The front door of a national headquarters: walnut doors in a carved limestone surround, the right leaf standing open onto darkness.

Global brands · Legacy markets

We open the door at the top.

Jairus Group connects the world's biggest brands to the most loyal communities in America — the Divine Nine, HBCUs, and the institutions built around them — through the one person who can say yes: the national president.

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Years inside the culture
0+
Organizations, one collaboration
0
Returned to partner organizations
$0K+
Visitors' register

Twenty years.
One direction.

Every line on this page was earned by staying in one lane and doing it better each time. The book is open. Sign in.

  1. Entry one, 2005.

    The clothing line for the Divine Nine

    Keenan Montgomery co-founds a company with one goal: become [b]the clothing line for all nine[/b] organizations. Merchandise programs and Centennial Collections become moments [b]the culture remembers[/b].

    Purpose of visit — Founding
  2. Entry two, 2016.

    First of its kind

    Jairus brings the Divine Nine and a major sportswear brand to [b]the same table for the first time[/b]. Official colors and letters on premium footwear and apparel, sold [b]directly to the membership[/b].

    Purpose of visit — The first deal
  3. Entry three, 2019.

    Money home

    Six-figure checks presented to partner organizations, including [b]$160,000 to Delta Sigma Theta[/b]. More than $300,000 returned across the program to fund [b]scholarships, programs, and members[/b].

    Purpose of visit — The check
    Jairus GroupNº 0160
    Pay to the order of$0.00
    Dollars
    Memo Jairus Group
  4. Entry four, 2025.

    A four-year deal with Puma

    Alongside partners at MMK Group, Jairus closes a four-year Divine Nine collaboration with Puma: [b]year-round inventory for all nine[/b] organizations, sold worldwide [b]through Puma[/b].

    Purpose of visit — The signing
  5. Entry five, 2026.

    The launch

    First collections arrive Fall 2026, with dedicated drops for Founders Days and Black History Month. Nine organizations. One collaboration. [b]A model no one has run before[/b].

    Purpose of visit — The launch
  6. Entry six, next.

    Beyond the Nine

    Jack and Jill of America, the Masonic orders, the Order of the Eastern Star, and HBCU band programs are the next arenas. [b]The playbook is proven.[/b] The partners are already at the table.

    Purpose of visit — Your organization
Building directory

Everything between
the handshake and the sale.

Five disciplines, one team. Brands get a partner who speaks the culture; organizations get a partner who speaks the brand. Every floor is ours.

Floor one — What we do
Floor two — Who we serve

Partners are added to the board as they sign.

The boardroom

Why brands and presidents
choose Jairus.

  1. 01

    Direct access

    National presidents send our message to the membership. No ad budget on earth can buy that.

  2. 02

    Buying moments

    Nine Founders Days, homecomings, line crossings, Black History Month. We add holidays your calendar does not have.

  3. 03

    Proven track record

    From the first Divine Nine sportswear collaboration to a four-year deal with a global brand.

  4. 04

    You keep control

    Organizations keep their name protected. Brands keep their standards. We hold both lines.

  5. 05

    Giveback built in

    Every deal writes a check back to the organization. Impact is in the contract, not the press release.

Keenan Montgomery, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jairus Group
Keenan MontgomeryFounder & Chief Executive Officer

Twenty years in the Divine Nine vendor and merchandise space. In 2005 he co-founded "The Clothing Line for the Divine Nine," leading merchandise programs and Centennial Collections that became meaningful moments within the culture.

He brought the first major sportswear brand to the Divine Nine, returning six-figure checks to partner organizations along the way — and he is the one presidents call when a brand comes knocking.

Through Jairus Group, and as co-founder of MMK Group, he now brings that experience into a broader partnership model: connecting organizations with global brand opportunities that expand visibility, create new revenue pathways, and honor the communities they represent.

General CounselPartner & General Counsel

Dallas-based attorney and partner, counsel on deal structure, licensing, and organizational agreements. Biography and portrait to follow.

Reception

The conversation
starts at the door.

Brands: bring the category. Organizations: bring the membership. We bring the deal, the product, the campaign, and the check. One email starts it — we reply with a concept and the first call we would make.

Start a partnership info@jairusgroup.org

Before you knock

What does Jairus Group do?

Jairus Group architects co-branded collaborations between global brands and legacy Black institutions: the Divine Nine fraternities and sororities, HBCUs, Jack and Jill of America, Masonic orders, and the Order of the Eastern Star. We find the brand, structure the deal, develop the product, run the marketing to the membership, and make sure a giveback flows back to the organization.

Is Jairus Group a licensing agency or a vendor?

Neither. Licensing agencies broker logo rights and step away. Vendors buy inventory and sell it at conventions. Jairus Group is a partnership firm: we sit between the organization and the brand for the life of the deal, from the first conversation with the national president to the check presentation after launch. The brand manufactures and sells; the organization endorses and receives royalties; we build and run the program.

How is Jairus Group related to MMK Group?

Keenan Montgomery founded Jairus Group and co-founded MMK Group, the cultural brand strategy firm behind the Puma collaboration. Jairus Group operates as a partner on that work and leads the relationships with the Divine Nine, HBCUs, and the community institutions in its zone. Think of MMK Group as the firm and Jairus Group as the collab company inside the culture.

Which organizations do you work with?

All nine Divine Nine organizations: Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Delta Sigma Theta, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Iota Phi Theta. Beyond the Nine, we are building programs for HBCUs, Jack and Jill of America, Masonic orders, and the Order of the Eastern Star. New partners are added to the board as they sign.

What does "giveback" mean in a Jairus deal?

Every partnership we structure includes money returning to the organization at its center: royalties, scholarships, direct donations, or program funding written into the contract. In our first Divine Nine sportswear program, more than $300,000 went back to partner organizations, including a $160,000 check to Delta Sigma Theta. For brands, giveback is what turns a product drop into trust.

How do members buy the product?

Through the brand. Our current collaboration sells year-round through Puma's own store, with each organization's collection in its own section. Jairus runs the marketing, the surveys, the presidential e-blasts, and the calendar drops for Founders Days and Black History Month, so members hear about it from people they trust and buy from a store they already know.

Can you work with brands outside of footwear and apparel?

Yes. Our sportswear collaboration is exclusive within that category, but the same playbook works for golf, luggage, electronics, beauty, spirits, and travel. If your customer is in our zone, we can build a program that reaches them.

Why not just buy social media ads to reach these communities?

Because the organization does not buy from you. Individuals do, and they buy when their president says so. Our programs put your message in front of financial members directly, then use social, surveys, and giveaways to reach the far larger circle of non-financial members and supporters. Ads are one channel. We own the others.

How do we start?

Email us. If you represent an organization, tell us your membership size and the moments on your calendar. If you represent a brand, tell us the category and the market you want. We will come back with a concept, a structure, and the first president we would call.