The Robert K. Kraft Family
Robert Kraft, founder, chairman, and CEO of the Kraft Group, is an American entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist with a long-held commitment to the Museum and to fighting antisemitism. His portfolio of businesses and brands range across many verticals including paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate, and venture investing. The portfolio consists of over 100 venture and private equity direct investments including Rand-Whitney Container, Rand-Whitney Containerboard, Rand-Whitney Recycling, International Forest Products, New-Indy Container Corporation, Gillette Stadium, New England Patriots, and New England Revolution.
Kraft launched his career in the paper and packaging industry with Rand-Whitney Group, Inc. of Worcester, Massachusetts, a company he later acquired. Under his leadership, the Kraft Group’s paper and packaging division has grown into the largest independent, privately-owned paper and packaging company in America consisting of corrugated packaging facilities, virgin and recycled paper mills, global paper distribution, and waste paper processing. International Forest Products, a global distributor and marketer founded by Kraft in 1972, is the fifth-largest exporter in North America.
Kraft purchased the New England Patriots in 1994 and set them on a quick trajectory to dominance, qualifying for the playoffs in four of his first five seasons of ownership, advancing to the Super Bowl an unprecedented ten times in his first 25 seasons and bringing six Super Bowl championships home to New England, the most in NFL history. In 1995, Kraft became one of three principal investors in Major League Soccer (MLS) when he founded the New England Revolution.
The Kraft Group also has an active portfolio of venture and private-equity investments focused primarily in the healthcare and technology verticals. The Kraft Group maintains its own construction and real estate development team, which is responsible for more than $1 billion in infrastructure.
Kraft and his family have consistently donated time, resources, and expertise to a wide range of charities, nonprofits, and humanitarian causes, resulting in lifetime giving in excess of $800 million. In 2019, Kraft became a founding partner in creating the REFORM Alliance, a foundation focused on American criminal justice reform. Kraft was also awarded the 2019 Genesis Prize, referred to as the “Jewish Nobel” by Time magazine. As the Genesis Prize Laureate, Kraft announced a $20 million commitment to establish the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism in response to the growing rise in antisemitism in America and abroad, including the Together Beat Hate [tbh] educational initiative to highlight the issue of antisemitism on social media.
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