Descendants of the enslaved community have indelibly shaped scholarship and interpretation at Monticello through their participation in the Getting Word African American Oral History Project. In honor of the 25th anniversary of Getting Word, we established the Promise Grants Program to recognize the invaluable contributions of the Getting Word community and provide $5,000 grants to eligible graduating high school seniors pursuing post-secondary education.
Click here to learn more and to see if you or your child is eligible. Download the
photo release here.
To date, we have presented 19 Promise Grants to eligible students. Recipients attend schools across the country, including George Mason University, Hillsborough Community College, Howard Community College, James Madison University, San Francisco State University, Spelman College, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Peninsula College.
The Getting Word African American Descendant Community Promise Grants program is made possible by support from generous donors including Luck Companies Foundation.