Knoll, Inc. (NYSE:KNL), a constellation of design-driven brands for
the workplace and home, today announced two social impact
initiatives to help build more inclusive communities. The new
initiatives include the Knoll Diversity Advancement Design
Scholarships for Black Students and a corporate partnership with
Habitat for Humanity.
Additionally, Knoll Chairman and CEO, Andrew
Cogan has joined more than 1,300 CEOs who have pledged to take
action to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace through
the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion™ Pledge.
“We all have the opportunity to recommit
ourselves to the pressing issues of the day, setting the stage for
change in the years ahead. Taking the CEO Action for Diversity and
Inclusion Pledge aligns fully with the Knoll commitment to help
build a fairer and more equitable society. Supporting accessibility
and inclusion through design education and affordable housing
extends our design-driven mission and shows how we can play a
tangible role in making progress toward a fairer world,” said
Andrew Cogan, Knoll Chairman and CEO.
The CEO Action Pledge focuses on four
commitments: cultivating trusting workplaces that can have complex,
and sometimes difficult, conversations; implementing and/or
expanding unconscious bias education; sharing best – and
unsuccessful – practices; and creating and sharing strategic
inclusion and diversity plans with the board of directors (or
equivalent governing bodies.) The coalition is the largest
CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion
within the workplace.
Knoll Diversity Advancement Design
Scholarships for Black Students
Knoll has created Knoll Diversity Advancement
Design Scholarships for Black Students to develop
the next generation of architects, graphic designers,
industrial and architectural engineers, interior designers and
industrial designers.
The program will provide individual tuition
awards of $10,000, renewable annually, to a total of five Black
2021 high school graduates in the United States and Canada who will
be pursuing studies at two or four-year institutions. The program
will be administered by Scholarship America, a not-for-profit
organization that works directly with students, parents,
colleges, businesses and communities. Since its founding more
than 60 years ago, Scholarship America’s mission has been focused
on student success, helping students break down barriers, open
doors and access scholarships to achieve their dreams of a college
education.
Scholarship applications will be available
mid-November at scholarshipamerica.org.
This initiative complements the Knoll Employee
Scholarship program, founded in 1998, which provides access to
higher education to Knoll associates’ children and grandchildren
and focuses on reducing the burden of student debt. The
program has awarded 676 scholarships since inception.
Habitat for Humanity +
Knoll
To expand our commitment to good design and
sustainable building practices, Knoll is joining global housing
nonprofit, Habitat for Humanity, as a cause marketing partner,
effective December 2020. Last year, Habitat helped over 7 million
people build or improve a place to call home. The organization
frequently uses sustainable building practices and follows
energy-efficient construction standards that prioritize safety,
health and materials conservation.
The Habitat + Knoll partnership consists of
three components:
- Consumer Participation. In December
2020, Knoll will offer a $5.00 donate option for online sales at
the Shop at knoll.com at checkout and for orders placed at retail
Knoll Home Design Shops in New York and Los Angeles.
- Financial Support. From December
2020, Knoll will match consumer donations for a collective total of
$100,000.
- Volunteer Activity. Knoll
associates will volunteer in four to-be-announced North America
Habitat 2021 projects when Covid-19 restrictions have lifted.
“Giving back to the communities where we live
and work has been part of the Knoll culture since our founding. The
Diversity Advancement Design Scholarships for Black Students and
Habitat partnership are exciting new ways we can build on that
history and provide our associates, who champion a range of
charitable passions, with a new way to make impact,” Cogan
added.
World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism
Prize
In addition, Knoll is the founding sponsor of
the World Monuments Fund Modernism at Risk program. Modernism at
Risk includes programs dedicated to preservation and public
advocacy, with the intention of attracting international resources
to the dangers faced by Modernist buildings across the globe. A
cornerstone of Modernism at Risk is the World Monuments
Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize, which is awarded biennially to a
designer or design firm whose work enhances the public’s awareness
of the seminal role that Modernism plays in the built
environment.
Diversity and Inclusion at
Knoll
At Knoll, our differences contribute to our
success. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and
creating opportunities for people who come from diverse cultural
and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, people with
disabilities, and building on our leadership in LGBTQ+
equality. We recognize that our policies and practices will evolve
as we continue to focus on creating a more diverse and inclusive
workplace.
Modernism in design was born as a means toward
social good, and Knoll was founded on the principle that modern
design can make a difference in improving the quality of the way we
live and work. By extension, good design is agnostic about the
color of one’s skin, their abilities or disabilities, sexual
orientation or gender identity, responding to the universal desire
for utility, joy and beauty.
We believe that embracing diverse perspectives
contributes to an inclusive workplace and strengthens the
communities where we live and work. Knoll supports a continuous
dialogue that promotes teamwork and differences.
About Knoll
Knoll, Inc. is a constellation of
design-driven brands and people, working together with our clients
to create inspired modern interiors. Our internationally recognized
portfolio includes furniture, textiles, leathers, lighting,
accessories, and architectural and acoustical elements. Our brands
— Knoll Office, KnollStudio, KnollTextiles,
KnollExtra, Spinneybeck | FilzFelt, Edelman
Leather, HOLLY HUNT, DatesWeiser, Muuto, and Fully — reflect
our commitment to modern design that meets the diverse requirements
of high-performance workplaces and luxury interiors. A recipient of
the National Design Award for Corporate and Institutional
Achievement from the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National
Design Museum, Knoll, Inc. is aligned with the U.S. Green
Building Council and the Canadian Green Building
Council and can help organizations achieve the Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) workplace certification. Our
products can also help clients comply with the International
Living Future Institute to achieve Living Building
Challenge Certification, and with the International WELL
Building Institute to attain WELL Building Certification.
Knoll, Inc. is the founding sponsor of the World Monuments
Fund Modernism at Risk program.
Contact
Investors:Charles Rayfield Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial OfficerTel 215 679-1703crayfield@knoll.com
Media:David E. BrightSenior Vice President, CommunicationsTel
212 343-4135dbright@knoll.com
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