The VF Foundation, the philanthropic arm of VF Corporation, released its fourth Impact Report, Catalyzing Change, which details how the Foundation helps open up opportunity for more people to experience the healing power of the outdoors, advances greater diversity in the talent pipeline, empowers women and girls, and supports programs and practices that help protect our planet.  

This year’s report highlights the inspirational stories of changemaking organizations the VF Foundation has partnered with between April 3, 2022 - April 1, 2023. Within that time, the Foundation provided grants totaling $7,969,500 to support 62 community partners and thier programs around the world, positively impacting 2,107,857 people in 47 countries.  Since the Foundation’s inception in 2002, it has granted more than $70 million and reached over 12 million people worldwide. 

The Foundation creates change with a focus on funding projects across four key pillars:

1. Thriving Outside: harnessing the power of nature and the importance of making it accessible to all to fuel active and inclusive communities.
2. Protecting the Planet: enabling innovative global stewards, helping drive a more sustainable apparel industry and outdoor recreation economy,
3. Powering Potential: unlocking economic opportunity through education and advancing gender equity and social inclusion across the apparel sector, outdoor recreation industry and skilled trades to fuel the passions and dreams of the leaders of tomorrow.
4. Humanitarian Relief: supporting humanitarian relief and recovery efforts when disasters strike communities where VF operates around the world because helping others is a responsibility we all share. 

"Every year, the VF Foundation draws inspiration from the remarkable work of our grantees and this year is no different. We are honored to partner with organizations that uplift communities, champion environmental protection and drive positive change," said Gloria Schoch, Executive Director of the VF Foundation. “Through shared knowledge, collective action, and innovative approaches to our work, we aspire to help shape a better tomorrow.

Grantees receiving support from The VF Foundation and highlighted in this year’s Impact Report include:

The Industrial Commons: Total of $50,000 in grants

With support from the VF Foundation, The Industrial Commons developed Material Return, a solution to custom circularity initiatives to reduce manufacturers’ environmental impact, create circular products and support the growth of green jobs in Western North Carolina. Ultimately, Material Return aims to divert millions of pounds of textile waste from the landfill, provide quality textile jobs and develop a scalable system for national brands to create true circular loops for new products.

The University of Denver’s Leadership in Outdoor Recreational Industry (LORI) Program:  $1,026,000 grant

The University of Denver’s LORI Program is designed to meet the increasing demand for tailored professional education in outdoor recreation. To ensure students are adequately trained for the wide variety of outdoor industry jobs, the program integrates courses in business, sustainability, law and public policy. The VF Foundation’s grant supported operating costs, curriculum development, and merit and need-based scholarships for diverse students. 

SHIMMY: Total of $227,000 in grants

SHIMMY, a women-led social enterprise, prepares the apparel industry for the future by developing upskilling and reskilling teaching applications. The organization focuses on bridging the gender gap through education and technical training. With support from The VF Foundation, SHIMMY piloted an upskilling program to empower 503 unemployed or underemployed, primarily female, job seekers in Bangladesh that worked to enhance participants’ technical skills and digital literacy.

PROJECT FEARLESS: $25,000 grant

Amsterdam’s Project Fearless empowers girls and non-binary youth through their ARTivism (art, climate science + activism) program which provides “Sustainable Sewing and Fashion Redesign” and “Skate & Create” courses. With funding from The VF Foundation, Project Fearless sponsored 13 girls and non-binary youth to participate in an eight week long sustainable sewing course. Throughout the course, participants explored sustainable fashion, made zero-waste hats, and created an end-of-use guide for consumers.

Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation: $500,000 grant from the VF Foundation and $45,000 from Dickies® and Timberland®

Since the tragic shooting at Uvalde, Texas, students from Robb Elementary have been dispersed throughout the district. As the community rebuilds a safe space for the children to learn, the VF Foundation donated $500,000 to the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation to fund a gym and outdoor play spaces at the new school set to replace Robb Elementary. Additionally, VF’s Dickies® and Timberland® brands also donated more than $45,000 to help the community heal. The school is scheduled to open in August 2025.

The Fashion Scholarship Fund: Total of $230,000 in grants

As a flagship partner of the Fashion Scholarship Fund, the VF Foundation is proud to support the Fund’s work to advance inclusion in the apparel talent pipeline. The Foundation’s grant allows the fund to match 133 program Alumni with one-to-one mentorship and helped the program expand into community colleges to connect a higher percentage of first-generation college students with the tools needed to succeed in the apparel industry.