Earth Journalism Network Asia-Pacific Media Grants 2021

Overview

Globally, 23% of all deaths could be prevented through healthier environments, according to the World Health Organization. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its origins in the wildlife trade and the increasing pressure human societies place on natural habitats, further illustrates the urgency of humankind to address the environmental crisis.

The current COVID-19 crisis may be a preview of what’s to come with climate change and environmental destruction, but it also presents a unique opportunity for green recovery and more sustainable development. And although public awareness of environmental threats is growing, there is still a massive disconnect between the scale of the problems and the actions that are being taken to address them.

In this round of media grants, we are seeking innovative ideas from journalist networks, media organizations, civil society organizations or academic institutions throughout Asia and the Pacific that would:

• Enhance the impact of environmental reporting on topics including, but not limited to, climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, wildlife trafficking, natural resources management, and large-scale infrastructure development;
• Trigger conversations, analysis and policy actions around the impacts of COVID-19 on climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution and other environmental issues;
• Strengthen partnerships and networks for environmental reporting, especially for transboundary media collaboration;
• Help organizations ramp up capacity-building activities online in order to improve environmental reporting under the current pandemic-related constraints.

This round of grants is awarded as part of the Earth Journalism Network’s Asia-Pacific project, which aims to boost the quantity and quality of environmental and climate coverage in the region and empower at-risk communities by informing them about environmental issues and amplifying their voices in the media. This project has received generous financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

Objectives

Proposed activities should contribute to one or more of the objectives:

• Provide quality environment and climate news and information to policymakers, at-risk communities, business communities or the general public;
• Improve the capacity of local or regional journalists and other content producers to report on environmental and climate issues in an accurate and compelling way;
• Address barriers women or other marginalized groups (youth, ethnic minorities, indigenous people and people with disabilities) facing in accessing environmental news and information, and ensure their voices are included in environmental reporting;
• Help generate positive changes in government policies, businesses environmental standards or consumer habits for a more sustainable way of life. 

Grant Amount

Grants will be given to organizations looking to implement projects with the maximum duration of one year subject to the approval of the donor. The grant amount can range between US$5,000 to US$15,000 depending on the scope of the proposed activities.

As part of EJN’s support to the grantees, the selected organizations will undertake a participatory Organizational Capacity Assessment. Based on the finding of the assessment, they may receive additional assistance to strengthen their organizational capacity.

Eligibility

Media organizations, journalist networks, universities and journalism institutions focusing on environmental reporting in the Asia and Pacific region are welcome to apply. Civil society organizations, community-based groups and research institutes will also be considered – but only those with strong media and communication components that are dedicated to supporting fair and accurate reporting. Please note that we will not consider applications rooted in advocacy or political campaigning.

For the purpose of this call, we will not accept applications from Australia, New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands.

Examples of eligible activities include but are not limited to:

• Training workshops;
• Development of reporters’ resources and e-learning tools;
• Story grants for journalists;
• Mentoring of journalists;
• Special reporting projects;
• Networking and partnership activities for journalists;
• Development of new storytelling platforms;
• Establishment of a journalist network.

Selection Process

Grants will be awarded competitively by a panel of judges, consisting of Internews staff and experts in environmental reporting. Following a first-round review, potential grantees will be shortlisted. The jury may interview shortlisted applicants to seek further information on the proposed activity. The jury will then reconvene again after the interviews to make a final selection of the grantees.

The jury evaluates all eligible applications in a comparative context and makes funding decisions based on the availability of funds, the program objectives, and the following assessment criteria:

• the overall quality of the proposal;
• the relevance of the proposed project in contributing to the objectives and priorities of this grant program;
• the potential impact of the proposed project, including the quality and effectiveness of the project design;
• the financial viability and cost-effectiveness of the proposed activity;
• the ability of the applicant to carry it out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can the grant be used to purchase equipment?

A: Applicants can use a portion of the grants to purchase equipment but should clearly state how the equipment will contribute to the expected outcomes and outputs. The cost of equipment should also make up a relatively small proportion of the overall budget.

Q: Will geographical representation will be considered during the selection of grantees?

A: Yes. We hope to award grants to applicants from a range of countries across the region.

Q: Are grantees expected to include monitoring and evaluation in their proposed activity?

A: Grantees are encouraged to submit their own monitoring and evaluation plan along with their application. The final monitoring and evaluation plan will be agreed upon by EJN and each grantee. They are also expected to give their full cooperation to EJN for the monitoring and evaluation of the results of the project.

Q: Can applicants offer or raise co-financing for the proposed activity?

A: Yes, please indicate the amount and source of co-financing, if any, in the budget.

Q: Can existing or former EJN grantees apply?

A: Existing or former grantees are eligible to apply. We will take the performance of existing or previous grantees into consideration during the selection. 

Q: When will applicants know whether they’ve been selected?

A: We expect to update applicants on the status of their proposals within a month after the closing of the call.

How to Apply

1. Fill in the online application form by clicking the “Apply Now” button located on the top right of the page.
2. If you have an existing account, you’ll need to log in. If not, you will need to create an account by clicking “Join the Network” on the top right of the page.
3. If you start the application and want to come back and complete it later you can click “Save Draft.” To return to your draft, you’ll need to go back to the opportunity and click “Apply Now” again to finalize the application.
4. All applicants are required to submit a budget with the application form. Please download this template now and use it to build your project budget.
5. If you encounter difficulties with submitting your application or have questions about the grants, please email info.ejn@internews.org.

DEADLINE: 15 August 2020 @5pm ICT

Source: https://earthjournalism.net/opportunities/earth-journalism-network-asia-pacific-media-grants-2021

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