KEEN Utility Empowers Next Generation of Tradeswomen with $1M Pledge

PORTLAND, OR — KEEN Utility, a leader in safety footwear and the work boot division of KEEN Inc. (KEEN), has announced the six recipients of its 2023 She Builds Grant Program. Launched by KEEN Utility in 2021, the She Builds Grant Program was created to help advance the empowerment of more women entering the skilled trades. Between 2021 and 2026, the program has pledged $1M in product and financial support to nonprofit organizations in the United States and Canada that are leading the way to provide tradeskills education and support for the next generation of tradeswomen.

Award Recipients

This year, six She Builds grants will be awarded to 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, and Vermont Works for Women. These grants will help provide hundreds of thousands of hours in quality tradeskills education, expansion of workplace inclusivity training, and KEEN Utility’s women’s specific safety footwear. Recipients were selected by KEEN Utility and its fans.

“Women are a vital part of the skilled trades,” said Kevin Oberle, Senior Director of Global Insights & Engagement at KEEN Utility. “Through the She Builds Grant Program we are able to better support a number of forward thinking organizations dedicated to the empowerment of women in the trades. A career in the trades can be incredibly rewarding and, as a company, KEEN Utility is proud to help build a future where women are provided more support and offered more inclusivity in industries critical to our way of life.”

KEEN Effect

The She Builds Grant Program is funded through the KEEN Effect program, a give-back initiative whose larger mission includes making the outside and the trades accessible to all. The KEEN Effect program was founded in 2005 and the brand has committed millions of dollars toward social and environmental justice since its inception.

A leader in women’s safety footwear, KEEN Utility’s Tradeswomen Tested collection of footwear leverages the feedback of working tradeswomen in a variety of professions from initial conception all the way to hitting the store shelf. By creating footwear designed for and inspired by tradeswomen, the brand is working to ensure the future of the trades is diverse and safe for all.

For more information about KEEN Utility’s women’s specific styles visit https://www.keenfootwear.com/work-tradeswomen-tested-collection/.