IWMF is the only non-profit organization that offers women reporters, both professional and
prospective, safety training, reporting trips, and byline opportunities.
The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) strives to enable women journalists to make a difference in the news media worldwide. Fellows and grantees of the IWMF — both freelancers and full-time journalists – become experts in reporting in underserved areas, produce must-read stories, cooperate with leading publications, and raise awareness of critical issues affecting women and others. IWMF is the only program of its type globally, offering female journalists and photographers safety training, byline possibilities, and emergency assistance.
IWMF also honors fearless female journalists and photographers who stand out for their bravery. The program recognizes bold female journalists and photojournalists who have distinguished themselves through their bravery.
It investigates the variables that allow men to continue to dominate journalism while advocating for more inclusive practices that help women and minorities advance to leadership positions.
Gender, according to the IWMF, does not fit into a single category. All non-binary and gender nonconforming journalists are welcome at the Foundation.
IWMF Mission
The Foundation helps women journalists realize their full potential as champions of press freedom, transforming the global news medium.
Courage in Journalism Awards
Dangers, attacks, government repression, sexual harassment, unequal pay, charges of fake news, and a growing mistrust of the media are all rising threats to press freedom worldwide. Women journalists are generally the ones who take the burden of these attacks. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has formed a report which suggests that 73 percent of women journalists surveyed had encountered online violence due to their employment.
The Courage in Journalism Awards demonstrates to the public that women journalists will not be silenced and deserve to be acknowledged for their courage in the face of hardship. It recognizes courageous female journalists reporting on taboo subjects, working in challenging situations, and uncovering facts.
The Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award honors women journalists detained, jailed, or imprisoned every year. Many of these instances garner international prominence at their arrest but fade from view when other cases surface. It is vital to share the stories of imprisoned female journalists to ensure their safety.
Applications can be submitted in English (https://bit.ly/3waburk), Spanish (https://bit.ly/3JifFoS), or French (https://bit.ly/3wjmXou).
Gwen Ifill Award
The Gwen Ifill Award was founded to honor the famous PBS NewsHour co-memory. Anchor Gwen Ifill was a trailblazer and a fantastic mentor and role model for young journalists. The award is given to a deserving female journalist of color whose work honors Ifill's legacy every year.
Women and non-binary reporters of color employed in the news industry in the United States are eligible for the award. Candidates for the award will be judged and selected on several factors, including their track record of excellent journalism performance and the extent to which they embody the ideals that Ifill exemplified, such as mentorship, leadership, and a dedication to diversity in media.
Award application can be found here: https://bit.ly/37ELVEV
Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship
The Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship provides women and nonbinary journalists covering human rights and social justice with academic and professional opportunities to improve their reporting skills. Elizabeth Neuffer, a Boston Globe reporter who won the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award in 1998, died on May 9, 2003, while reporting in Iraq. In collaboration with Neuffer's family and friends, the IWMF developed this program to honor Neuffer's legacy while expanding her human rights and social justice work.
The Neuffer Fellowship is for women, gender non-conforming, or non-binary journalists with at least three years of work experience in journalism, either as an employee or freelance journalist, working in print, broadcast, or the internet media.
All country representatives are invited to apply; however, to participate effectively and profit from the program, non-native English speakers must include proof of good writing and English verbal skills. The Fellow will spend time at MIT's Center for International Studies, conducting research and coursework and interning at The Boston Globe and The New York Times. The program's flexible framework will allow the Fellow to conduct academic study while honing her journalistic skills. Previous fellows have made use of possibilities to publish work under their names in various mediums.
Fund for Indigenous Journalists
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation has given the IWMF a $750,000 grant to establish a three-year fund supporting U.S.-based reporting initiatives by Indigenous journalists on the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit Transgender individuals.
"The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women" (MMIW) epidemic is the culmination of a spectrum of violence directed disproportionately towards Indigenous women—it reflects the convergence of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and a variety of other crimes." These crimes occur because of a long history of government policies, programs, and legislation that create situations that make Indigenous women more vulnerable than other women to such crimes."
The National Indigenous Women's Resource Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering indigenous women.
The Fund for Indigenous Journalists: Reporting on Missing and Murdered Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, Transgender People actively supports Indigenous journalists' reporting on violence against Indigenous peoples in the United States, both on sovereign land and in urban contexts. Indigenous journalists frequently criticize the dominant media narrative around Indigenous issues, particularly Missing & Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), for reinforcing stereotypes and lacking vital nuance — victimizing Indigenous people and minimizing their survivorship. Meanwhile, Indigenous people account for less than 1% of working journalists in the United States. They have limited access to major news channels to communicate their experiences to national audiences.
The IWMF continues targeted outreach to eligible reporters and Indigenous journalism organizations to elicit proposals. From March 2022, an advisory council comprising notable Indigenous professional journalists and editors and Indigenous thinking leaders will accept and analyze applications rolling. Indigenous journalists, both employed by media firms and freelancers, are encouraged to apply.
The IWMF is devoted to providing grantees with editorial and pitching support in addition to monetary support.
Fund for Women Journalists
Promoting women's work in the news media worldwide is vital for transparency and diverse viewpoints.
The Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists, the first funding initiative of its kind, enables the IWMF to expand its support of women journalists dramatically. Established with a $4 million gift from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Fund supports educational opportunities, investigative reporting, media development initiatives, and further projects of such kind.
Starting from January 2020, the Fund for Women Journalists will accept applications.
Please, find the application details following the link: https://bit.ly/3u50Rn2
For further information, please click the "LINK TO ORIGINAL" button below.