Following the brand’s Love Parade runway show on Hollywood Boulevard on Tuesday night, Gucci hosted its Changemakers Summit at Crenshaw High School on Wednesday.
At the program held in the school’s new performing arts auditorium, the brand highlighted the second round of its initiatives, and unveiled the opening of applications for the third round of student scholarship and community organization impact grants.
Powered by Gucci Equilibrium, the program has already invested more than $2.5 million of a multiyear commitment since its founding in 2019. The 2022 Gucci Changemakers Impact Fund will support 12 non-governmental organizations with one-year grants of $50,000 each. The Gucci Changemakers Scholarship Program will award up to 10 students with a $20,000, one-year scholarship based on financial need.
“This is a way to breathe new creativity and life into the world when we need it most,” said Susan Chokachi, Gucci Americas president and chief executive officer, kicking off the program.
“Investment in the now is what makes the Changemakers program so meaningful. Every student can apply for a $20,000 scholarship,” actress and model Jodie Turner-Smith told the crowd. “I always say support is the engine that fuels humankind.”
Activist Bethann Hardison led a panel discussion for students to learn about creative fields, with artists Mickalene Thomas and Racquel Chevremont, director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at Yale Law School Yaseen Eldik and photographer Tyler Mitchell.
“You can all be changemakers in your own lives,” said Eldik on the importance of overcoming self-doubt.
To conclude, a short film was screened, made by writer/producer/director Sage Dolan-Sandrino, co-director Kam, and cinematographer Chance Chamblin, with Gucci Changemaker scholars and youth community members talking about the importance of art and creativity.
The Gucci Impact Fund will award grants to community organizations across the 12 Changemaker cities for up to $1 million. Through the grants, in 2021, Sista Afya Community Center in Chicago provided more than 175 free therapy sessions to Black women lacking resources to support their mental health; ProjectArt New Orleans provided more than 100 young adults with free art supplies and hosted 30 art lessons, and Weird Enough Productions in Atlanta, which uses diverse media to empower young people and the adults who support them, will have impacted more than 200,000 students at the end of the school year.
Gucci Changemakers Scholars Program has pledged to distribute $1.5 million over four years across its scholarship programs. During this round, Matthew Williams, who attends Kent State University, has begun work on creating a learning arts center for youth to explore art, and Yetunde Sapp, who attends Parsons School of Design, created SLAChouz, which stands for “Support a Living Artist Collective” house, an artist residence and content house.
