Establishes Global Programs with Echoing Green, Impetus and AVPN to Contribute to a Diverse Ecosystem of Future Leaders and Advancing Social Justice

KKR today announced the recipients of the third round of KKR Relief Effort grants awarded through its two cornerstone programs: KKR Small Business Builders (SBB) and KKR Grants. Through these programs, which launched last year to support those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic dislocation, KKR and its employees have supported 159 small businesses with support programs and grants of $10,000 each and has provided funding to 82 nonprofits to date.

“Our communities and small businesses continue to face enormous uncertainty and the disruption of the past year will have lasting impacts that must not be overlooked. We are pleased to announce the latest group of small business and nonprofit recipients through the KKR Relief Effort and we plan to continue these programs in order to be part of the recovery and resiliency our communities need,” said Ali Hartman, KKR’s Head of Global Citizenship.

The third round of the KKR SBB program awarded $10,000 to 52 small business owners across 22 states. These grants are intended to drive growth and can be used to support the business’ daily operations, help them retain or rehire employees or pivot in response to the pandemic. The businesses in this round are 52% women-owned, 56% are minority-owned and 23% are owned by veterans or their immediate family members. All of the businesses have fewer than 40 employees and over 81% generated less than $1 million in 2019 gross revenue.

The KKR Grants program awarded more than $3.5 million to 22 nonprofits in the latest round. The recipient organizations are based US, UK, France, Ireland and India and their missions are aligned with the KKR Relief Funds’ focus on supporting communities, creating meaningful workforce opportunities and helping our frontline heroes.

KKR Grants is also investing in an accelerator model across each of its core regions. In collaboration with Echoing Green (Americas), Impetus (EMEA) and the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) (APAC), KKR will support social entrepreneurs and changemakers working at the intersection of COVID-19 and youth leadership. Working with these partner organizations, KKR will invest money in leaders and nonprofits on the front lines, while also creating the resources and wraparound services needed to help accelerate change and impact.

• Echoing Green: KKR will work with Echoing Green to help find and fund three new Echoing Green Fellows, while also providing follow-on funding for up to 15 existing Fellows.
• Impetus: KKR's work with Impetus will aim to bring up to five new organizations and leaders from across the UK into Impetus’s accelerator program for charities.
• AVPN: KKR is collaborating with AVPN to enable a new fund across the APAC region that will seek out the best nonprofit leaders and organizations, providing financial support for approximately eight to 12 nonprofits.

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

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. Small businesses can learn more and apply for SBB grants at kkr.helloalice.com. The current round of applications is open until June 2, 2021 at 11:59pm ET.

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. The application for nonprofits is available at www.kkr.com/grants. The current round of applications is open until May 3, 2021.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

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