YouTube has revealed the latest cohort of Black creators who will benefit from grants, programs, workshops, and other support services. The platform has unveiled the 2023 class for the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.
Though #YouTubeBlack has been around since 2016, the initiative didn’t evolve into its current form until 2020. As protesters across the country responded to the murder of George Floyd, YouTube committed $100 million to creators of color on its platform.
YouTube announced the first recipients of that boost last year, when 132 creators received a bump from their home platform. A second call for #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund applications went out that June, and the platform began to assemble a third class in June 2022.
The influencers who are part of that latest crop span all of YouTube’s most prominent categories, from gaming to fashion to food. Some grant recipients, such as iKnowAryel, have already gathered millions of subscribers and hundreds of millions of lifetime views. Others, like the Arkansas foodie known as Plant Based Princess, are in the early stages of their YouTube careers.
The perks of the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund go beyond mere financial support. The grant recipients will also get dedicated support from the YouTube team, and they’ll have opportunities to meet and collaborate with one another. YouTube will host training sessions, workshops, and networking events to ensure the 29 chosen creators thrive.
In addition to those 29 creators, who all live in North America, the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund is supporting 40 musicians from around the world. Those artists, who hail from five different continents, will receive equivalent support to their creative counterparts. The last cohort of #YouTubeBlack Voices musicians also received mentorship from hip-hop legend Slick Rick.
YouTube is not the only tech giant to uplift its homegrown community of Black videomakers. Over the past two years, TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat have all launched programs that are analogous to the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.
If you’d like to get a better sense of the Black creators YouTube has decided to back, you can check out the curated playlists on the /youtube channel.
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