Applications Invited for Earth Journalism Network Asia-Pacific Media Grants 2021

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Earth Journalism Network Asia-Pacific Media Grants 2021

About the Organization:

Earth Journalism Network (EJN) was developed to enable journalists from developing countries to cover the environment more effectively. They are now a truly global network working with reporters and media outlets in virtually every region of the world. In our mission to improve the quantity and quality of environmental reporting, EJN trains journalists to cover a wide variety of issues, develops innovative online environmental news sites and produces content for local media – including ground-breaking investigative reports.

Overview:

In this round of media grants, we are seeking innovative ideas from journalist networks, media organizations, civil society organizations or academic institutions throughout Asia and the Pacific that would:

• Enhance the impact of environmental reporting on topics including, but not limited to, climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, wildlife trafficking, natural resources management, and large-scale infrastructure development;
• Trigger conversations, analysis and policy actions around the impacts of COVID-19 on climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution and other environmental issues;
• Strengthen partnerships and networks for environmental reporting, especially for transboundary media collaboration;
• Help organizations ramp up capacity-building activities online in order to improve environmental reporting under the current pandemic-related constraints

This round of grants is awarded as part of the Earth Journalism Network’s Asia-Pacific project, which aims to boost the quantity and quality of environmental and climate coverage in the region and empower at-risk communities by informing them about environmental issues and amplifying their voices in the media. This project has received generous financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

Objectives:

Proposed activities should contribute to one or more of the objectives:

• Provide quality environment and climate news and information to policymakers, at-risk communities, business communities or the general public;
• Improve the capacity of local or regional journalists and other content producers to report on environmental and climate issues in an accurate and compelling way;
• Address barriers women or other marginalized groups (youth, ethnic minorities, indigenous people and people with disabilities) facing in accessing environmental news and information, and ensure their voices are included in environmental reporting;
• Help generate positive changes in government policies, businesses environmental standards or consumer habits for a more sustainable way of life.

Grant Amount:

• Grants will be given to organizations looking to implement projects with the maximum duration of one year subject to the approval of the donor. The grant amount can range between US$5,000 to US$15,000 depending on the scope of the proposed activities.
• As part of EJN’s support to the grantees, the selected organizations will undertake a participatory Organizational Capacity Assessment. Based on the finding of the assessment, they may receive additional assistance to strengthen their organizational capacity.

Eligibility:

• Media organizations, journalist networks, universities and journalism institutions focusing on environmental reporting in the Asia and Pacific region are welcome to apply.
• Civil society organizations, community-based groups and research institutes will also be considered – but only those with strong media and communication components that are dedicated to supporting fair and accurate reporting.
• For the purpose of this call, they will not accept applications from Australia, New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands.

Examples of eligible activities include but are not limited to:

• Training workshops;
• Development of reporters’ resources and e-learning tools;
• Story grants for journalists;
• Mentoring of journalists;
• Special reporting projects;
• Networking and partnership activities for journalists;
• Development of new storytelling platforms;
• Establishment of a journalist network.

Selection Process

Grants will be awarded competitively by a panel of judges, consisting of Internews staff and experts in environmental reporting. Following a first-round review, potential grantees will be shortlisted. The jury may interview shortlisted applicants to seek further information on the proposed activity. The jury will then reconvene again after the interviews to make a final selection of the grantees.

The jury evaluates all eligible applications in a comparative context and makes funding decisions based on the availability of funds, the program objectives, and the following assessment criteria:

• The overall quality of the proposal;
• The relevance of the proposed project in contributing to the objectives and priorities of this grant program;
• The potential impact of the proposed project, including the quality and effectiveness of the project design;
• The financial viability and cost-effectiveness of the proposed activity;
• The ability of the applicant to carry it out.

Deadline: 15 August 2020 @5pm ICT

If you encounter difficulties with submitting your application or have questions about the grants, please email info.ejn@internews.org.

For more information please check the Link