The CFDA x NY Forward Grant Fund and the US Fashion Manufacturing Fund are both set up in collaboration with Ralph Lauren with additional support from the New York State Department of State for the former.
According to Ralph Lauren, the initiatives will assist companies in modernising equipment, expanding services, and training employees in key apparel-producing regions,
The CFDA x NY Forward Grant Fund will distribute partially matching grants to designers and manufacturers operating within New York City’s Garment District.
The grant fund will have two allocation cycles, scheduled for 2026 and 2027.
Each cycle will include a special Ralph Lauren Manufacturing Award, which grants the full funding amount to one manufacturer recognised for innovative business advancement.
The aim is to enable recipients to invest in new technology, increase production capacity, and retain local jobs within the Garment District.
On a national scale, the US Fashion Manufacturing Fund will operate from 2027 through 2029, offering grants to apparel manufacturers across several states, including California, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Florida.
This fund targets investment in advanced machinery, software solutions and workforce training.
Under this scheme, grant recipients receive funding that covers 80% of their approved costs, with the businesses required to provide the remaining 20%.
CFDA CEO and president Steven Kolb said: "Strengthening American manufacturing to ensure designers have local partners has long been at the core of CFDA’s mission. We are proud to extend our decade-plus work with Ralph Lauren Corporation and expand to a national level while also continuing our local NYC investments alongside our first-ever partnership with the New York State Department of State.”
These new programmes follow the foundation laid by the CFDA’s Fashion Manufacturing Initiative (FMI), which launched in 2013 in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and other industry stakeholders including Andrew Rosen and Ralph Lauren.
Ralph Lauren has contributed $2m as FMI’s premier underwriter, facilitating grants to 54 factories and influencing more than 2,000 jobs.
Ralph Lauren Corporation chief global impact & communications officer Katie Ioanilli said: “Our expanded partnership with the CFDA reflects Ralph Lauren’s enduring commitment to advancing innovation and supporting American fashion. This is not only an investment in our industry — it’s an investment in a vital part of American culture that we share with the world.”
