Deadline: 14-Feb-22
Internews’ Earth Journalism Network is offering grants to 10 journalists in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, or Rwanda to report on wildlife trafficking, conservation, and protection efforts.
The story grants are provided as part of EJN’s?East Africa Wildlife Journalism?project implemented by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and funded by a?joint grant from the US Department of Interior and the US Agency for International Development.
Story Themes
EJN is looking for incisive, in-depth, solutions-focused stories on conservation and wildlife that put human experiences at the center of the storytelling. While the stories should be backed by scientific evidence and incorporate data in a simple and compelling way, they should focus on proven adaptations and responses to ongoing challenges.
Ideas should explore but not be limited to questions such as:
- How are communities working to conserve their immediate environments and ecosystems?
- What new approaches are being developed or utilized to combat wildlife crime and poaching?
- How do courts and the judiciary treat these crimes? Are changes needed to ensure more prosecutions?
- How does law enforcement, especially rangers, deal with wildlife crime? Are they well enough equipped to deal with poachers who have sophisticated weapons and technology?
- What role do policies play in environmental protection? What are some examples of successful regulation that could serve as models for other places in the region?
- Who are the women experts championing and promoting conservation or adaptation?
- They encourage reporters to view this not?just as an environmental story and to think outside their beat, considering ways their reporting?could address broader angles. For example, stories could explore the economics and financing driving the illegal trade in wildlife, or reporters could produce detailed “live action” profiles of rangers by shadowing them in the field.
Story approach & format
- EJN expects to award?10?grants?in total,?with an?average budget of?US$800?each.?Generally speaking, applications?with smaller budgets will be more competitive, but?they will consider larger grant amounts for stories using innovative,?collaborative?or investigative approaches that may be more?resource-intensive?and time-consuming.?
- They plan to issue grants in?February?with the expectation that all stories will be published by the end of?May.??Applicants should consider this timeline when drafting their work plan.?
- All applicants?must provide?a letter of?support?from their?editor, ?explicitly stating that the media outlet will publish the stories produced as a result of this grant.?
- All applicants?are required to?provide a detailed budget with justification for the amount requested using the template provided. They are asking you to consider what?you’ll?need to do this type of reporting. They ask that the budgets be reasonable and account for costs necessary for reporting, such as travel and accommodation. Applicants for long-form and multimedia narratives?should include in their budget?estimates for accompanying multimedia elements.
- They expects that stories will be produced with equipment applicants?already have?access to (including cameras, drones, lighting, tripods, etc.) and prefer budgets that do not include a large amount of equipment.??
- They encourage reporters to follow?best practices?for Covid-19?when out in the?field?so you do not endanger yourself or the people?you’re?interviewing.?If needed, you should?include any?Covid-related?costs, such as tests or personal protective equipment, in your budget.??
- Please note that EJN and their partners and donors have the right to edit, publish, broadcast and distribute these stories freely, once they have been published/broadcast in the original media outlet.?
Eligibility Criteria
- Grants are open to journalists as well as other expert media practitioners with a track record of covering conservation and wildlife stories. Photojournalists and multimedia practitioners with published visual work are also eligible.
- Groups of journalists are eligible, particularly from different countries within the region?if 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.??
- Applicants may be from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
- Applicants may be freelance or working for international, national, local or community-based media.
- Applications are open to journalists?working in any medium? (online, print, television, radio).
- Stories may be produced in English, Kiswahili or local languages. Applicants who intend to write or produce stories in Kiswahili or local languages should also include a translated version of the story, or at least a headline and short summary in English for publication by EJN. Please include the cost for translation in the budget, if necessary.?
- EJN reserves the right to disqualify applicants from consideration if they have been found to have engaged in unethical or improper professional conduct.?
For more information, visit https://earthjournalism.net/opportunities/conservation-and-wildlife-in-east-africa-story-grants-2022