The Kroger Co. Foundation has revealed the recipients of its Racial Equity Fund Build It Together grant challenge, an initiative which will award $3 million in grants to innovative organizations helping to build more equitable, inclusive communities. This initiative is part of Kroger’s Framework for Action: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion plan.
The Foundation invited 14 organizations to apply for up to $1 million in funding through the Build It Together grant challenge, which welcomed organizations to submit proposals aimed at positively uplifting, supporting, and impacting communities of color. A panel of judges, including Kroger associates and leaders, external partners, and local community foundations, evaluated the proposals and selected four finalists that collectively will receive $3 million to accelerate their visions.
Grant recipients include Washington D.C.-based Black Girl Ventures and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Los Angeles-based Everytable, the Local Initiatives Support Corp. in New York City.
"We launched our Framework for Action: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion plan with the goal of harnessing Kroger's collective energy to advance racial equality in our culture and our communities," said Keith Dailey, Kroger's group vice president of corporate affairs and president of The Kroger Co. Foundation, in a statement. "The intent of The Kroger Co. Foundation's Racial Equity Fund is to catalyze innovative approaches to help create more equitable, inclusive and stronger communities. The Build It Together cohort reflects a group of enterprising organizations that are committed to creating lasting change for communities of color. We're honored to partner with them."
Related: Kroger Receives Perfect Score on Corporate Equality Index; Kroger Builds Additional CFC in Phoenix.
Image: The Kroger Co.