The Walt Disney Company announced the creation of the Disney Storytellers Fund at Howard University which aims to support historically underrepresented students as future storytellers in media and entertainment.
The announcement came July 2 at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture.
The fund will give stipends over a five-year period for student projects focused on storytelling across various media including animation, digital design, gaming, journalism, live action, performing arts, product design, visual design, and virtual reality.
In addition to the money, Disney will provide speakers and mentors to students in the program and will help them with fellowships, internships, and full-time roles.
“Across Disney’s brands, we are working to amplify underrepresented voices and untold stories," said Jennifer Cohen, executive vice president of corporate social responsibility for The Walt Disney Company. "The Disney Storytellers Fund at Howard will help us support students and the innovation and creativity that the university has cultivated for more than 150 years. We are excited to help the next generation of Black storytellers bring their ideas to life."
In addition to the fund, the company will fund the development of a creative collaborative space inside Howard’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts and the Cathy Hughes School of Communication.