Girl Scouts of the USA launched the 2019 Girl Scout Cookie season, celebrating the largest financial investment in girls annually in the United States and a powerful entrepreneurship incubator for the next generation of female leaders. At a time when girls’ needs and issues collect fewer than eight cents of every dollar granted by philanthropic foundations in the country, each and every Girl Scout Cookie purchase is key to supporting the change-makers of today and tomorrow.

Research shows that female-founded start-ups generate more revenue over time and per dollar than male-founded start-ups, but only 17 percent of start-ups are female-founded. Given that over half (53 percent) of female entrepreneurs and business owners are Girl Scout alums, supporting Girl Scouts as they make sales and learn essential business skills is imperative to ensuring our country has a strong workforce and economy.

Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program, girls not only discover their inner leadership potential but also use their earnings to power amazing experiences for themselves and their troop, including travel, outdoor adventure, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programming. Many girls put the money toward impactful community projects right in their own backyards, from supporting animal shelters and food banks to working with local and state legislators to change laws. And the cookie program’s benefits are many; a recent Girl Scout Research Institute study found that two out of three girls who participate in the program learn five crucial skills—goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics—while doing incredible things for themselves and their communities. The proceeds stay local, meaning that when consumers purchase the delicious cookies that come from a registered Girl Scout only, they’re giving back to their wider community.

“Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program, cookie customers help fund life-changing Girl Scout experiences while building the next generation of female entrepreneurs,” says GSUSA CEO Sylvia Acevedo. “And because all Girl Scout Cookie proceeds stay local to power year-round troop projects and activities, when you buy Girl Scout Cookies you are making an investment in girls and in your local community. As a cookie entrepreneur, I learned about being self-confident, enterprising, and persistent, and how to create opportunity by setting goals, creating budgets, cultivating customers, and making business decisions. The Girl Scout Cookie Program helps girls build the essential skills they need to become our future business leaders.”

And Girl Scouts is celebrating a tasty new way to support young female entrepreneurs with a recently debuted Girl Scout Cookie joining the 2019 lineup: Caramel Chocolate Chip, featuring rich caramel, semisweet chocolate chips, and a hint of sea salt in a chewy, gluten-free cookie. It joins the Toffee-tastic cookie, introduced in 2015, a rich, buttery gluten-free cookie with sweet, crunchy, golden toffee bits. Each gluten-free variety is offered in select Girl Scout council markets only for as long as supplies last, so contact your council to inquire about the cookies it will offer this season.

Additionally, Girl Scouts who participate in the cookie program this season will have the opportunity to win the Cookie Entrepreneur Experience of a lifetime featuring the DC Super Hero Girls by entering the Cookie Pro contest. GSUSA has teamed up with DC Super Hero Girls to inspire Girl Scouts to be smart and courageous as everyday super heroes. The contest will highlight and reward exceptional cookie bosses who take the lead, set high goals for themselves, bring positive change to their communities, and learn valuable entrepreneurial skills.