At the Foundation, we draw strength and inspiration from our heroic hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina. It is a community with a rich history of struggling for racial justice and organizing for a better future. Yet it is also a community with deep inequalities and many unmet needs.
Greensboro was a birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, when four young Black men staged a non-violent lunch counter protest that sparked a sit-in movement in college towns throughout the segregated South. The Greensboro Four’s quiet act of courage became a pivotal moment in the history of a country that is still grappling with race relations and the legacy of segregation.
Today, Greensboro suffers from a poverty rate above 18%, considerably higher than the national average, according to the most recent U.S. Census. Nearly one in five adults and one in four children live below the poverty line.
The Kontoor Brands Foundation wants to help.
As the Greensboro Four taught us more than 60 years ago, the promise of a better tomorrow depends upon our courage and willingness to act today. The legacy we endeavor to build at Kontoor Brands Foundation is one that will lift generations.
"When we commit to taking care of each other, we create a multiplier effect that strengthens communities, ignites individual potential, and effects positive change for future generations."
Mame Annan-Brown
EVP, Global Communications, Public Affairs & ESG President, Kontoor Brands Foundation
The Kontoor Brands Foundation (the “Foundation”) was established in 2020 to help improve food security, housing access, and educational opportunities for those most in need in our communities. The Foundation is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt, private foundation under section 501(c)(3). As a global company with deep hometown roots, Kontoor Brands inaugurated the Foundation in 2023 with a focus on uplifting our community in Greensboro, North Carolina. As the Foundation grows into its new stewardship role in the years ahead, it will work to expand similar outreach to our neighbors in other communities where Kontoor operates around the globe.
Dear Community Leaders,
Our team at Kontoor Brands are incredibly caring and committed individuals. We respect and take care of one another. We care about the community. And we are always looking to do more. When staff go home at night, I want them to feel that our company is one they will always be proud of – an evolving, future-focused company that’s worthy of their highest aspirations.
Kontoor today is welcomed into communities and markets around the world. We are successful thanks to the dedication of our people and the support of our neighbors. And we are determined to honor that support, and the common thread that connects us in everything we do.
Launching the Kontoor Brands Foundation is a vital step in our journey. While the Foundation’s work will begin close to our headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, the long-term objectives are to engage with communities globally, focusing on food security and nutrition, ensuring safe and secure homes, and providing resources for lifelong education opportunities.
Now, more than ever, we need care and grace in the world. We need to care for one another. That’s the guiding spirit that will drive the Kontoor Brands Foundation.
Scott Baxter
