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Parents council accepting grant applications

Photo of Designated Dawgs in Downtown Athens

The University of Georgia Parents Leadership Council (PLC) invites campus organizations with a clear commitment to enhancing the undergraduate student experience to apply for grant funding for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Applications will be accepted starting Oct. 4 from UGA schools, colleges, units, departments, divisions or student organizations registered with the Center for Student Activities and Involvement. The deadline to apply for funding is Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. Late applications will not be accepted.

PLC grants are awarded annually to fund scholarships, support critical undergraduate student needs and assist registered student organizations with projects and programs that enhance the quality of life for undergraduates. The PLC Grants Program awarded 100 grants totaling over $875,000 for the 2022-2023 academic year. Grant applications are reviewed by the PLC Grants Committee consisting of 60-80 members over a 5–6-week period. The committee will assemble in early February to make final funding recommendations.

Programs that receive grant funding demonstrate a direct and positive impact on student life at UGA. Previous grant awards funded student well-being initiatives such as Designated Dawgs which received a $60,000 grant last year to offer safe, nonjudgmental rides to students in an effort to prevent drunk driving and sexual assault.

“The PLC is the biggest supporter of our organization and is truly the only reason why we are able to do what we do,” said Taylor Talley, executive director of Designated Dawgs and student in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “Whenever we come to the PLC Grants Committee with new ideas through our grant proposal, they always continue to support our ideas to better Designated Dawgs and the safety of students and our student-run saferide program at UGA. We truly could not do the work we do without them.”

Another recipient of PLC support last year was the Student Veterans Resource Center, which received a $5,980 grant to support the academic success of student veterans.

“PLC continues to support our military veterans through both the Student Veterans Association (SVA) and individual grants.” said Jon Segars, director of the Student Veterans Resource Center. “Last year alone, we were able to send four students to the National SVA Conference and provide academic funding assistance to another ten students through the PLC Grants Program. The PLC makes it possible for our veterans in need to complete their degrees and to engage in experiential learning even when they have exhausted all of their military education benefits.”

Since 2012, the PLC has awarded over $4.6 million in grant funding to programs such as Dawg Camp, the Outreach and Financial Assistance Fund at the UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic, the Student Government Association’s Fresh Express and the University Health Center’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services Program (CAPS), which received a $50,000 spendable and $10,000 endowed grant last year to support students who cannot afford mental healthcare services.

“It truly is the generous giving of our incredible PLC partners that make the mission of CAPS possible. For this, we are so very grateful. This year, through the generous giving of the PLC, CAPS has been able to eliminate almost all out of pocket costs for students seeking support at CAPS.  The level of this impact is difficult to describe with words,” explains Christopher Corbett, director of CAPS.

To apply for a PLC grant and for a complete list of guidelines, visit give.uga.edu/plcgrants.

For more information, email the Office of Parent Giving at parents@uga.edu.