A cornerstone of CFDA’s Educational Initiatives, the CFDA commemorates 25 years of indelible support to students through the CFDA Scholarship Fund, launched in 1996 and designed to grow exemplary talent.

From Peter Som to Peter Do, CFDA scholars have progressed into prominent, influential creative leadership roles championing American fashion – with the list of scholars including Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Chris Benz. First established as a merit-based scholarship at Parsons in the name of former CFDA President, the late Perry Ellis, the program was spearheaded by CFDA member  Monika Tilley who passed away earlier this year. Tilley worked hands-on to establish expanded engagement with peer institutions such as Rhode Island School of Design and Otis School of Art + Design, making regular in-person visits to meet faculty and mentor students on campuses.

The program may have expanded significantly since, but it has remained true to its core mission –to foster student talent by defraying the rising costs of higher education tuition and school expenses, such as studio, thesis, and portfolio projects required for degree completion. To date, more than 300 CFDA Scholarships and $2.2 million have been awarded. From 2015-2020, 76 percent of committee-determined scholarships have been awarded to women and 72 percent to talent of ethnic/ diverse backgrounds.

Contribute to the future of American Fashion by donating to CFDA’s Scholarship Fund here.

In 2007, a $2.5 million donation by the Geoffrey Beene Foundation led to the creation of the Geoffrey Beene Design Scholarship Award honoring the legendary design iconoclast (in tandem with establishment of the CFDA’s Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award). Celebrating Mr. Beene who believed that “design was an unknown” to be explored, the $25,000 scholarship was accompanied by a custom curriculum provoking 360-degreeexperimentation and encouraging disruption of conventional form and Assouline’s release of Geoffrey Beene An American Rebel chronicling Mr. Beene’s irreverent repertoire.

Two years later, in 2009, the CFDA Liz Claiborne Scholarship Award was established through the support of her late husband Art Ortenberg. It celebrates Claiborne’s legacy as an American sportswear innovator in the context of 1970’s dress codes and  the entrepreneur’s contextually disruptive nature. Today the $25,000 scholarship prompts students  to imagine how Claiborne’s strategic tuition might be applied and translated into the design impactful solutions for sustainable fashion futures by applying the same ingenuity and mindset to fashion systems addressing social and environmental industry challenges.

In recent years, the CFDA Scholarship Fund has further evolved with aim to support a full spectrum of specializations building upon apparel categories to also encourage submissions within industry relevant pathways such as Accessories/ Footwear, Jewelry/ Metals, Materiality {Textiles/ Knitwear} and creative technical design.

Today, the CFDA annually invites participation of a national consortium of more than 20 leading fashion design colleges/universities from coast to coast, each with their own unique talent DNA and specialized strengths. They include San Francisco’s Academy of Art University and California College of the Arts, Savannah College of Art + Design, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Detroit-based College of Creative Studies’ BFA Accessories Design, and Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute. While the majority of scholarships are positioned to support undergraduate talent {BFA/ BA}, the importance of supporting advanced study at the Graduate level is also recognized.

The program has remained key in connecting education with industry through brand/partnership sponsored scholarships and mentorship opportunities including past collaborations with Gucci Changemakers/ Gucci North America, Target/ Teen Vogue, and the new established CFDA x Swarovski Foundation Re:Generation Innovation Scholar Award specifically for talent with interest in sustainable strategies. It’s also the first phase of the CFDA’s lifecycle approach to helping to develop creative talent as they transition from student, graduate, emerging to professional and established CFDA member brands.

Since inception, the CFDA Scholarship fund has remained at the forefront of student x member engagement via annual CFDA member-led selection committees. In the last five years, students have had direct opportunity to present their work to more than 100 members,  including AREA, Chromat, Doo-Ri Chung, Gabriela Hearst, Mara Hoffman, Maria Cornejo, and Narciso Rodriguez alongside CFDA program alumni such as  Abrima Erwiah of Studio 189, Jameel Khiry, and Eckhaus Latta.

For 2021,

CFDA is building on a 25^th anniversary CFDA Scholarship Fund initial commitment of $250,000 – $300,000 which will be awarded through up to 12 scholarships in six areas: CFDA Design Scholar Awards, Design for Justice Award, COVID-19 Relief Fund, Liz Claiborne Design for Impactful Futures Award {Sustainable Systems}, the Geoffrey Beene Designer Masters Scholar Award {Graduate}, and Suntchi Image Maker Award. All scholarships will be determined using a holistic criteria of financial need x talent x professional potential, announced Fall 2021.

Additional funds have been made possible through individual pledge donations by Catie Marron, Dany Garcia and by CFDA Members Patricia Underwood and Mary McFadden who have made donations to the CFDA Scholarship Fund in honor of Monika Tilley’s legacy.

For more information about the CFDA Scholarship Fund please visit CFDA Education

To contribute a donation please visit Give Lively