KEEN Utility Pledges top $1 Million in Support of Women in Skilled Trades

Footwear company’s ‘She Builds’ grant program names six 2023 grant recipients

KEEN Utility’s ‘She Builds’ grant program announced its six 2023 grant recipients and has surpassed $1 million in pledges since its inception in 2021.

KEEN Utility, a leader in safety footwear and the work boot division of KEEN Inc. announced on June 1 the six recipients of its 2023 She Builds Grant Program, created to help advance the empowerment of more women entering the skilled trades.

Since its founding in 2021 — and with financial commitments made through 2026 — the program has now pledged $1 million in product and financial support to nonprofit organizations throughout North America, providing trade skills education and support for “…the next generation of tradeswomen,” the company said in a news release.

This year’s She Builds grants recipients include:

Black Women Build-Baltimore
British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Trades Discovery for Women
Girl’s Garage
Grid Alternative’s Women in Solar Program
Oregon Tradeswomen
Vermont Works for Women.

“Women are a vital part of the skilled trades,” said Kevin Oberle, senior director of Global Insights & Engagement. “Through the ‘She Builds Grant Program,’ we [can] better support a number of forward-thinking organizations dedicated to [empowering] women in the trades.”

The She Builds Grant Program is funded through the KEEN Effect program, a give-back initiative to make both the outdoors and the trades accessible to all. Since the program’s inception in 2005, KEEN Effect has committed millions of dollars toward social and environmental justice.

For more information about KEEN Utility, visit keenfootwear.com.