The beauty giant’s Avon Foundation for Women has announced plans to expand its ‘Avon Global Scholarship Programme for Children and Grandchildren of Top-Selling Representatives’, doubling the number of scholarship recipients for the 2018 edition of its annual initiative.
For the first time this year, Avon beauty representatives – of which there are almost 6 million around the world – will also be eligible to apply for scholarships, which have habitually been restricted to their children and grandchildren.
The program, which was launched in 2012, gives participants the chance to benefit from scholarships in 25 different countries. This year, the Avon Foundation will up its annual investment of $250,000 to $500,000.
“Avon is built on a long legacy of deep investments in women,” said Jan Zijderveld, Avon Chief Executive Officer, in a statement. “We support six million beauty entrepreneurs to run their own businesses, in their own way and on their own terms and we understand the pivotal role of education, skills development and training in fueling a ripple effect for many years to come.”
Since its launch in 2012, the program has funded more than 425 scholarships for women, with recipients selected on the basis of academic performance and educational goals.
The move is the latest big philanthropic initiative from Avon, which teamed up with the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer this summer on a new social beauty campaign called ‘Kiss Breast Cancer Goodbye,’ and also recently launched a business-focused podcast series geared towards inspiring potential beauty entrepreneurs.
