AEO awards $10,000 grant fund to I Apparel’s social foundation

The I Apparel International Group (IAIG) was thrilled to receive news on February 9, 2024 that the American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) Global Grants Committee has approved the company’s grant application for its social foundation, the iCare Community Support Organization (iCCS). AEO awarded a grant fund amounting USD 10,000 to iCCS.

About IK Apparel

It was in November 2023 when AEO, a long-term client and buyer of IAIG, officially launched the commencement of applications to its Global Grants Program. The company opened the said program exclusively for its worldwide vendor community, as part of its goal to empower more communities by supporting non-government organizations (NGOs) embarking on programs that promote youth and women’s empowerment, humanitarian aid, and environmental protection.

All of AEO’s vendor partners were encouraged to nominate an NGO, whose work directly impacts the communities where they manufacture the brand’s products. A vendor may only nominate one NGO to open the opportunity to as many worthy programs as possible. Besides the relevance of their work to the aforementioned categories, the NGO must also be proven inclusive in policies and practices involving all genders, races, ages, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or creed, with no religious component required of participants.

The Global Grants Program is part of AEO’s Building a Better World ESG Strategy, a conscious effort of implementing and tracking their sustainability targets in three pillars of environment, social, and governance. In Fiscal 2022, the company reportedly donated over USD 10 Million and dedicated over 14,000 volunteering hours to organizations championing causes on mental health, youth, women’s empowerment, and education.

iCare for the Lifeblood of Cambodia’s Garment Industry

The IAIG chose to submit a grant application on behalf of its own social foundation, the iCCS, which actively engages in initiatives relevant to education, healthcare, financial support, and community outreach projects. As mentioned in the application, the iCCS plans to use the additional funding along with its yearly allocated budget for the improvement of its programs.

Some of their goals include expanding the free courses offered at the iCare Learning Center into educational trainings that are more tailored for the current job openings at IAIG and the career aspirations of the students, adding more medical facilities and equipment at the iCare Health Hub, and beefing up the social foundation’s digital marketing campaigns to amass more potential partners, volunteers, and donors who mutually believe in their mission to provide stellar social care to Cambodia’s garment workers, who are major contributors to the country’s rising economy.