Deadline: October 26, 2023.

Internews’ EJN, in alliance with USAID and WCS, is offering organizational grants of $5,000 to $12,000 to media outlets, NGOs, academic institutions, and other interested groups to support media and journalism activities related to environmental crimes in the Amazon Region in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

The Amazon Basin is increasingly wracked by environmental crimes including trafficking in wildlife, illegal logging, deforestation and illegal mining, often driven by illicit drug trafficking, finds a new report by the United Nations, released in June this year.  An increase in environmental crimes poses significant risks to biodiversity and the well-being of Indigenous peoples and local communities in the region.

Interested applicants should propose training activities for journalists, communicators and media professionals through workshops, webinars, online courses or other resources, and/or support the production of investigative stories on environmental crimes that expand reporting in regional languages.

Examples of possible activities include, but are not limited to:  

• Field trips and/or training workshops that bring journalists and communicators together with experts on environmental crimes in the Amazon
• Development of resources such as virtual learning courses or tools for reporters
• Reporting grants for journalists and communicators
• Mentoring of journalists and communicators
• Investigative and/or collaborative reporting projects with a regional focus
• Networking and partnership activities for journalists and communicators
• Establishment of a network of journalists

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

1. Media organizations, networks of journalists and/or communicators, universities, and journalistic institutions focusing on environmental crimes reporting in the Amazon region are invited to apply.
2. Civil society organizations, community groups and research institutes will also be considered, provided they operate with strong media and communication components.
3. They welcome applications from organizations in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, with a preference for those with established networks in the Amazon region and those willing to carry out transboundary work involving the four target countries that are the focus of the project. They generally prefer to support organizations that carry out work in the country where they are based, but we will consider applications from organizations seeking to collaborate with groups in the Amazon region of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil.
4. Organizations must be legally registered in their country and maintain a bank account with the capacity to receive international funds.
5. For this grant opportunity, we will only accept applications in English, Spanish and Portuguese (translations of this call for proposals are available at the top and bottom of the page). Unfortunately, they cannot consider applications in other languages at this time. Applicants must either have a working understanding of English, Spanish or Portuguese or have a translator available to assist in communication with Internews staff. However, please note that project activities, such as publishing stories, can be conducted in any language.

APPLICATION

• Click the “Apply now” button at the top of the page. 
• If you have an existing account, you’ll need to log in. Since we recently updated our website, you might have to reset your password by clicking the “Forgot password?” link on the log-in page. If you don’t have an account, you must register by clicking “Log in” on the top right of the page and clicking the “Sign up” link at the bottom of the page that opens. Click here for detailed instructions on how to create an account, and here for detailed instructions on how to reset your password. 
• If you start the application and want to come back and complete it later, you can click ‘Save Draft.’ To return to the draft, you’ll need to go back to the opportunity and click ‘Apply now’ again to finalize the application. 
• Applications should provide a detailed budget in an Excel spreadsheet with justification for the amount requested. Download the budget template now by clicking on this link.

If you encounter difficulties submitting your application or have questions about the grants, please email info.ejn@internews.org. Do not contact any other Internews email regarding this opportunity, as we will not receive it.  

Apply through the OFFICIAL LINK