Donating $1 Million To Women

Nova News03.21.21
Fashion Nova Cares X Megan Thee Stallion Women On Top

Fashion Nova is donating ONE MILLION DOLLARS to put Women on Top. Through the rest of March, we’ll be donating to female students, women business owners, and women betterment organizations. We believe in the power of women, and we’ve teamed up with Megan Thee Stallion to help drive this cause forward. Empowering women has always been a core tenet of Fashion Nova’s mission, and we’re grateful for the ability to do this. Throughout this month, we’ll be highlighting the various recipients who will receive a minimum $25,000 in donations, scholarships, or grants. We hope they will inspire you as much as they have inspired us! 

Recipient 1

YWCA Houston

YWCA Houston

Our first Women on Top recipient is the YWCA in Houston, Texas. YWCA Houston provides permanent and semi-independent housing to homeless young women and their families. With 112 years of experience, YWCA Houston connects individuals with the resources necessary to become self-sufficient, strong and independent young women. 

Recipient 2

Ellaé Lisqué

Ellae Lisque Donation Recipient

We're also highlighting independent fashion designers who inspire us with their creativity and style. Each designer spotlighted will receive $25,000 for their burgeoning business.⁠⁠ Meet our first designer Maxie.J, founder and designer of Ellaé Lisqué! Maxie.J began her career as a stylist renowned for her impeccable taste before founding the Ellaé Lisqué brand. She is a true testament that dreaming big is the key to success. We can't wait to see her achieve even more!

Recipient 3

Alani Taylor

Alani Taylor Donation Recipient

Our second designer spotlight is Timeekah Murphy. She founded her signature label Alani Taylor in 2016, and quickly became known for her high-end fashion performance pieces, which have been seen on the likes of Beyonce, Nick Cannon, and Cardi B. Her mission is to transcend style, establish confidence, and provide a vehicle for self-expression, and she's well on her way.

Recipient 4

Texas Southern University

Texas Southern University Donation Recipient

Our fourth donation recipient is Texas Southern University's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Students of TSU’s COPHS, including current student Megan Thee Stallion, are educated and encouraged by a diverse faculty and staff, and graduates go on to attain employment across all sectors of healthcare.⁠⁠

Recipient 5

Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles

Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles

The Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles are our fifth donation recipients, with a $25,000 donation that will support the soon-to-be-opened Inglewood Innovation Center. The center will serve as a program hub for 20,000 girls from the local community, giving them a space to stretch their wings, explore their potential, and take the lead.

Recipient 6

Breonna Taylor Foundation

Breonna Taylor Foundation Donation

It's been a year since Breonna Taylor's untimely, unjust death, but we'll never stop saying her name. We are donating $100,000 to the Breonna Taylor Foundation created by Breonna's mother Tamika Palmer to honor the memory of her daughter. The core mission of the foundation is to support economic, social, and racial justice through police reform and government accountability. The foundation also seeks to help young people realize their full potential, empowering them to participate in political processes and achieve better health, with mentorship programs for high-school girls, after-school initiatives, and educational support.

Recipient 7

Mika Osmanovic

Mika Osmanovic Donation Recipient

The phenomenal Mika Osmanovic is a future doctor who has just been accepted to the NYU College of Dentistry. Coming to the United States as a refugee from Bosnia, Mika is both the first woman and the first person from her family to attend college. With a goal of becoming a dentist, she plans to commit herself to providing the best care possible to all her patients, especially to people in underserved communities and particularly to individuals with special needs. Her $25,000 grant will go towards funding Mika’s dental school education.

Recipient 8

Tizita Balemlay

Tizita Balemlay

Tizita Balemlay is the head designer and CEO of Plugged NYC. She's also a rising star taking the fashion world by storm with her chic streetwear designs that count multiple celebrities as fans! Since 2016, Tizita has worked tirelessly to expand her brand and bring all her creations to life. We're inspired by her unlimited vision for the future of fashion and can’t wait to see what’s in store for her next!

Recipient 9

Helping Houston Rebuild

Helping Houston Rebuild Donation Recipient

The NACC in partnership with Megan Thee Stallion and US Representative Sheila Jackson Lee is helping Houston residents rebuild their homes after the recent weather emergencies that have left many with plumbing and structural issues. NACC will use our $25,000 grant to rebuild the home of Lolita C., a 75-year-old wheelchair-bound widow. Additional projects are also underway!

Recipient 10

Tia Adeola

Tia Adeola Donation Recipient

Teniola “Tia” Adeola is the founder and designer of her namesake brand. Tia started her brand as a college student in New York City and soon amassed a diverse and passionate fanbase, including women like Gigi Hadid and SZA. Her brand’s place in the luxury fashion space was solidified with the breakout success of her runway show at NYFW in Fall 2019. Tia’s designs utilize sheer materials, pearls, feathers, and ruffles to evoke the pure romance of a Renaissance painting.

Recipient 11

Juanita Campbell Rasmus

Juanita Campbell Rasmus

Juanita Campbell Rasmus, Spiritual Director and author, has a passion for seeing people transform into being their best selves. She co-leads the St. John Church in Downtown Houston and co-founded Bread of Life, Inc. with her husband Rudy. The $25,000 in funds received from our Women On Top initiative will be used to support Bread of Life, Inc.’s homeless outreach efforts, and create care packages for women experiencing homelessness, living in camps or shelter environments.

Recipient 12

Black Women For Wellness

Black Women for Wellness

Black Women For Wellness is a nonprofit committed to the empowerment, health, and well-being of Black women and girls. Currently, BWW is re-imagining maternal health by supporting the introduction of SB 65, The California Momnibus bill. In addition, BWW is working with pregnant folks in south Los Angeles through a series of free classes about nutrition, fitness and mental wellness.

Recipient 13

JustB Clothing

JustB Clothing

JustB Clothing is the only specialty boutique in western Massachusetts owned and operated by women of color. Specializing in prom dresses, the boutique, owned by Bianca Jackson, was affected by COVID putting a halt to prom celebrations. Never one to give up, Bianca introduced the “Porch Prom” project, offering young women free photoshoots to ensure the joy of prom season lives on in a creatively reimagined way. From teen internships to an annual partnership with a women’s shelter, the JustB team’s dedication to their customers and community is truly amazing.

Recipient 14

SCJR Productions' Educational Initiative

SCJR Productions

SCJR Productions’ Educational Initiative equips youths from underserved communities in Chicago with the tools to realize their potential, embrace leadership and excel in academia. Since 2017, the Educational Initiative has provided exceptional opportunities to students, including educational and career workshops, fashion-focused showcases, and college scholarships. Due to COVID-19, SCJR will host their 5th annual HBCU-focused runway showcase virtually in early April.

Recipient 15

SAWA

SAWA

SAWA is a business with a life-saving purpose, created by philanthropist Emily Shagley in 2017. As a social enterprise to empower female Kenyan artisans in Africa’s largest slum, Kibera, SAWA provides training and employment in a safe, secure and supportive environment. SAWA artisans previously endured hardships such as extreme poverty, sex trafficking, homelessness and HIV. While on average residents in Kibera barely survive on $1 a day, SAWA’s holistic approach provides education and healthcare for the women and their extended families, while also paying wages that are 3x the country average.

Recipient 16

Casa de Esperanza

Casa de Esperanza

With nearly 40 years of experience, Casa de Esperanza is the largest Latina-founded, led and operated organization in the country focusing on domestic violence. Their work is grounded in community wisdom, building greater safety, community connectedness and self-sufficiency for Latin@ domestic violence survivors, their families and communities. Through educational programs, national legislative work and emergency services, Casa de Esperanza continues to place community engagement at the center of all their prevention and intervention initiatives.⁠⁠

Recipient 17

Girls Inc., NYC

Girls Inc. NYC

Girls Inc., NYC is a girl serving non-profit organization in New York City. It focuses on the development of the whole girl, where she learns to value herself, take risks, and discover and develop her inherent strengths. The combination of long-lasting mentoring relationships, a pro-girl environment, and research-based programming equips girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers, and grow up healthy, educated, and independent.

Recipient 18

Glowing Goddess by Queenie

Glowing Goddess by Queenie

Glowing Goddess by Queenie is a small skincare business that specializes in handmade skincare products, like soaps and body butters, powered by the big dreams of Houston-based esthetician Queenitra Jones. Glowing Goddess offers a growing array of hand-crafted products, including Monthly Glow Kits, perfect for daily skincare users. Queenitra takes joy in teaching her customers how to unlock their most glowing skin, with tips and tutorials available on her website’s blog and Instagram account.

Recipient 19

Homegirl Café

Homegirl Cafe

Los Angeles' Homeboy Industries is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. Their social enterprise Homegirl Café provides on-the-job training, and has built a pipeline of nurturing strong female leaders who, in turn, mentor others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Homegirl Café, together with Homeboy Bakery, launched the “Feed HOPE” program as a vehicle to provide free meals to Los Angeles residents living in food-insecure areas. Through Feed HOPE, their team produced and delivered up to 12,000 pre-packaged, healthy meals to seniors and families on a weekly basis.

Recipient 20

Aim 4 The Heart

Aim 4 The Heart Org

Aim 4 The Heart was founded by Leila Steinberg to manifest her vision of an educational system transformed at its core to recognize the value of “HeART Education” and to instill emotional literacy through training in the arts. For over 30 years, AIM 4 the Heart has created and implemented a sustainable model of community-based programs that use the arts to positively intervene in the lives of at-risk youths.

Recipient 21

BTFA Collective

BTFA Collective

BTFA Collective is a community-based arts organization that centers the production and preservation of art by Black trans femmes by providing them with the resources and support necessary to thrive. Be sure to check out btfacollective.org where BTFA is soon to launch The List, an online database of Black trans femme artists around the world.

Recipient 22

Derby Dolls

Derby Dolls

Derby Dolls is a volunteer-run organization on a mission to achieve the highest level of competition, integrity and community while enriching lives through sport. The Derby Dolls accomplish this mission with a state-of-the-art training program, professionally produced bouts, and no-cost, specialized workshops for groups, such as at-risk youth, formerly incarcerated women and survivors of domestic violence. The Derby Dolls will use this donation to cover operating costs, and hope to welcome the community back to the track soon!

Recipient 23

Dreamers Youth

Dreamers Youth

We teamed up with Lauren London to nominate and present Dreamers Youth with a donation of $50,000 in honor of the late Nipsey Hussle, taken from this world too soon nearly 2 years ago. In response to the challenges of COVID-19, Dreamers Youth has envisioned enriching virtual and socially distanced programming. We want to recognize their contributions towards building a better future and amplify their impact with this donation.

Recipient 24

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta

Advancing Justice Atlanta

We mourn the heartbreaking loss of eight individuals taken from their families on March 16, 2021 in a senseless, violent attack against Asian Americans. Crimes targeting the Asian community have increased at an alarming rate in recent months. In partnership with journalist and Asian activist May Lee, Fashion Nova honors the memory of these victims with a $50,00 donation to Advancing Justice Atlanta, an organization that works tirelessly to protect the civil and human rights of Asian Americans in Georgia and the Southeast. Fashion Nova proudly stands in solidarity with all Asian Americans in saying that enough is enough. 


We'll be updating this post with the recipients as they are announced, so make sure to come back every day to see who we're spotlighting and why!