Empowering futures through the craft of barbering.
Borner's Foundation helps aspiring barbers build lucrative, sustainable careers — with the wraparound support they need to thrive in the classroom and far beyond it.
Rooted in the craft since 1990.
Borner's Barber College traces its roots to 1990, when Arthur and Velma Borner purchased the school then known as American Barber College and gave it the family name — built on a simple conviction: that barbering is both a craft and a business, and that a good school owes its students both.
In 1995 the Borners relocated to South Western Avenue, planting roots in the South Los Angeles community the school still serves today. When a 2006 fire struck the campus, they rebuilt at 8913 South Western Avenue rather than close — keeping faith with the students and community who relied on them.
In 2019, Borner's expanded for the first time, opening Borner's Barber College Pasadena at 1284 North Lake Avenue and bringing its model — rigorous technical training paired with real business education — into the San Gabriel Valley.
Arthur Borner passed away in July 2023 after three and a half decades at the helm. The school continued under family leadership, with Joseph Brumfield — who joined in 2019 with the Pasadena opening — taking on day-to-day operations of both campuses.
Today, Borner's operates two accredited campuses organized around a philosophy it calls "The Barber's Bootcamp" — pairing cutting, shaving, styling, coloring, and chemical services with the finance and business education that separates a licensed barber from a successful one. The Borner's Barber Network keeps graduates connected long after commencement.
The Borner's Foundation carries that mission forward — so no aspiring barber is turned away for financial hardship, and every student facing real life challenges has the support to build a lasting career.
Borner's Foundation is dedicated to empowering aspiring barbers to build lucrative, sustainable careers — while ensuring they have the comprehensive support needed to thrive both in and beyond the classroom.
"A future where every aspiring barber and cosmetologist — regardless of background or circumstance — has the resources, mentorship, and opportunity to build a thriving career and a meaningful life."
We envision a Southern California where barbering is recognized as a powerful vehicle for economic mobility and community transformation — and where no student is turned away because of financial hardship.
Support that goes beyond tuition.
We serve veterans, young people emancipated from foster care, clients of the California Department of Rehabilitation, and others facing significant life challenges — meeting each student where they are.
Tuition & Education Funding
Scholarships and tuition assistance that open the door to an accredited barbering education — so financial hardship never decides who gets to pursue the craft.
Financial Literacy
Money-management and business education that helps students turn a license into a livelihood — budgeting, saving, and building a sustainable career behind the chair.
Health & Mental Wellness
Connections to health services and mental-wellness support, because thriving in the classroom starts with being well outside of it.
Real students. real chairs.
Every figure here represents a young person one step closer to standing behind their own chair.
Put a student in the chair.
Your gift funds tuition, tools, and the wraparound support — financial literacy, health, and mental wellness — that helps students finish strong and thrive. Borner's Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3); contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
EIN available upon request
A week's supply for student training
A partial scholarship
Covers half of tuition and fees
Join the work.
Apply for a scholarship, partner your school or shop with us, or lend your time. Email us and we'll be in touch.