Apply now for Giving Voice to the Voiceless Grant

University of Georgia students who seek funding for projects that amplify marginalized communities are invited to apply for a Giving Voice to the Voiceless Grant now through April 14, 2023.

Giving Voice to the Voiceless is a program created by Charlayne Hunter-Gault (ABJ ’63) and her husband, Ron, to carry out compelling projects that focus on marginalized people or issues, advancing social justice and creating bonds of empathy and understanding.

“Through Giving Voice to the Voiceless, we hope to provide support for UGA students who want to give voice to people with needs who might otherwise suffer in silence and also help them create stories that advance social justice, global understanding and the human good,” Hunter-Gault said of the fund grant that was created in 2018.

Past projects that were awarded GVV grants include the Black Alumni Oral History Project, a series of recorded interviews through the Hargrett Library featuring some of the first Black students to attend the University of Georgia; production of the podcast Inquest: The Curious Case of Preston Cobb, about a Black teenager unjustly executed; and “From Dark, Silent Rooms: Giving Voice to Patients of Severe ME/CFS,” funding to write and publish profiles about individuals suffering from this disease.

Those wanting to apply should submit a proposal between one and three pages in length that explains how their project will give voice to the voiceless, offers a basic budget and audiences, and outlines goals.

Interested parties can view more details and the submission application on our Giving Voice to the Voiceless webpage.

Hunter-Gault, a 1963 graduate of Grady College, was the first African-American woman to attend UGA. After graduating, she joined the staff of The New Yorker, followed by The New York Times, PBS’ “MacNeil/Lehrer Report” and what is now the “PBS NewsHour.” In 1997, she became the chief correspondent in Africa for National Public Radio. She joined CNN in 1999 as its bureau chief and correspondent in Johannesburg, South Africa, and returned to NPR as a special correspondent in 2005. She has authored several books, including her most recent book published in 2022, “My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives.” Hunter-Gault has been honored with several awards, including two Emmy Awards and three Peabody Awards.

The Giving Voice to the Voiceless grant is administered out of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. It has also received support from UGA President Jere Morehead via private discretionary funds.