Doubling the number of recipients, offering grants beyond college tuition and more.
The Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund will be expanding its operations in the coming year. Housed under the Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF), the program was launched by Abloh in July 2020 with $1 million USD in seed funding to support future generations of Black fashion industry leaders. The inaugural class received college scholarships, as well as internships and mentorships.
Abloh passed away from a form of cancer in late 2021. Shortly after, an auction of 200 pairs of Abloh’s designs for Nike raised another $18 million USD in funding, allowing his wife Shannon Abloh and FSF to expand the program, The New York Timesreported.
Appearing at the annual FSF gala, Shannon Abloh and FSF executive director Peter Arnold revealed that the Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund would be doubling its class of recipients – from 30 students to 60 – and offering financial grants for opportunities in the fashion industry.
Shannon Abloh told NYT that in some cases, students were awarded the scholarship but couldn’t accept it because they couldn’t afford to quit their jobs or to relocate for school or an internship.
The Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund will now offer a “bridge fund” that awards financial aid beyond merely tuition costs. FSF is also expanding the program to community colleges and Shannon Abloh has tapped Virgil’s creative circle to offer recipients mentorships beyond the previous 1-year window.
“Virgil was impatient,” Shannon Abloh told NYT. “He liked to move fast, so he would have been ready for this to happen. It was always like, How can we affect the most students in the biggest way possible?”