Internews’ Earth Journalism Network is offering several opportunities for reporters to receive funding and support in the coming months through story grants in the Asia-Pacific and Bay of Bengal Region, as well as those focused on investigations of the illegal wildlife trade in Europe.
The grants on offer are available to journalists working in South Asia, Southeast Asia, China and the Pacific outside Australia and New Zealand, as well as those in the Indian and Bangladeshi regions of the Bay of Bengal.
In both regions we’re placing particular emphasis on how women and other marginalized groups — including youth, indigenous people, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities — are impacted by environmental changes.
We also encourage stories that report on potential solutions and address how vulnerable communities are responding to challenges. One of the goals of these grants is to produce stories with the potential to inform policy decisions by addressing domestic or trans-boundary environmental concerns, such as regional cooperation to tackle climate change.
For the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, EJN expects to award around 30 grants averaging $1,500 depending on the proposal and reporting format. The deadline for applications is Feb. 28.
EJN will also award 15 grants averaging $1,000 each for the Bay of Bengal region. The deadline for applications for that grant is March 4.
In addition, we’re also calling for applications from investigative journalists with prior experience covering wildlife crime for a new round of stories focused on monitoring and investigating the illegal wildlife trade in Europe. Grants will range from $4,000 – $6,000, with the maximum amount awarded in special cases being $10,000.
These stories will be part of EJN’s Investigating Wildlife Trafficking project, which receives funding from the Oak Foundation. The project aims to expose wildlife smuggling networks and explain how they work. It will also highlight the impact this type of criminal activity has on society.