Getty Images has partnered with Verizon to launch a $40,000 creative grant to support photographers and videographers in creating authentic representations of the disability community.  

True to its name, the Disability Communities grant focuses on projects that emphasize the “community” aspect of disability life. “In media and advertising, people with disabilities are often visualized alone, or as the only person with a disability in a community,” said Dr. Rebecca Swift, the global head of creative insights at Getty Images. “Building on our ongoing work with the Disability Collection, our aim is to help content creators, brands and agencies emphasize the true nature of what it means to be part of the wider disability community.” 

In 2018, Getty launched The Disability Collection, a stock photography project aimed to improve authentic representation of people with disabilities across the media. In 2019, Getty and Verizon launched the Disability Stories grant, which provided funding and support to photographers whose work centered on disability. The grand prize for the Disability Stories grant went to Nolan Ryan Trowe, a wheelchair user whose photographs documented the lives of people with disabilities in Harlem.  

With the Disability Communities grant, Getty and Verizon have expanded the program’s scope to include videographers. They are strongly encouraging disabled photographers and videographers to apply.  

The grant will award one recipient $15,000, one recipient $10,000 and three recipients $5,000 each. In addition, Getty will invite winners to license their work on Gettyimages.com, and they’ll receive support and mentorship from Getty’s art directors.  

Applications are open until June 30. Recipients will be announced during the week of July 25, in conjunction with the 32^nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more information on how to apply, visit the Disability Communities grant portal.