CFDA and Ralph Lauren launch grant programmes to support US manufacturing

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has teamed up with Ralph Laurent to launch two grant programmes designed to bolster the US manufacturing industry.

With additional funding support from the New York State Department of State, the CFDA x NY Forward Grant Fund will provide grants to designers and manufacturers based in New York City’s Garment District.

Two rounds of funding will be distributed between 2026 and 2027, with one manufacturer to also receive the coinciding Ralph Lauren Manufacturing Award, recognising them as an innovator in advancing their business.

Running from 2027 through 2029, the US Fashion Manufacturing Fund intends to support apparel manufacturers across the nation. Ralph Lauren has joined as a founding partner to the fund.

Partially matched grants will be provided to manufacturers investing in advanced machinery, software, and workforce training, covering 80 percent of each grant award. Recipients will contribute the remaining 20 percent.

Both programmes have set out to help companies modernise, expand their businesses, and train workers, in an effort to promote economic growth in key apparel-producing industries across the US.

In a statement, CFDA president and CEO, 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.”

The launch of the latest programme extends CFDA’s existing partnership with Ralph Lauren. The duo have previously worked together on CFDA’s Fashion Manufacturing Initiative, which launched in 2013 and has since seen Ralph Lauren contribute two million dollars as an underwriter.