SA|AJP Investigative Journalism Grants (Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project)

• Eligibility: journalists and newsrooms in select Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries
• Target Region: Sub-Saharan Africa (SADC region)
• Application Language: English

The Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project (SA|AJP) provides investigative journalism grants and comprehensive editorial support to journalists and newsrooms in select Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. The project seeks stories that expose wrongdoing, abuses of power, or failures of accountability in the region. In addition to grant funding, each selected journalist is assigned a dedicated investigative editor, and the project provides training, as well as support from external photographers, graphic designers, and legal/expert advisors to deliver a complete story package. The project also assists with securing publishing partners and maximising story impact.

Eligibility

• Journalist grants: open to freelance journalists based in South Africa, eSwatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, or Mozambique.
• Newsroom grants: open to editors or staff reporters representing established newsrooms in the same countries.
• Permanently employed journalists should seek approval from their line managers before submitting pitches.
• Story pitches that contain collaborative or cross-border elements will be favoured; journalists are encouraged to partner with colleagues in other countries, including those outside the SADC region.
• Any story idea which seeks to expose wrongdoing, abuses of power, or failures of accountability in the region will be considered for support.
• This opportunity is open to freelancers and to permanently employed journalists who seek to take a sabbatical from daily newsroom responsibilities to pursue an in-depth project.

Requirements

• A pitch of no more than 700 words as a single, compelling narrative addressing standard investigative pitch questions (the story, the evidence, the approach, the impact)
• A budget showing how the journalist intends to spend the grant
• A CV and a few examples of the journalist’s best published reporting in recent months

How to Apply

Email the final pitch, budget, and supporting documents to the project’s editorial coordinator at daneel@viewfinder.org.za. Draft pitches and queries can be sent for feedback before the deadline. Pitches are adjudicated on a rolling basis as they are received.

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