Indigenous Reporting Award

 

Indigenous Reporting Award

Apply // Deadlines // News // FAQ

The Intercontinental Cry Indigenous Reporting Award (ICIRA) issues quarterly grants to Indigenous reporters working in the western hemisphere.

The purpose of the ICIRA grant program is to provide financial support to help Indigenous reporters cover powerful stories that need international exposure.

How to Apply

To apply for an Indigenous Reporting Award grant, please send us a detailed preliminary budget, a 500-word summary of the proposed story, a biography and at least two writing samples.

We accept pitches on a rolling basis, however, we will only consider pitches during each grant cycle. Please see the table below for our grant cycle deadlines.

Applicants must be of Indigenous descent in order to qualify for an ICIRA grant. Please read our FAQs for more information.

Send your pitches to John Ahni Schertow, IC Editor in Chief, Intercontinentalcry@gmail.com

Deadlines

Round 1 — The Mapuche in Chile, The Peruvian Amazon
Accepting Pitches: Sept 2 to Oct 1, 2018

Round 2
Accepting Pitches: Dec 2 to Jan 1, 2019

Round 3
Accepting Pitches: Mar 2 – Apr 1, 2019

Round 4
Accepting Pitches: June 2 – July 1, 2019

News

FAQ

What is the IC Indigenous Reporting Award?

In an era of increasing media monopolization and ever-declining media diversity, there is a need for new and reliable funding models that enable Indigenous reporters to carry out critical field work. The ICIRA is one such funding model. Sponsored by the Swiss-based human rights organization Incomindios, the ICIRA issues quarterly grants to Indigenous reporters working in the western hemisphere.

What is the purpose of the ICIRA?

These grants provide opportunities to Indigenous reporters pursuing powerful stories that center on Indigenous rights.

Grants will average $1,000 CAD and help cover reporting-related costs including travel (flights, ground transportation, drivers), logistics, visa fees and post-production costs. Full editorial support will also be provided.

Applications will be considered on a quarterly basis beginning Sept 1. Successful applicants will be notified confidentially that their journalism project has been approved.

What types of projects will be supported by the ICIRA?

A specific story theme will be selected in each quarterly call for pitches. All story pitches must focus on the pre-selected theme in order to be considered for nomination.

Applications must include a detailed preliminary budget, a summary of the proposed story, a biography and at least two writing samples.

What types of projects will not be supported?

Any support requests for training or equipment will not be considered.

Who is eligible to apply?

Currently, the Indigenous Reporting Award is only eligible to Indigenous reporters working in the western hemisphere. Applicants must have at least three years of professional experience as a journalist.

Teams of journalists are welcome to apply, however the submission must be from an Indigenous journalist and at least 50 percent of the team must be of Indigenous descent.

How often will you distribute grants?

Grants will be distributed four times per year.

What if the cost of the story exceeds the amount offered by ICIRA grants?

In the event that your story budget exceeds $1000 CAD, you are welcome to apply for a journalism grant from another organization. However, successful ICIRA applicants must provide Incomindios and Intercontinental Cry first publishing rights to the final story for a period of no less than 3 days.

What is the deadline for submissions?

IC will accept applications on a rolling basis, but we strongly encourage applicants to wait until our quarterly call for applications is issued.

What is Incomindios?

The International Committee for the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas (Incomindios) was founded in Geneva in 1974 at the suggestion of the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC). The original purpose of the organization was to provide Indigenous Peoples better access to the United Nations in Geneva. Today, we are part of an extensive network, evolved through close contact with Indigenous Peoples and their representatives. As one of the leading NGOs for indigenous rights, we advocate for indigenous issues worldwide and specifically focus on North, Central and South America. Since 2003, Incomindios holds consultative status at the UN (ECOSOC).

Do you offer any other funding opportunities?

Starting in October, 2018, IC is accepting pitches for our year-long article series, Food as Medicine. For details, please visit this page.

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