NEW YORK – December 1, 2020 – KKR today announced it has awarded the first round of grants in two of the cornerstone programs of the KKR Relief Fund (the “Fund”) focused on supporting small business owners and nonprofits. The $50 million Fund was created by KKR and its employees earlier this year to support those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic dislocation.

 

In the first round of the KKR Small Business Builders (SBB) program, KKR has awarded $10,000 each to 55 small business owners from a diverse range of backgrounds across gender, race, ethnicity, business industry, size and geography. The grants will provide financial assistance, hands-on support from KKR employees and resources from KKR’s partner organizations to help the small businesses to maintain day-to-day operations and jobs while also supporting their future growth.

 

The first round of SBB recipients are located in the U.S. and Asia, with 24 states across the U.S. represented. Over 50% of the recipients are minority-owned businesses, over 61% are owned by women and 22% are owned by veterans or their immediate family members. All of the businesses have between 5 and 50 employees and 75% reported less than $1 million in annual revenue.

 

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and across the U.S. alone, hundreds of thousands of businesses have been forced to close temporarily, and the data show that of those businesses, 60% are closed forever,”[1] said Henry Kravis and George Roberts, Co-Chief Executive Officers and Co-Founders of KKR. “At a time when the challenges facing communities are tremendous, these grants aim to support small business owners and high-impact nonprofits to enable them, and ultimately the greater community, to meet this moment of immense disruption.”

 

“All businesses start small and desire to grow. KKR’s Small Business Builders initiative is partnering with Hello Alice to provide small business owners grants, online resources and a thriving online community of peers,” said Elizabeth Gore, Co-Founder and President of Hello Alice. “Small businesses are the heart of our country, and we are proud to work with KKR to ensure their growth during these trying times.”

 

In this first round of the KKR Grants initiative, which is focused on identifying and supporting nonprofits whose work supports priorities related to Opportunities, Communities, and Heroes, KKR awarded over $3 million to 25 nonprofit organizations around the world that are playing critical roles in addressing the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 crisis. Grant recipients included both international nonprofits and locally focused organizations in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, and Germany.

 

“COVID-19 has created unfathomable physical, economic and social disruption for people and communities around the world and the non-profit sector will continue to play a vital role in the recovery. We look forward to supporting our partners in the days and months ahead,” said Ali Hartman, KKR’s Global Head of Citizenship.

 

SBB and KKR Grants are available to organizations around the world with recipients selected in rounds on an ongoing basis.

 

·       Small businesses around the world can learn more and apply for SBB grants at kkr.helloalice.com.

·       The application for nonprofits is available at www.kkr.com/grants. The next round opens January 4, 2021.

 

KKR’s Relief Fund is helping address challenges facing our shared communities through four key pillars: supporting portfolio company employees; engaging our employees as leaders and change-makers; assisting small businesses; and providing strategic grants and partnerships.  Read a personal story about notifying grant recipients here.

 

About KKR Small Business Builders

 

KKR Small Business Builders is a grants-based program created to support small business owners who are struggling to navigate the challenges of the pandemic. KKR has joined forces with small business experts at Hello Alice and GEN Global to identify diverse and dynamic small business owners in need of assistance. Through SBB, KKR is awarding $10,000 grants to small business owners who will also receive support from KKR employees and the Hello Alice platform to help them better sustain their operations, maintain or create jobs and manage or pivot their business model.

 

About KKR Grants

 

KKR Grants is a global effort focused on identifying and supporting the most innovative and effective nonprofits whose missions are aligned with priority areas, including delivering immediate aid to vulnerable populations impacted by the pandemic, providing innovative pathways of workforce recovery and development, and supporting our heroes including teachers, first responders, essential workers and front-line medical professionals. KKR is supporting these organizations with financial grants and strategic support.

KKR Small Business Builders Round 1 Recipients

 

Nick Anderer Anton’s | New York, NY   Gary Carter Sitpinyo Muay Thai & Fitness | Hong Kong   Justin Gurland and Zac Clark Release Recovery | Yorktown Heights, NY   Lisle Richards The Village Den | New York, NY   Trishala Bhansali Lekha | New Orleans, LA   Daymara Baker Rockin’ Baker Incorporated | Fayetteville, AR   Hossein Akbari The Discovery Years | San Jose, CA   Beth Plante Charleston Power Yoga | Charleston, SC   Warren Norgaard Milkweed Arts | Phoenix, AZ   Teri Van Goethem DC Born & Bread | Washington, D.C.   Francine Zodda A Child’s Place | McHenry, IL   Thomas C. Trotman TNT Construction Training | Denver, CO   Michael A. Robinson Dallas Costume Shoppe | Dallas, TX   Monica Wong Little Green Cyclo | South San Francisco, CA   Athanasios Hatzinas Yetter’s Diner | Augusta, NJ   Kareem Badr The Hideout Theatre | Austin, TX   Tyrone Foster Precision Landscape Services | Portland, OR   Janie Deegan Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods | New York, NY   Lexi Beach The Astoria Bookshop | New York, NY   Anna Peters Art Coop | Urbana, IL   Sherille D. Barber Barber Therapy & Associates | Rock Hill, SC   Brenda Bueno Little Daydreamers Learning Center 2 | New York, NY   Alina Ackenbom Camp Friendship | Palmyra, VA   Bridget Manzanares Flagship Real Estate Group | Encinitas, CA   Melissa Anelli Mischief Management | New York, NY   Lane Velayo Synergos Association Management | Indianapolis, IN   Cate Phillips Capstone Calling | West Bend, WI   Jimmie Richard Richards Family Group | Willowick, OH

Jessie Lipkowitz Polarity | Ann Arbor, MI   Charlotte Guyton Bard & Baker | Troy, NY   Dennis Williams W.Heir’s | Winter Springs, FL   Eric Cruz Progressive Health & Performance | Murrieta, CA   Jaime Adams Poshy Paws | Peoria, AZ   Zoe Schuler ZMD | Madison, WI   Jonathan Byun Playcenter | Lakewood, CA   Debbie Hall Century Travel | Austin, TX   Jim O’Connor Homestead Inn | Wolf Point, MT   Laura Oldaker Academy for Caregiving Excellence | Tucson, AZ   Nicole Phillips Inner Me | Houston, TX   Mona Ghattas Duran Central Pharmacy | Albuquerque, NM   Mary Williams Urgent & Primary Care Of Clarksdale | Clarksdale, MS   Kyle Black RollerCade | Detroit, MI   Patrick Lai Game Theory Restaurant + Bar | Fort Worth, TX   Sandra Stroehmann Elixir Mind Body Massage | Denver, CO   Deborah Carlin Debbie’s Dance Studio | Williamson, WV   Christian Davis Supply Locale | Chicago, IL   Tom Rummel MrCleanSD | San Diego, CA   Sheila Rhodes Small Batch Kitchen Cafe and Market | Lansdale, PA   Cristina Atencio Isabel Blackwell | Portland, OR   Sarah Ribner PiperWai | New York, NY   Evonya Easley Love E | Atlanta, GA   Kristi K May Legend Acres | Surprise, AZ   Moiz Bohra Nova Home Care | Farmington Hills, MI   Alda Escobar Madre Luna | Corona, CA   Sian DeLuca SensationAll Kids Gym | Concord, CA

 

 

 

KKR Grants Round 1 Recipients

 

COMMUNITIES Support for food security, safe housing, public health, and crisis relief
CareMessage USA   Children’s Rights USA   Deutsche Franziskanerprovinz KdöR Germany   Headstrong Counselling United Kingdom   Hour Children USA   La Casa de las Madres USA   Little Essentials USA	Martha’s Table USA   Meals on Wheels of San Francisco USA   New Alternatives for Children USA   North Texas Food Bank USA   Single Homeless Project (SHP) United Kingdom   The Bowery Mission USA   Women’s Aid Ireland Ireland
OPPORTUNITIES Support for innovative pathways of workforce recovery and development
Defy Ventures USA   Eight Million Stories, Inc. USA   Clubhouse International USA	The HOPE Program USA   Year Up, Inc. USA
HEROES Support for teachers, first responders, essential workers and front line medical professionals
826 Valencia USA   N.Y. Police and Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund, Inc. USA   Save the Children USA	Small Steps Nurturing Center USA   Southern Area Hospice Services United Kingdom   TalkingPoints USA

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About KKR

 

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, credit and real assets, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

 

About Hello Alice

 

Hello Alice is a free, multichannel platform that helps businesses launch and grow. With a community of more than 250,000 business owners in all 50 states and across the globe, Hello Alice is building the largest network of owners in the country while tracking data and trends to increase the success rate for entrepreneurs. Our partners include enterprise business services, government agencies, and institutions looking to serve small- and medium business owners to ensure increased revenues and promote scale. Founded by Carolyn Rodz and Elizabeth Gore, we believe in business for all by providing access to all owners, including women, people of color, veterans, and everyone with an entrepreneurial spirit. To learn more, visit www.helloalice.com, as well as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

 [1] Bialik, C., & Gole, D. (2020, September). Yelp: Local Economic Impact Report (Rep.). Retrieved https://www.yelpeconomicaverage.com/business-closures-update-sep-2020.html

 

Media Contact:

Cara Major or Miles Radcliffe-Trenner

212-750-8300

media@kkr.com

 

 

KKR Small Business Builders

KKR Grants