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NRF Foundation Announces “The Door” as the 2026 RISE Up Partner of the Year
September 29,
2025 by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry 
The NRF Foundation today announced The Door as the 2026 RISE Up Partner of the Year. Presented by Old Navy, the award recognizes the organization for its over two decades of providing retail career training services and its success in implementing the Foundation’s RISE Up training and credentialing program as part of its comprehensive range of youth development programs.
“The Door has been an extraordinary partner with the NRF Foundation in expanding access to retail careers to young people in New York City,” NRF Foundation Executive Director Adam Lukoskie said. “By offering RISE Up, The Door provides its clients with the soft and hard retail skills to be successful on day one.”
“Old Navy joins the NRF Foundation in celebrating the 2026 RISE Up Partner of the Year and we are proud to expand our partnership with The Door in collaboration with the NRF Foundation, rooted in expanding access to opportunity,” Old Navy President and CEO Horacio Barbeito said. “Together, we are unlocking even more on-ramps into retail — an industry that thrives when it invests in the potential of young people.”
Founded in 1972, The Door provides essential services and access to life-changing opportunities to 11,000 New York City young people annually. The Door offers comprehensive programs and services including mental health counseling, health and nutrition assistance, legal services, housing support, arts, education and workforce training — all free of charge and under one roof. In partnership with employers like Old Navy, The Door helps expand access to opportunity by implementing initiatives such as This Way ONward, Old Navy’s signature program, which supports economic mobility through skills training, supportive services and meaningful job opportunities.
“We are honored to be recognized as the RISE Up Partner of the Year. At The Door, we believe every young person deserves the chance to build a strong foundation for their future,” The Door CEO Kelsey Louie said. “By combining RISE Up’s dynamic retail curriculum with our career education programs and comprehensive wraparound supports, we are ensuring that New York City youth not only gain industry-recognized skills and credentials, but also the resources and stability they need to thrive. Together, we are helping young people turn training into opportunity, opening doors to careers across the very retail brands they know and trust.”
The 2026 NRF Foundation RISE Up Partner of the Year will be recognized at the NRF Foundation Honors in New York City on Jan. 11.
More than 60,000 students, 6,000 educators and 3,500 locations nationwide engage with the NRF Foundation RISE Up curriculum each year, introducing retail careers, influencing perceptions of retail jobs and teaching the skills necessary to thrive in retail.