Gucci names second round of changemakers grant recipients

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Mar 1, 2021

Gucci has announced the second round of recipients for its five-year Gucci North America Changemakers Impact Fund. 

First launched in 2019, the fund awards $1 million annually in grants to support community organizations focused on increasing inclusion and diversity across communities and cities.

This year's Gucci Changemakers Impact Fund grantees represent the inspiring work of organizations led by diverse non-profit leaders working across the fields of social, cultural, and economic issues impacting communities across North America, Gucci said in a press release. Their focus areas include mental health for women and girls, workforce development programs for under/unemployed people, innovative art and fashion platforms for Black and brown creatives, and resources for LGBTQ+ communities.

Out of over 250 applicants, the second round's 15 grantees include Misa Hylton Fashion Academy, New York, NY; SoHarlem, New York, NY; Weird Enough Productions, Atlanta, GA; Sista Afya, Chicago, IL; SocialWorks, Chicago, IL; Journi, Detroit, MI; Magpies and Peacocks, Houston, TX; The Academy Foundation/Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, CA; We Are R.I.S.E., Los Angeles, CA; Radical Partners, Miami, FL; ProjectArt, New Orleans, LA; Tools and Tiaras, Philadelphia, PA; The African American Art & Culture Complex, San Francisco, CA; Human Rights Campaign, Washington D.C.; and UforChange, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Each of the recipients will receive a grant for up to $50,000 for a one-year funding cycle starting March 1 of this year, and will be used to create new programs or scale existing initiatives.

The grantees will also have the opportunity to participate in volunteer activities with Gucci employees, Town Hall conversations with Gucci leadership, and additional programming with Gucci’s North America brand and Culture Engagement team, Gucci said. 

Using the funding provided by Gucci Changemakers, the 2020 round's grantees were able to launch several community support initiatives, including a report highlighting pretrial incarceration in Louisiana, as well as a fashion program that brought together designers of color and commercial spaces in Detroit to showcase their creative designs. 

The next round of applications for the Gucci Changemakers Impact Fund will open in the fall of 2021. In addition, Gucci said a first time Gucci Changemakers product collaboration will be announced this March.