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Applications are open for the EJN Investigative Story Grant and Training Program for Indigenous & Tribal Journalists 2025. To increase Indigenous representation and by extension, knowledge equity in environmental reporting, EJN is launching a training program for up to 6 Indigenous journalists looking to investigate and produce stories about these varied issues. Click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
As part of the program, supported by the Wikimedia Foundation, they will pair each selected journalist with an Indigenous journalist mentor, facilitate networking opportunities between experts and the selected journalists and offer a story grant of $2,500 to $3,000 each. Selected journalists will also participate in a virtual training program led by veteran media trainers to build their skills in investigative reporting techniques.
Story Themes
They are particularly interested in stories that:
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.
They plan to issue grants in November with the expectation that all stories will be published by July 2025 at the latest. Applicants should consider this timeline when drafting their workplan.
Applicants must self-identify as Indigenous or belonging to a tribe and will be asked to provide details on their Indigenous or tribal affiliations in the application. EJN is utilizing the ILO Convention No. 169 as a baseline for eligibility and will seek to establish a diverse cohort from a wide range of Indigenous and tribal communities and nations.
Applicants can be from anywhere in the world.
Journalists who have previously received Indigenous Story Grants from EJN in 2021 and 2022 are eligible for this opportunity, but preference will be given to those who have not yet received support.
Journalists who are not Indigenous are not eligible for this opportunity; however, we will accept applications from pairings or teams of Indigenous and non-Indigenous journalists. In these cases, the Indigenous journalist must be the lead applicant for the application to be considered. Lead applicants are responsible for communicating with EJN and receiving funds on the group’s behalf, if awarded. Please note non-Indigenous journalists are welcome as collaborators in the story grant but will not be eligible to participate in the other networking or training opportunities that are part of this program.
For the purposes of this grant opportunity, we will only be accepting applications in English. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to consider applications in other languages at this time. Applicants must have a sufficient understanding of English to participate in the training program, which will be held in English.
Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio) and other expert media practitioners with investigative reporting experience and a history of covering environmental issues. We encourage applications from freelance reporters and staff from all types of media organizations—international, national, local and community-based.
Applicants are required to be transparent about the use of generative AI tools, if any, to revise their proposals. EJN reserves the right to disqualify applicants from consideration if they have been found to have engaged in unethical or improper professional conduct, including, but not limited to, submitting AI-generated content as their own.
Please note: For this call, EJN invites applicants to pitch their story ideas in the form of a short video or a written proposal. You may select your preference in the application form.
Safety: Journalists reporting on these issues, particularly in territories facing conflict or government crackdowns, may face threats to their physical and digital safety. Applicants should also seek to travel in groups, avoid conflict areas whenever possible and practice digital safety best practices at all times. This guide from Reporters Without Borders and these resources from the Thomson Reuters Foundation are useful aids for journalists developing security plans for reporting.
When developing a pitch for this program, applicants should carefully consider the tools they’ll need to ensure their own safety and security and that of their intended sources. Please include the necessary resources in the budget. Please note safety and security training will be included in the virtual training program.
They also encourage reporters to follow best practices for Covid-19 and other infectious diseases when out in the field so you do not endanger yourself or the people you’re interviewing. If needed, you should include any public health-related costs, such as tests or personal protective equipment, in your budget.
Language of publication: Stories can be produced in any language. However, applicants who intend to write or produce stories in their local language need to also include an English translation. Please include the cost for translation in the budget, if necessary.
Story budget: All applicants are required to provide a detailed budget with justification for the amount requested using the template provided. They ask that the budgets be reasonable and account for costs necessary for reporting, such as travel and accommodation. Please also note on your budget form if you are receiving funding from any other donors for the story.
Generally speaking, applications with smaller budgets will be more competitive, but we will consider larger grant amounts up to $3,000 for stories using innovative, collaborative or investigative approaches that may be more resource-intensive and time-consuming.
They expect that proposals will largely reflect what equipment the applicant already has access to (including cameras, drones, lighting, tripods, etc.) and will not consider budgets that heavily focus on procuring new equipment.
They will consider a stipend for the reporters’ salary, particularly if the applicant is a freelancer. Please estimate the time you’ll need to complete this story and propose compensation you believe reflects a fair market rate. We ask, however, that this comprises no more than 30% of the total budget.
Acknowledgement of EJN support: Published stories and/or broadcasts must disclose EJN support by including this tagline: “This story was produced with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.
Republication rights: Internews’ EJN, its partners and Wikimedia Foundation will be granted rights to edit, publish, broadcast and distribute grantees’ stories freely. In recognizing the importance of knowledge equity and free access to information, EJN and the Wikimedia Foundation encourage selected grantees to license their investigative project through Creative Commons. They recognize that grantees’ media outlets may utilize paywalls or similar subscriber-driven revenue models; if the publishing outlet permits, they would ask that an exception be made for the outputs of this grant to remain freely accessible. Outlets are free to choose any of the six Creative Commons licenses; please let them know at the time of applying whether this raises concerns related to data sovereignty or would be in violation of the publication’s editorial policies.
Applicants should consider the following points when devising their story proposals.
Note: You'll be asked to upload these supporting documents once you start the application process, so please have them handy.
If you encounter difficulties with submitting your application or have questions about the grants, please email [email protected]. Do not contact any other Internews email regarding this opportunity, as we will not receive it.
Apply for EJN Investigative Story Grant and Training Program for Indigenous & Tribal Journalists