Story Highlights:

• What began as a three-Scholar pilot in 2022 has grown into a flagship partnership, awarding 113 scholarships to 101 Scholars across 17 community colleges in 10 states.
• As the founding philanthropic partner, the VF Foundation has invested nearly one million dollars to seed and grow the program.
• In 2026, VF deepened its work with FSF by expanding the program to engage Community College Scholars on both the West and East coasts with VF corporate, brand and retail associates to provide personal and professional growth and opportunities.

When a talented young designer or merchandiser isn’t able to follow the traditional four-year path, the fashion industry has too often looked the other way. The VF Foundation wanted to prove that talent is everywhere and opportunity should be too. At its core, VF and the VF Foundation’s partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) is about access, helping Scholars not only imagine a future in the apparel and footwear industry but see what it can look like first-hand.

Now in its fifth year, partnership between the VF Foundation and the Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) Community College Scholarship Program helps to open doors to the fashion industry for talented young adults from less-traditional educational pathways. The partnership traces back to the VF Foundation's early support of a three-Scholar FSF post-graduate mentorship program in 2022, an investment that steadily evolved into the Community College Scholarship Program it is today, that has awarded 113 scholarships to 101 Scholars across 17 community colleges in 10 states. As the founding philanthropic partner, the VF Foundation has invested nearly one million dollars since the inception of the partnership to seed and grow this impactful program. This growth reflects a shared belief among VF, the VF Foundation, and FSF that talent is everywhere, and that investing in opportunity helps to unlock it.

Helping Scholars See Pathways in the Fashion Industry

For many community college students, especially those from non-traditional backgrounds, careers in footwear and apparel can feel distant or hard to access with few professional connections and opportunities to learn first-hand about the industry. The VF Foundation’s latest Impact Report connects this need with their broader commitment to opening doors through education, scholarship support, and inclusive career pathways.

Beyond financial support, the VF Foundation, VF brands and associates engage directly with FSF Community College Scholars to help demystify the industry, open doors, and provide concrete opportunities and connections that Scholars can learn from and leverage. Through this partnership, Scholars step into real VF environments and experience the industry in a tangible way. They meet professionals and leaders they may not otherwise have access to, hear personal career stories and begin to understand the many roles that shape a brand, from product and merchandising to retail operations, design, brand management, and consumer experience. These touchpoints enable the Scholars to picture themselves in those spaces. That “see it to be it” effect builds confidence and expands what feels possible.

VF brand Timberland^® pioneered a meaningful engagement model with East coast FSF Scholars in one of their NYC retail stores beginning in 2024. The programming was successful and has been repeated each summer, adding visits to Vans^® and The North Face^® stores in NYC beginning in 2026. West coast FSF Scholars were hosted on the Vans^® corporate campus in 2025 and again in 2026. These experiences are designed to give students a wider lens on the variety of career paths that exist in the industry and within VF across both retail and corporate settings.

Seeding Systems Change

The impact of this partnership is both practical and personal. Practically, FSF Community College Scholars gain career exposure and a clearer understanding of the many pathways across the industry. Recent evaluation demonstrates the program's success in achieving its primary goals; supporting Scholars pursuing careers within the fashion industry and encouraging Scholars to transfer to four-year institutions. Among FSF Community College Scholars from the FSF Classes of 2022-2025, at least 51% have matriculated to a four-year college or university, and 79% are currently employed in the fashion industry or in closely related fields.

From a personal perspective, Scholars participate in valuable networking opportunities and gain confidence that there is a place for them in these spaces. That combination is what makes the partnership meaningful: it is not just about showing Scholars jobs, but about helping them see futures they can step into.

The ripple effects extend well beyond individual Scholars. Four Alumni have launched their own businesses and three are freelancing as designers. The success of the program has become a proving ground for the broader field, now seeding new FSF pilots for high schoolers, sophomores, and non-traditional talent.