NYCEDC and CFDA Announce 2024 FMI Grant Fund Recipients

Photo Courtesy of NYCEDC

Over $1.1 Million Distributed to 18 NYC Based Fashion Manufacturing Companies

Nearly $7 Million Awarded Across FMI Grants and Workforce Programs in 11 Years Since Launch of Fashion Manufacturing Initiative

New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) in partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA) announced the 2024 Fashion Manufacturing Initiative (FMI) Grant Fund recipients, continuing the support of the New York City fashion manufacturing sector.

This year marks the 11th anniversary of the FMI, which was created in 2013 to support and preserve New York City fashion manufacturers. Since FMI’s origination, $6.7 million has been invested across all of FMI’s grants and workforce support programming, which has impacted the work of 3,708 employees.

The FMI Grant Fund, the tentpole program under CFDA and NYCEDC’s Fashion Manufacturing Initiative, offers partially matching grants to New York City based contract manufacturing facilities committed to improving their services through innovation and technology. Since the inception of the FMI Grant Fund, the fund has invested over $6.1 million across New York City’s manufacturing network and impacted the work of 2,042 employees.

The 2024 round of grants marks the ninth round of the program, with over $1 million distributed to manufacturers for machinery and software technology, workforce training, capital improvements, and relocation costs.

This year’s 18 grant recipients include: Button Down Factory, Carina, Dream Fashion, Emmelle Design, Glory Apparel, Heartland Manufacturing, In Style USA, Knit Resort, Polytime Atelier NYC, Rainbow Leather, Refine Studio, Rosagna Hernandez, Sunrise Studio, The Embroidery House & Son II, theTEN Atelier, Timberlake Studios, TÔMTEX, and Trimworld.

Among the 2024 recipients, 72.2% percent are women-owned businesses; 66.7% percent are minority-owned businesses; and 27.8% percent are first-time recipients of funds through the FMI Grant Fund. Nearly 300 jobs are impacted across this year’s recipient’s businesses through the grants.

Services of the recipients include cutting and sewing, pattern and sample development, knitwear services, embellishment/embroidery, fabric dyeing, printing and washing, marking and grading, as well as material innovation development and production.

Criteria for the recipient selection included qualifiers surrounding sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as community and workforce impact and overarching business viability. All recipients successfully completed both financial audits as well as social compliance audits which covered areas such as health and safety, worker wages and welfare, and more.

The Fashion Manufacturing Initiative’s programs over the past decade have included the FMI Grant Fund, separate relocation grants, COVID-19 relief grants via the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s A Common Thread, workforce relief and training programs, and more. The FMI also includes a full open access Production Directory on CFDA.com, featuring 380 local U.S. manufacturing resources for designers looking for new development and production partners.

Additional supporters of FMI include Premier Underwriter Ralph Lauren, as well as other past partners such as Andrew Rosen and Theory, DHL, the American Apparel & Footwear Association, Coach Foundation, Walmart, and more.

About NYCEDC 
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city’s future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.