Committed to building better lives by investing in the communities where we live and work.

ABOUT US

RK Industries (RK) is the parent company of seven wholly-owned subsidiaries focused on construction, manufacturing, fabrication and building services. We operate four manufacturing and fabrication facilities in the greater Denver area and have helped to construct some of the most prominent buildings shaping the Denver skyline. For close to 60 years, RK has had the privilege of supporting numerous nonprofits and charities that improve the quality of life in our community. RK has been dedicated to providing financial support for organizations that help people in need. Today, we continue our proud tradition of philanthropy through the RK Foundation.

Established in 2011, the RK Foundation is directed by the Kinning family and oversees our charitable efforts. The foundation allocates grant funding and supports employee volunteer hours to local nonprofits and causes that align with our three focus areas: community development, education, and health.

The RK Foundation is funded by recycling all the scrap metal produced at RK’s four shop facilities, construction projects and service sites. All proceeds are directed to the RK Foundation, which supports community organizations in a unique and sustainable funding model.

UPDATES AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2021

JOIN US IN WELCOMING OUR

NEWEST BOARD MEMBER

The RK Foundation recently welcomed Kohl Kinning to our Board of Directors. Kohl spent many summers working in RK's plumbing shop and eventually joined the Information Technology (IT) team before going off to college. He received his undergraduate degree in biology from Lewis & Clark College, and a master's in Bioinformatics and Applied Genomics from the University of Oregon. For the past two years, Kohl has worked for the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

As a researcher at the Linda Crnic Institute, he has seen, first hand, the impact that philanthropy can have on people’s lives by empowering benevolent organizations. The Linda Crnic Institute was initially funded by charitable contributions from a foundation similar to the RK Foundation, but it now receives millions in government-funded grants annually. They have made significant impacts in not only Down Syndrome but sleep apnea, Alzheimer’s disease, congenital heart disease, autism, and more recently, COVID-19.

Kohl has seen that properly applied support for an organization in need can produce lasting, impactful and expansive change. As a result, he is excited to expand his reach and contribute to the core tenants of the RK Foundation—community development, health and education.

CELEBRATED A DECADE OF GIVING

The RK Foundation celebrated its tenth anniversary in

2021, and to mark the occasion; we hosted our first-ever fundraiser, a charity golf tournament. This event raised

over $30,000 that will support the RK Foundation's work in the community. At the conclusion of the tournament and

as a thank you to those that attended, Rick Kinning, Board Vice President, randomly selected one participant to

direct a donation to the charity of their choosing.

$5,011 was donated to The Wounded Warriors Foundation.

Thank you to all who were able to join. We look forward to making this an annual event!

In addition, we hosted a celebration reception for our non-profit partners. The event was held outdoors to ensure it was a safe and fun environment for everyone in attendance. All of the food, decor and beverages were sourced from local vendors to support the hospitality industry, which was severely impacted by the pandemic. Every non-profit organization that attended the reception was entered into a drawing for a $10,011 grant. Jon Kinning, Board President, randomly selected the Aurora Public Schools Foundation to receive the grant, which was accepted by Jill Ruiter, Executive Director.

To support this event, the RK Foundation produced a video and report to highlight the Foundation’s impact on our surrounding communities. Click here to watch the video and here to check out the Impact Report!

You may be asking yourself, why do all RK Foundation donations end with 11? In honor of our founding year, 2011, all grants end in an 11.

A FOCUS ON

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Since most of the RK workforce is in skilled trades, the RK Foundation focuses most of its educational philanthropy around skilled trade education. In 2021, the RK Foundation was able to support numerous organizations that help make an impact within construction workforce development:

FUNDING

The RK Foundation granted $198,779 in 2021 with a cumulative total of $1,919,074 granted since its inception in 2011. Each quarter, the RKF Board of Directors reviews grant applications and determines which organizations best align with our core advocacy areas and our mission.