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The Pulitzer Center is inviting proposals for grants to journalists reporting for wide-reaching major news media outlets on tropical rainforests in any part of the world (applications must be in English).
If you are a journalist reporting for media outlets based WITHIN the countries of the Amazon, Congo Basin, or Southeast Asia regions, please visit the call for regional/local proposals here.
The supported international journalism projects will focus on the following themes:
- Tropical forests' role in the overall climate equation and weather patterns globally, regionally and locally, and the consequences for human life and living conditions caused by deforestation
- Deforestation drivers
- Solutions to halt deforestation
The Pulitzer Center will fund international travel costs associated with reporting projects on tropical rainforests, with an emphasis on issues that have gone unreported or under-reported in the mainstream American media. The amount of individual travel grants will depend on the specific project and detailed budget planning. Most awards fall in the range of $5,000 to $15,000 but depending on project specifics may be higher.
On approved projects, half of the grant amount is generally paid just before travel and the remainder on submission of the principal material for publication or broadcast. Specific grant terms are negotiated during the application process.
Distribution: Proposed projects must include a credible plan for broad dissemination of the resulting work in U.S. and/or European news media (print, online and/or broadcast). Applicants should be able to demonstrate interest from editors and/or producers working in wide-reaching U.S. and/or European news media outlets. The credibility of a distribution plan is generally most evident in an applicant's track-record working with the listed outlets. Please do not have editors send letters simply stating they would consider the work. Letters from editors and/or producers who have worked with you in the past, and are interested in working with you again, are encouraged.
Safety: If your project proposal involves reporting in a hostile or dangerous environment, we require that you and your potential outlets adhere strictly to the ACOS Alliance principles outlined here. Freelancers who plan to report from conflict zones or hostile environments must have a firm assignment from a news organization that will assume full responsibility for his/her well-being. The Pulitzer Center is committed to support for Hostile Environment Training where appropriate.
Eligibility: Grants are open to all journalists, writers, photographers, radio producers or filmmakers; staff journalists as well as free-lancers of any nationality are eligible to apply.
Applications must be received in English.
Applications must include the following:
- A description of the proposed project, including distribution plan, in no more than 250 words
- A preliminary budget estimate, including a basic breakdown of costs. Travel grants cover hard costs associated with the reporting; please do not include stipends for the applicants. Fixer/translator/driver fees are acceptable
- Three samples of published work, either print or broadcast.
- Three professional references. These can be either contact information, or letters of recommendation. The latter is encouraged when letters from interested producers or editors are available.
- A copy of your curriculum vitae.
- Applications may also include a more detailed description of project but this will be considered as optional supplement only. The most important part of the submission is the 250-word summary.
Deadline: Rolling
Within a week of your submission, you should receive a confirmation of receipt. Typically applications that are received in a given month receive a response by the end of the following month, with an emphasis on making Pulitzer Center projects as timely and newsworthy as possible. If your proposal requires immediate attention, please note why in your 250-word description.
Where to apply: Please apply via the standard Pulitzer Center grant application form.
Questions? Contact: [email protected]