Call for Proposals: Coastal Resilience Story Grants 2023

Deadline: 06-Feb-23

The Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is offering reporting grants to journalists worldwide to support the production of in-depth stories that will call attention to coastal resiliency and solutions for coastal issues.

EJN is offering story grants with support from the Kingfisher Foundation to journalists to cover coastal resilience in their communities. These journalists will receive support from journalist mentors and a coastal resilience expert to increase media coverage of this critical issue in their region.

Story Themes

• They welcome solutions-oriented story ideas on the following topics:
  • Under-reported nature-based solutions, including protection or maintenance of coastal ecosystems such as seagrass, kelp, dunes, marshes, barrier islands, reefs, oysters and more (they have supported many stories on mangroves, an important topic, but will be looking for story ideas on other coastal ecosystems)
  • Strategies for beach stabilization and erosion prevention, and the impacts on local ecosystems
  • Policy-based coastal management techniques, including disaster management and early-warning systems, coastal zoning, government adaptation plans and more
  • Marine/coastal protected areas, including their long-term effectiveness and impact on Indigenous or local communities
  • Coastal conservation finance, including insurance schemes, debt-for-nature swaps, the costs of nature-based versus concrete or “gray” solutions, finance for biodiversity and other initiatives to finance coastal solutions
  • Blue carbon and the blue economy, including whether and how carbon offsets, tourism or other coastal blue economy initiatives can bring real solutions
  • The relationship between biodiversity loss, climate change and coastal resilience, including changing fish migration routes and food insecurity
  • Planned retreat, resettlement or relocation, including case studies on existing programs as well as investigations into coastal climate gentrification, cultural displacement and more
  • Risk management, monitoring and evaluation and other evidence-based strategies for coastal communities to understand and track coastal resilience
  • The intersections between public health and coastal resilience, including solutions for saltwater intrusion, the impacts of sea level rise on pollution and more.
  • All stories must have a solutions-focused angle; stories without this will not be considered.
  • Proposals that focus on topics or stories that have not been widely covered are preferred. Issues that have already received a lot of media coverage or don’t provide unique angles to environmental challenges are less likely to be selected.

Funding Information

• They plan to issue grants of approximately $1,200 each by late February 2023 with the expectation that all stories will be published by November 30, 2023 at the latest. Applicants should consider this timeline when drafting their work plan.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants can be from any country in the world; applicants from coastal countries reporting on their home communities are preferred.
• Please note that journalists who have already received a Coastal Resilience reporting grant from EJN in 2022 or who have an active grant as part of any EJN program are not eligible for this opportunity. Journalists who have received EJN support in the past are welcome to apply, and their past performance will be taken into account.
• Groups of journalists are eligible, particularly from different countries seeking to produce a cross-border project. However, the application must be made in the name of one lead applicant. Lead applicants are responsible for communicating with EJN and receiving funds on the group’s behalf, if awarded. Groups of journalists looking to produce cross-border stories will be favorably viewed by the judging panel.
• For the purposes of this grant opportunity, they will only be accepting applications in English and Spanish. Unfortunately, they do not have the capacity to consider applications in other languages at this time. Applicants must either have a working understanding of English or have a translator available to assist with communication with Internews staff.
• Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio) and other expert media practitioners with professional reporting experience and a history of covering environmental issues. They encourage applications from freelance reporters and staff from all types of media organizations – international, national, local and community-based.
• EJN reserves the right to disqualify applicants from consideration if they have been found to have engaged in unethical or improper professional conduct.

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? Is 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 visualization will be considered a plus.

For more information, visit EJN.