It’s Time To STEPUP

The STEPUP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, provides underserved and underrepresented individuals with training, encouragement, and opportunities to enter the craft spirits community through a comprehensive internship program.

About Us
Get Started

STEPUP FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES SECOND CLASS OF INTERNS, MENTORS, PARTICIPATING DISTILLERIES & NEW DONOR PARTNERS

Learn More

Focused on the Future of our Craft.

The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) recognized a lack of diversity in the alcoholic beverage sector long before it catapulted to media headlines in 2020. Social justice issues pervaded our airwaves. Unless you live under a rock, most Americans now understand a diverse workplace contributes to higher performance, innovation, creativity, and overall growth for businesses throughout America.

STEPUP Foundation was launched in August 2020 to bridge the gap between an interest in and acquiring skills to succeed in a segment of the alcohol beverage community.

2022 Power of Associations Silver Award Winner

Learn More
Your consent is required to display this content from youtube - Privacy Settings
WHO WE ARE

About the StepUp Foundation

The alcoholic beverage section captures the best of what Americans offer within a manufacturing community: passion, innovation, creativity, collaboration, independence, marriage of skills and disciplines, and outreach among multiple sectors from agriculture, to hospitality and tourism, to marketing and sales to industrial processes.  

The pipeline to recruit qualified candidates is narrow, however, and underrepresented communities may lack knowledge or training to access this beverage sector.

The purpose of STEPUP is to increase talent through facilitation of workplace diversity. Specifically, STEPUP, working with distilleries and suppliers throughout the United States, will provide a comprehensive training program and provide job exposure for those of different races, genders, disabilities, and sexual orientations.

Successful scholarship interns will bring passion, motivation, and an ability to immerse in an up to year long program which will expose candidates to all facets of owning and operating a distillery.

What is the STEPUP Internship Program?

Eligibility for Interns

Applicant criteria under development.

Eligibility for Distilled Spirits Producers

DSP criteria to host interns under development.

Eligibility for Other Alcoholic Beverage Sector Businesses

Wholesaler and Supplier criteria to host interns under development.

Applications

Application under development.

Selection

Applications will be reviewed and selected by the STEPUP Board of Directors. The timeline is currently under development.

Awards & Reporting

Initially, two applicants per year will matriculate through the program. Growing the number of placements per year will be contingent on donor funding.

Our Board

Margie A.S. Lehrman
Board Member
Rebecca L. Harris
Board Member
Ingrid Wetzell
Board Member
Chris Montana
Board Member
Julie Kinch
Board Member
David Cid
Board Member
Chris Montana
Board Member

Good Deeds Malt Whiskey Now Available.

Good Deeds Spirits are limited edition spirits, conceptualized by a group of friends, and passionate distillers, founded with a mission of raising funds to increase inclusion and diversity within the distilling industry.  Each of the Good Deeds releases will benefit a cause, with 100% of revenues going directly back to each beneficiary.

Purchase Here
Privacy Settings
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
Youtube
Consent to display content from Youtube
Vimeo
Consent to display content from Vimeo
Google Maps
Consent to display content from Google
Spotify
Consent to display content from Spotify
Sound Cloud
Consent to display content from Sound
Save
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. To learn more about the cookies we use and the data we collect, please check our Privacy Settings.
I Accept