Yum! Brands and KFC U.S. Invest $6 Million to Advance Equity and Opportunity in Louisville
03 September 2020 - 1:30AM
Business Wire
Expanded Commitment Uplifts Black Youth,
Educators, Entrepreneurs and Nonprofits
Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) and KFC U.S. today announced plans
to invest $6 million over five years to advance equity and
opportunity across Louisville, particularly in the West End. This
expanded investment in Louisville will target endeavors that tackle
inequality and uplift Black students, educators, entrepreneurs and
social change agents. The local commitment is part of Yum! Brands’
global Unlocking Opportunity Initiative announced in June, in which
the Company committed $100 million over five years to promote
equity and inclusion, education and entrepreneurship for employees,
frontline restaurant teams and communities around the world.
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Yum! Brands and KFC U.S. today announced
plans to invest $6 million over five years to advance equity and
opportunity across Louisville, particularly in the West End.
(Graphic: Business Wire)
“At Yum!, we know our brands, frontline restaurant teams and
communities are much stronger when we have diverse people, voices
and ideas at the table to tackle our biggest challenges,” said
David Gibbs, CEO, Yum! Brands. “With this expanded effort in
Louisville, we are pleased to increase our partnership and
investment in experienced local leaders and institutions that are
already working to address the complex challenges of
inequality.”
“As we work to strengthen equity and inclusion within every
aspect of KFC, we look forward to partnering with community leaders
to serve up greater opportunity and positive change right here in
our hometown of Louisville,” said Kevin Hochman, President, KFC
U.S.
The expanded work led by Yum! and KFC U.S. is expected to
catalyze opportunity for the talent in Louisville through
partnerships and financial contributions to entrepreneurship,
education and equity and inclusion initiatives benefiting
underserved areas of Louisville and tackling systemic racism.
“Tackling inequality is a long-term challenge that will require
local businesses, governments, schools and philanthropists to
establish new ways of partnering with and supporting talented
community leaders who know the issues and the people most
affected,” said Jerilan Greene, Chief Communications and Public Affairs
Officer, Yum! Brands, and Chairman and CEO, Yum! Brands Foundation.
“We’re pleased to be part of making education and entrepreneurship,
which are both essential ingredients for a brighter future, more
accessible to our fellow Louisvillians.”
The Company’s expanded commitment in Louisville will
support:
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
- Technology entrepreneurship. Led by Executive Director
Dave Christopher of The Academy of Music Production Education and
Development, AMPED is expanding its full-service family support,
increasing emphasis on technology skills, workforce development and
business creation to drive economic growth, mobility and
independence in West Louisville.
- Grants for Black entrepreneurs and nonprofits. Local
Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), one of the largest
community development organizations in the U.S., will establish a
fund that provides grants to Louisville-based Black entrepreneurs
and nonprofits to expand economic opportunity in West Louisville.
Simultaneously, LISC will open a Louisville office under the
leadership of Denise Scott, LISC Executive Vice President, and
create a local advisory committee comprised of local leadership
from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to begin the search
for an Executive Director.
EDUCATION
- African-American teacher development. As one of the
oldest private Historically Black Colleges in America, Simmons
College of Kentucky, led by its President Dr. Kevin Cosby, is
developing a unique program designed to recruit and train more
African American teachers to enter the Jefferson County Public
Schools (JCPS) system.
- College scholarships. Led by Executive Director Marland
Cole, Evolve502, a nonprofit organization, is helping JCPS students
pursue a post-secondary education by funding scholarships and
support, with an emphasis on assisting underserved
communities.
- College pathways: High school business, technology and
leadership education. University of Louisville College of
Business professor Dr. Nat Irvin is working with Central High
Magnet Career Academy Principal Raymond Green, and other key JCPS
schools, to launch the second phase of a business, technology and
leadership development pilot program to help predominantly Pell
Grant-eligible high school students earn college credits from and
early admission to the University of Louisville. The program is
part of the University of Louisville President Dr. Neeli
Bendapudi’s vision to become the nation’s premier anti-racist
metropolitan research university.
EQUITY & INCLUSION
- Black-led philanthropy and advocacy. Led by Metro United
Way’s Chief Equity Officer Daryle Unseld, Black L.O.V.E., a
nonprofit to strengthen Black-led social institutions in
Louisville, will work with Black leaders and philanthropic partners
to invest in areas recommended by the Black Social Change Funders
Network.
In addition to Yum! Brands’ Unlocking Opportunity Initiative,
the Company previously announced a $3 million pledge to social
justice efforts by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund,
American Civil Liberties Union and Louisville-based social justice
nonprofits along with national organizations identified by U.S.
restaurant general managers at KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The
Habit Burger Grill—including the Boys & Girls Club of America,
Equal Justice Initiative and Children’s Bureau.
In Louisville, Yum! is also co-chairing Greater Louisville
Inc.’s Business Council to End Racism, a cohort of local business
leaders developing policy recommendations to tackle racism and
build a stronger, more inclusive local economy. Beyond the
Company’s expanded efforts to address inequality locally, the Yum!
Brands Foundation will continue its long history of supporting Dare
to Care Food Bank, Metro United Way and Fund for the Arts in
Louisville.
About Yum! Brands
Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, has over
50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories
primarily operating the company’s brands – KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco
Bell – global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food
categories. The Company’s family of brands also includes The Habit
Burger Grill, a fast-casual restaurant concept specializing in
made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches and more. In 2019,
Yum! Brands was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America
Index and in 2020, the company ranked among the top 100 Best
Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media.
About KFC
KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most
popular chicken restaurant chain. KFC specializes in Original
Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken® and Extra Crispy™
Tenders, Hot Wings®, KFC Famous Bowls®, Pot Pies, freshly hand
prepared chicken sandwiches, biscuits and homestyle side items.
There are more than 24,000 KFC restaurants in 145 countries and
territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of
Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM). For more
information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/kfc), Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc) and Instagram
(www.instagram.com/KFC).
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