The fourth chapter of Gucci Changemakers North America, titled “Designing a Future Untold,” has opened applications for young designers, filmmakers, artists, and overall creatives to build futures that might be unfathomable now but possible with the work they continue to do. The Gucci Changemakers Impact Fund and Scholarship Fund will award twelve students up to $20,000 and twelve organizations up to $1 million in grants. Organizations that focus on community. Founded in 2019, Gucci Changemakers North America was established to bring diversity to the forefront of the fashion industry. The main cities focused on include New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Miami, and more.
The commitment is to make sure that creatives of color get the opportunity to grow their respective practices and for people of color to have the chance to build communities that pour back into each other. “Gucci is committed to bringing more impactful and dynamic social good initiatives to fruition in the weeks, months, and years to come. This moment is the start of the next chapter illustrating the optimism, creativity, and innovation for the next generation of Gucci Changemakers in arts and culture,” says Antoine Phillips, Gucci’s VP of Brand and Culture Engagement.
Since its founding, the program has given over 50 scholarship funds to students and over 40 grants, and recipients have taken those funds to go on to create and expand their brands, non-profit organizations, and art practices. Some have even shown their artwork in museums and exhibitions, while others have built larger revenue for their clothing lines. Recipients in the past have built mental health initiatives for Black women in Chicago and provided resources for artists in Detroit and New York City.
In the Gucci Changemakers’ fourth chapter, they’ve partnered with Bon Duke, a New York-based director and photographer, to create a short film representing past recipients and all that they’ve accomplished with their scholarships and grants to make a real change in their communities and industries with their untold stories.
Applications to the fourth chapter’s Scholarship Program and Impact Fund are due by 11:59 pm EST on Friday, February 3, 2023.