Women’s Philanthropy Network at Georgia State University Announces 2022 Grant Recipients

ATLANTA – The Women’s Philanthropy Network (WPN) at Georgia State University selected a diverse set of college and unit-level initiatives aimed at fostering student success and improving student opportunities as their 2022 grant recipients.

The 2022 WPN grants fully fund or provide significant funding boosts to seven new or existing programs and reflect the organization’s mission to directly and positively impact students by strengthening programs that prioritize student success

“Each and every decision made by our grant committee is completely student-centric, singularly focused on improving the student experience and helping Panthers succeed", says Ray Uttenhove, Women’s Philanthropy Network chair. “We’re pleased to support a range of impactful programs that help remove financial barriers, provide enriching opportunities for growth and discovery and foster community with our 2022 WPN grants.”

The following initiatives at Georgia State received 2022 WPN grants:

• Establishment of WomenLead in the College of the Arts:The grant will support the Spring 2023 launch of a partnership between the WomenLead program and the College of the Arts. The grant will establish a programmatic course to extend the successful WomenLead program to train College of the Arts students to be the next generation of change-makers, problem-solvers, and leaders.
• Expansion of the Program for Undergraduate Research in the Life Sciences (PURL) in the College of Arts & Sciences: The grant will enable the Department of Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences to expand its PURL initiative. The grant will advance PURL’s mission of propelling large numbers of graduates into productive STEM careers by providing them meaningful opportunities to contribute to scientific research. Funding will be used to purchase equipment, support student identity by connecting them to biology alumni, and sponsor competitive, undergraduate research awards.
• Creation of the Andrew Young Fundraising Series: The grant will fund the launch of the Women’s Philanthropy Network Fundraising Series in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Aimed at empowering the next generation of community fundraisers, the initiative will feature lectures from the nonprofit community’s most influential and successful fundraisers and offer hands-on workshops for students to practice fundraising best practices.
• Staffing for the University Library’s Women’s Collections: The Special Collections & Archives at the University Library will be able to hire graduate research assistants to help maintain and preserve a collection that continuously promotes gender equity and provides students with hands-on experience working with archival materials and curating exhibitions thanks to the grant.
• Installing a Wellness Room in the University Library: As part of the University Library’s expansion project, this grant will specifically fund a Wellness Room that will uplift new mothers on campus and to support women and underserved populations on campus.
• Growth of Initial Teacher Preparation Program in the College of Education and Human Development:  This grant will aid the College of Education in sustaining and growing, its Initial Teacher Preparation Programs, such as the new GSU Induction Support Program (ISP). The ISP aims to inspire, support, and propel college of education graduates into new heights in their teaching experiences.
• Support for the School of Public Health EMPOWER program: The EMPOWER (Engaging Multidisciplinary Professional Opportunities for Women in Environmental Research) program, in the School of Public Health, will be supported by the WPN grant. This summer program strives to enhance the diversity of the environmental health research workforce by providing Atlanta area female underrepresented minority high school students and teachers with a four-week research experience.

The WPN also allocated funds to endow a new WPN Scholarship, awarded a grant to Panther’s Pantry and provided funding support for the university’s Legacy Scholarship Fund.

Interested colleges and units from the university’s Atlanta campus will be able to submit funding proposals for WPN grant consideration when the next grant cycle opens in early 2023.

Learn how the Women’s Philanthropy Network is uplifting Georgia State programs and students and support their mission here. Explore opportunities to make a lasting impact on Panthers at giving.gsu.edu.