Gucci, the renowned fashion brand, recently announced the latest recipients of its Gucci North America Changemakers Impact Fund and Scholars Program.

With a vision to drive positive change through creativity and impact, Gucci launched the Changemakers program in 2019. Committed to revolutionizing the fashion industry both internally and externally, Gucci aims to uplift and support future leaders and non-profit organizations.

Expanding Opportunities for Positive Change

Since its inception, the program has attracted over 2,100 organizations and 4,000 students, with more than $5.5 million invested in over 50 non-profit organizations and over 70 students. The Changemakers community has flourished, enabling non-profits to make a grassroots impact within their communities and offering students unique opportunities in the design and fashion industries.

As Gucci North America Changemakers approaches its fifth anniversary in 2024, it plans to extend its mission of advancing creative opportunities, reaching and engaging with even more participants in the years to come.

Gucci Changemakers North America proudly presents the 2023 North America Awardees, including both the Gucci North America Impact Fund and Scholarship Fund recipients.

Gucci North America Impact Fund

The Gucci North America Impact Fund supports twelve exceptional non-profit organizations, each receiving a one-year grant of $50,000. This funding can be utilized to develop new programs or scale existing initiatives. Among the inspiring projects are mindfulness programming and yoga for BIPOC men and youth in Chicago, poetry convening and programming for Detroit area youth, emerging artists fellowships for Black transgender creatives in New York, youth development programming for at-risk youth in Philadelphia, and support for Canada’s largest Indigenous youth performance in Toronto.

The twelve grantees are as follows:

• Black Girl Environmentalist, Washington D.C.
• Humbl Hustlr, Atlanta, GA
• InsideOut Literary Arts, Detroit, MI
• United We Dream, Houston, TX
• Marsha P. Johnson Institute, New York, NY
• Mighty Writers, Philadelphia, PA
• Outside Looking In, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Ruth’s Table, San Francisco, CA
• Son of a Saint, New Orleans, LA
• The Fund for Women’s Equality, Los Angeles, CA
• The Healing, Chicago, IL
• Zero Hour, Miami, FL

Gucci North America Scholarship Fund

The Gucci North America Scholarship Fund supports twelve talented and deserving students, each receiving an academic scholarship of up to $20,000. These scholars come from diverse backgrounds and are pursuing various careers within the fashion and design fields at undergraduate colleges and universities.

The twelve scholarship recipients are as follows:

• Cleo Williams, George Brown College
• DaNae Harrison, Spelman College
• Elizabeth Lawson, The Savannah College of Art and Design
• India Williams, Kent State University
• Isabella Hanson, Cornell University
• Jamesly Saint Louis, Rhode Island School of Design
• John Davillier, University of Southern California
• MaiTae Preece, Otis College of Art & Design
• Maya Silva, California College of the Arts
• Miles Richards, College of Creative Studies
• Nikol Rafailova, Fashion Institute of Technology
• Rafael Diaz, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Continuing the Path of Positive Impact

Gucci Changemakers North America will celebrate the future of lasting, positive impact with its Changemakers community in the upcoming fall. Furthermore, it plans to announce the next chapter of applications and new programs for its fifth anniversary later this year. Through these initiatives, Gucci remains committed to fostering positive change, empowering future leaders, and driving creative solutions for a better world.