said Melissa Thomas-Hunt, Head of Global Diversity and Belonging.

Since 2016, Airbnb has

been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) as a top workplace for the LGBTQ community, scoring a 100 percent on the organization’s annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI). Airbnb is proud to receive the designation this year, joining more than 680 major U.S. businesses. This is the fifth year in a row that Airbnb has received this recognition.

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The Buy Black Marketplace is an internal resource designed to showcase and support more than 160 Black-owned, operated, and managed businesses from around the world, compiled through recommendations from our Airbnb host community, corporate partners, and members of Black@. Typically hosted in Airbnb’s offices in San Francisco, Seattle and New York, this Marketplace has gone virtual this year.

While the marketplace may only be accessible to Airbnb employees, anyone can explore Black-owned businesses featured in new Black Weekender Guides, curated by Black@ for Montréal and Atlanta. These guides feature some of the unique and inspiring vendors in each city, and join Black Weekender Guides to London, Amsterdam and Dublin as well as The Bay Area, New York City and Seattle.

The pandemic has hit Black-owned businesses particularly hard. A University of California, Santa Cruz report in May 2020 found the number of Black business owners dropped 41 percent – some 440,000 people – in the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to just 17 percent of white business owners.

By creating this online marketplace and sharing local businesses, restaurants, and makers, Black@’s goal is to help put money back into the Black community and support these businesses through the pandemic and beyond.

As we work to process the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others, we wanted to send a message to you directly. To hosts and guests who are hurting, angry, and scared, we want you to know that Airbnb stands with you.

Discrimination is the greatest threat to a community built on belonging and acceptance. It cuts to the core of who we are and what we believe in. Airbnb stands with Black Lives Matter, and we reject racism, bigotry, and hate.

We can’t talk about recent events without also acknowledging the painful truth that some hosts and guests still experience discrimination, something that is the very opposite of our mission to create belonging. In 2016, Airbnb launched our nondiscrimination policy and community commitment, and over 1.3 million people who declined the pledge have been removed from our platform. We still have work to do, and we’re continuing to take action on our commitment to fighting discrimination.

Donating over $500,000!

One way we’re doing that is by donating a total of $500,000 to the NAACP and the Black Lives Matter foundation in support of their fight for equality and justice, in addition to matching donations to both groups made from all of our employees. Another is sharing an Activism and Allyship guide that our Black employee resource group, Black@Airbnb, prepared for our team, which references work from activists and experts in antiracism. We thought it would be helpful to share these resources with you—as we all work together to become better and more active allies.

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