In the inaugural year of the Getty Images Grants for Good program, photographers Stephen Ferry and Karen Kasmauski have been chosen from over 400 applicants to receive $15,000 grants each. Grants for Good are designed to support photographers in helping non-profits communicate more effectively.
Ferry’s project for Human Rights Watch documents Colombia’s human-rights problems and its citizens’ struggle for democracy. HRW intends to use the imagery in print and online; it is also considering an awareness-raising exhibit in the U.S., a significant donor to Colombia.
Kasmauski chose to work with grassroots organization Save Our Cumberland Mountains, and American group fighting the effects of climate change in central Appalachia. Kasmauski will create photos and a video essay depicting land and its people, many of whom are battling illness associated with lifelong exposure to coal dust and other environmental toxins.
Winners have six months to complete their projects. Should the photographer not require the entire grant amount, Getty Images will donate the remainder directly to the winner’s non-profit.
Grants for Good was introduced in February. Winning projects and winners’ portfolios are available at the Getty Images Web site.