Each year two students will be selected to be awarded $50,000, to be dispersed over 4 years. Gilbert Family Foundation also announced scholarship support for pre-college summer workshops and completion scholarships aimed at retaining students.

Gilbert Family Foundation and College for Creative Studies (CCS) today announced a new $1 million grant to expand the Gilbert Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship. This new funding is in addition to the $1 million committed by the Foundation in 2023, bringing the total endowment to $2 million.

In Fall 2024, the Gilbert Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship provided support for one CCS undergraduate student. Moving forward, the fund will provide two scholarships each year, covering four years of tuition for two selected students from Detroit. To qualify, recipients must reside in Detroit, be a graduate of a Detroit-area high school and demonstrate financial need, as determined by the CCS Office of Financial Aid.

“Detroit has a long history of leading the world through art, design and innovation,” said Laura Grannemann, Executive Director of the Gilbert Family Foundation. “Expanding this scholarship offers more talented students in Detroit access to the resources and opportunities needed to pursue an artistic career. These students are the next generation of creative leaders who will shape the future of Detroit’s art and design community.”

This scholarship does more than cover educational costs; it gives students the stability they need to focus on their education and artistic growth. Without financial stress, they can develop their skills, explore new creative opportunities and contribute to Detroit’s vibrant arts scene.

“This scholarship means a lot to me. It’s given me a chance to get out there in the art world and continue creating,” said Chris Romero Hernandez, GFF Scholar ’25. “It’s been my heart’s desire to work as an artist. I don’t know how to express my genuine gratitude and thanks to Gilbert Family Foundation. This scholarship means I have the chance to study and train in my craft to one day make my dreams come true.”

In addition to the endowed scholarships, Gilbert Family Foundation has also committed $50,000 for 12 pre-college scholarships in the summer of 2025, as well as $25,000 for completion scholarships to support the retention of enrolled juniors and seniors from Detroit. This comprehensive support aims to address the specific barriers Detroit students face when pursuing careers in the arts, particularly concerning financial access and early exposure.

Gilbert Family Foundation’s continued support aligns with CCS’s mission to create accessible and transformative educational experiences for students from our community.

Over the course of the Fall semester, the College for Creative Studies hosted 11 sponsored projects and competitions across a variety of disciplines. Students from a wide range of disciplines partnered with local and global brands to work on a specific project tailored to meet the needs of our industry partners. Sponsored projects are highly conceptual and allow CCS students the opportunity to participate in creative, research-based assignments within real-world design parameters, interacting with designers and staff from the partnering company. Highlighted collaborations during the Fall semester include:

“The most important project that I did at CCS was a sponsored project,” said Hakha Masahyekhi, ’15 Integrated Design (MFA) reflecting on his time here. “It was so valuable to get real feedback from working professionals. That’s something that you never get in school.”

For Jacob Emmett, creativity isn’t just a passion – it’s a way of life. As a Coach Workshop Apprentice, Jacob has found his calling in the hands-on world of design and craftsmanship. From his roots in Detroit to the fast-paced energy of New York City, Emmett’s journey is one of self-discovery and a deep love for the art of making. In this interview, he shares the rewards of creating with his hands and gives us insight into his day-to-day in one of the fashion world’s most exciting spaces.

“If you don’t like what you’re doing, then why are you doing it?”

Did you always know that you wanted to work in a workshop at an iconic brand like this? How did you get here?

I was always interested in doing something creative. Once I got into the Fashion Accessories Design program, I discovered I care more about making things. I still enjoy designing, but if I wasn’t going to be hands-on for a job, that was a deal-breaker for me.

When you’re working on something and then you see the final product all put together, it’s the best feeling. Even if you’re making something for yourself, whatever it may be, it’s just the most rewarding feeling.

Where do you draw inspiration from? What keeps you motivated?

It’s always changing, but the driving force that keeps me motivated is my surroundings. Whether it’s buildings or the attitude of the city I’m in.

What’s it been like working in New York?

It’s very different moving here from Detroit. I lived there my whole life. It’s a little crazy at first, but I think that there’s a certain momentum with New York. It keeps you moving and keeps you wanting to do things. It can be a bit exhausting at the same time, but it’s very exciting.

Every day is a little bit different. Usually, a member of the design team will come down with some crazy idea and multiple design cards, and then we help them bring it to life. We’ll start on the pattern making, and then we’ll start making a physical prototype so they can see the bag in front of them, and decide what they like and what they don’t like about it. We can tell them certain challenges, some things that might need to be changed, and then we go from there. That’s the beginning steps of what leads to a bag being produced.

What would you say to somebody who is looking to go into a creative field?

Just keep doing things that interest you and that you enjoy, and just try to stay authentic to yourself. When you start dabbling or messing around with stuff that you aren’t necessarily passionate about, you can get stuck in that. That’s when I feel like people start to resent what they do. Try to do things that you enjoy.

If you don’t like what you’re doing, then why are you doing it?

What do you love most about what you do?

I love all the people on my team. It’s very rewarding to come in and spend time and learn from the people around me in the shop. I love all the hands-on aspects of it, from cutting up paper to making prototypes, and working on sewing machines. Just being in the environment in general is what I love the most about it.

How do you feel CCS has prepared you for your career and what you’re doing now?

Personally, I think CCS gave me the opportunity to kind of grow and expand myself as a creative, and figure out my identity in that sense. It definitely was like a big growth period for me and prepared me in that sense. Other than that, just like the fashion studio is amazing, all the machines, all of the professors there, they really help you kind of mold who you are as a designer, all of them. So yeah.

If you could go back in time, what would you say to your younger self?

Sit back and listen to people. Try to learn as much as you can from the people around you, no matter what. Even if you disagree with what somebody is teaching or their viewpoints, just sit back and listen and try to learn from everyone around you.

CCS alum Jacob Emmett in Coach's workshop

“I love all the people on my team. It’s very rewarding to come in and spend time and learn from the people around me in the shop.”

Learn more about CCS's Fashion Design program