42 • OCTOBER 2026 • Must Read | An Even Brighter Future “We’re an industry that can compete just as well as healthcare or aviation or construction and all of the other top options that are out there.” PPEF scholars are free to pursue any sector they dream of, and yet just by helping send bright young people with an awareness of merch’s breadth to institutes of higher education, there’s a greater possibility of new talent coming back to the industry. The foundation offers four-year and one-year scholarships on both need-based ($2,500 annually) and merit-based ($1,250 annually) criteria. To qualify, applicants must: • Be full-time employees of the branded merch industry or dependents of an employee in the industry. • Have a GPA of at least 3.0. • Provide an essay and letter of recommendation. Applicants are assessed by more than just the PPEF Board of Trustees. Each year, volunteer professionals throughout the industry participate in the process, and each application is reviewed by at least three volunteers. “The leadership that you see from applicants is just mind-blowing,” says Lisa Hubbard, VP of sales and marketing at The Vernon Company, PPAI 100’s No. 28 distributor, and PPEF Board chair. “It’s probably one of the most rewarding things that you can do.” It’s a long process, and PPEF is always looking for more volunteers to help choose who will receive a scholarship – but be warned, it’s not quite the same as approving product samples. “I would say definitely it’s well worth it, and depending on how emotional you are, I would also say have some tissues handy,” says Staats. “Some of the essays can be very touching and make you appreciate the goal.” That feeling funnels right back into the higher goals PPEF has set for the future. Awarding $1 million in scholarships is something that PPAI and PPEF want to be able to do for the branded merch community. Holmgreen believes that could be achieved within the next few years. The question becomes how will the foundation get from here to there? The journey will likely involve the entire industry. ‘Asking People To Help Children Is So Easy’ Every Monday during the week of The PPAI Expo, PPEF hosts the Fran Ford and Glen Holt Golf Memorial Tournament in sunny Las Vegas. It’s the foundation’s largest fundraiser, and for some people in the industry, it’s a can’t-miss event. It’s all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink and teams can purchase as many mulligans as they want – adding to the donations. There are raffled prizes. And a $10,000 cash prize for a hole-in-one. “You get a little fresh air before three days of being inside at Expo, but also you have a whole bunch of industry people that are coming together for a good cause,” says Dana Porter, MAS, vice president of information services at SAGE, who is joining the PPEF Board next year. The tournament can get competitive, of course, and Staats is looking to issue a challenge of her own. “I’d love to see more women,” Staats says. “We only have typically one women’s team compete, so I challenge more women to get out there.” Still, it will take more than just an annual golf tournament to reach the heights PPEF is capable of. The hope is to get awareness of the foundation in front of every HR director in the industry so that, above all else, employees understand the resources available to them. In fact, PPEF scholarships now include vocational schools as well as “adult learner” awards for those looking to earn certifications. Awareness, the thinking goes, leads to more applications and more donations. Currently, the Tomorrow Fund makes up more than half of annual donations to PPEF. Becoming a Tomorrow Fund donor means agreeing to a six-year pledge for different tiers of annual donations. Ultimately, though, even after the golf tournament, even after all the generous Tomorrow Fund donors, there’s still untapped potential. In an industry where competitors so often share trade secrets and lift each other up, raising more money for each other’s families feels realistic. To Holmgreen, it’s basic arithmetic. “You’ve got approximately 45,000 branded merch companies in the United States,” Holmgreen says. “We’ve got 15,000 PPAI members. If you start to do some very simple math, a $10 donation from each of those companies becomes a whole lot of money.” It’s really that easy, and the future literally depends on it. Jonny Auping is PPAI’s senior news editor. “The leadership that you see from applicants is just mind-blowing. It’s probably one of the most rewarding things that you can do.” — Lisa Hubbard, VP of sales and marketing at The Vernon Company
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