Birmingham, Alabama – 07 June 2016 – Kirchner Impact Foundation (KIF), one of the “returning” arms of Kirchner Group a leading North American traditional merchant bank, today announced an update on its activities. KIF aims to harness the positive power of enterprise to make a difference in addressing some of the most important issues of today and reflects Kirchner Group’s belief that all businesses should contribute to a positive human future.

”There is a Native American proverb that says ‘We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children,” said W.B. (Bud) Kirchner, founder and CEO, Kirchner Group. “At Kirchner Group we believe this philosophy should extend to everyone in the world around us today as well as the next generation. This is the theme behind our unwavering commitment to earning and returning as well as our efforts to build models that enhance impact and sustainability.”

The Kirchner Impact Foundation utilizes a proprietary Impact Model based on decades of business, philanthropic and impact activities by the firm, which includes three integrated components of contribution: head, hip and heart. The Kirchner Impact Model aims to promote capital efficiency and sustainable enterprises by “returning” with:

• Head: sharing decades of experience creating solutions and building enterprises

• Hip: delivering essential financial resources

• Heart: unwavering passion and desire to make a difference

Kirchner Impact Foundation activities include the internationally recognized Kirchner Food Fellowship program which provides capital and unprecedented hands on training in deployment of capital for university students looking to address food security. The program currently in its third year has been integral in the seed funding of early stage agriculture and food companies such as: Lucky Iron Fish, Inc., Green Zebra Grocery, Inc., Kuli Kuli, Inc., and Till Mobile Corporation.

“Most investors just want to know if you’re hitting your numbers,” said Lisa Curtis, founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli, a company that sources moringa from farmers in developing countries to produce their products. “Kirchner Group wants to know how they can help you grow into a successful, profitable social enterprise and they are willing to leverage all of their incredible contacts, resources and experience to help that happen.”

The Foundation has also recently co-founded Interaction Advisory Group a company that provides customized special needs awareness training and has received endorsements from national community-based advocacy groups and state associations. “The extent of assistance Kirchner Group has provided IAG including complete accessibility to their entire network and decades of experience has been invaluable,” added Dustin Chandler, President and Co-Founder of Interaction Advisory Group.

KIF also created a unique academic/industry collaboration devoted to integrating and promoting business and relevant principles from neuroscience and psychology including related cognitive sciences which is branded as the Business Brain Model. “This collaboration is demonstrating powerful lessons can be learned at the intersection of theory, experience and practice,” stated Julia Christensen Hughes Dean, College of Business and Economics University of Guelph “This material is contributing to our commitment to providing students with transformational learning experiences and the quality of education we offer.”

”The ‘Kirchner Way’ has always been to use these three balanced and integrated components of ‘returning’,” added Blair Kirchner, Managing Director of Kirchner Impact Foundation. “I think it is great that more people and corporations are focusing on impact activities, but these initiatives require much more than money to become sustainable.”

Kirchner Impact Foundation is a complement to Kirchner Group’s philanthropic activities which include sponsoring the Christopher Douglas Hidden Angel Foundation and the Hidden Angel Companion Pets.

About Kirchner Impact Foundation
Kirchner Impact Foundation (KIF), is a non-profit organization that serves as one of the “returning” arms of Kirchner Group. KIF harnesses the positive power of enterprise to make a difference in addressing some of the most important issues of today and reflects our belief that all businesses should contribute to a positive human future.

Through the Kirchner Impact Model (“returning” with head, hip and heart) the foundation promotes capital efficiency and sustainable enterprises. KIF activities aim to generate a measurable, social and/or environmental benefit, primarily across four sectors: Agriculture/Food, Health/Life Science, Energy/Resources and Education. www.kirchnerimpact.com

For more information:
Blair G. Kirchner
Managing Director
Kirchner Impact Foundation
+1 205.313.0784 x202
bgkirchner@kirchnergroup.com

Kirchner Group
Kirchner Group was founded in 1985 on two fundamental premises: every business should contribute to a positive human future and that every business, and portfolio of businesses, can be made more valuable. Today, the firm is a values-based corporate ecosystem, committed to the integration of “earning and returning”.

The firm provides advisory and operational services, enterprise development and transactional support to companies, investors and institutions through a proprietary approach that dovetails domain and process expertise. Kirchner Group also manages assets for family offices and some of the world’s largest insurance companies, commercial banks and institutional investors. www.kirchnergroup.com

For more information:
Don Haliburton
Chief Operating Officer
Kirchner Group
+1 205.313.0784 x205
dhaliburton@kirchnergroup.com