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"Too often organisations apply for grants, win them, and then struggle to resource them."

Don’t fall for the temptation of changing your focus in order to obtain funding. There may be a lot of focus on environmental journalism at the moment but first you must ask yourself if you are qualified to apply.

The Fundraising Guide offers the following observations:

✅ There is a strong temptation to cast the net as widely as possible and apply for any opportunity which seems more or less appropriate. There is a tendency also to be beguiled by the amount of money on offer and to downplay the risks associated with co-funding or over-expansion.

✅ Donors are fickle and niche areas can enjoy widespread support for a time, then mysteriously vanish from their list of priorities. A few years ago, digital security training and constructive journalism were causes célèbres; now media literacy and media viability are on the ascendant.

✅ Applying to multiple small grants requires a lot of work that may not be cost-effective in the end. If you, against all odds, do get the funding, you may end up spending a lot of time and resources trying to live up to donor expectations, taking time and resources away from your core work.


💸 And if, after reading all the dire warnings above, you'd still like to apply, check out this list of 10 climate and environmental funding opportunities.

Nieman Foundation

The Nieman Foundation began as a fellowship for select journalists who were invited to spend an academic year at Harvard in pursuit of individual study plans to strengthen their knowledge and leadership skills. Since 1938, the program has awarded Nieman fellowships to more than 1,500 journalists from nearly 100 countries.

Each year, the Nieman Foundation awards paid fellowships to up to 24 journalists working in print, broadcast, digital and audiovisual media with at least five years of full-time media experience. Furthermore, Neiman fellows receive a stipend of $80,000 paid over a nine-month period to cover living costs.

See GFMD’s profile on the Nieman Foundation here.

World Bank

​With 189 member countries, staff from more than 170 countries, and offices in over 130 locations, the World Bank Group consists of five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries.

The World Bank Group issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) inviting colleagues to apply for funding. Applicants should submit an application after they have considered the published list of requirements and assessed whether their proposal is suitable for support under the call.

The Bank's Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund works directly with journalists in low-income countries to improve understanding of development issues and the importance of impact evaluation in identifying what works.

See GFMD’s profile on the World Bank here.

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