Indigenous Environmental Journalism Story Grants

Key Information

• Eligibility: 
  • Applicants must self-identify as Indigenous and will be asked to provide the name of their Indigenous community in the application.
  • Applicants can be from any country in the world.
  • EJN will only be accepting applications in English. Applications written in a language other than English will not be considered.
  • Applications are open to journalists working in any medium and other expert media practitioners with investigative reporting experience and a history of covering environmental issues. EJN encourage applications from freelance reporters and staff from all types of media organisations – international, national, local and community-based.
• Funding amount: 10 grants averaging $1,250
• Type of funding: Programmatic
• Target countries: Global
• Application languages: English

The Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is offering reporting grants to Indigenous journalists to support the production of in-depth stories that will call attention to climate justice, biodiversity, sustainable ecosystems and other issues related to the rights and well-being of Indigenous peoples and communities.

Story Themes

• EJN welcome any story ideas that will explore how environmental and climate change issues are linked to the rights and well-being of Indigenous peoples and communities. EJN particularly interested in stories that explore environmental solutions and resiliency, focus on resource use and traditional management practices, investigate land rights and environmental sovereignty, or highlight the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Indigenous land and communities.
• Proposals that focus on topics or stories that have not been widely covered are preferred. Issues that have already received a lot of media attention or don’t provide unique angles to environmental challenges are less likely to be selected.

Funding Information

• Through funding offered by the Nia Tero Foundation, EJN is providing 10 grants averaging $1,250 to Indigenous journalists looking to investigate and produce stories about environmental degradation in Indigenous communities as well as explore strategies for adaptation and resilience.

Judging criteria 

Applicants should consider the following points when devising their story proposals.

• Relevance: Does the proposal meet the criteria and objectives of the call? Why does this story matter and to whom? Are the main idea, context and overall value to the target audience clearly defined?
• Angle: If the story has been covered, does your proposal bring new insights to the topic or offer a fresh angle?
• Impact: Does the proposal have a compelling narrative or investigative element that will inform and engage, draw attention, trigger debate and urge action?
• Innovative storytelling: The use of creative approaches, multimedia and data visualisation will be considered a plus.

Find more details and the application form here.